Creating segments and lists

Use lists and filters to organize contacts into reusable audiences in Zeffy.

For a quick visual walkthrough of lists, watch this video.

You can apply filters from the Contacts tab, save those filters as lists, and manage saved lists from the Lists tab.

Understand automatic and manual lists

Zeffy supports two list types.

Automatic lists

Automatic lists are dynamic and update automatically based on the filters you set.

Use an automatic list when the audience should stay current without manual updates.

Automatic lists work well for:

• Sending newsletters to donors of specific campaigns

• Managing active campaign communications

• Targeting contacts based on engagement or activity

• Creating self-updating groups based on contact attributes

When you save a filter set as an automatic list, all contacts who already match the rules are added right away. The list keeps updating as contacts start or stop matching those rules.

Manual lists

Manual lists are static groups of specific contacts.

Use a manual list when you need a fixed audience that should not change automatically.

Manual lists work well for:

• Board member contact lists

• Volunteer rosters

• Parent or guardian directories

• Alumni databases

• Imported mailing lists

• Any fixed group that does not need automatic updates

When you save a filter set as a manual list, you create a snapshot of the contacts who match at that moment. The list does not update unless you change it yourself.

Filter contacts

1. Go to Contacts.

2. Click + Filter next to the search bar.

3. Select the filter type you want to use.

4. Choose the condition and apply the filter.

Use available filter types

You can build lists from many filter types, including:

• Fundraising Campaign to filter contacts by a campaign they completed

• Manual List to filter contacts by a list they were added to

• Lifetime Amount to filter by total donated amount

• Membership to filter by membership type, status, or related details

• Note to filter by notes on a contact profile

• Date of Transaction to filter by the date of a first, last, or any transaction

• Recurring Donation to filter by recurring status or frequency

• Language to filter by contact language

• Location to filter by state, province, address, or country

• Company to filter by company name

• First Name, Last Name, and Email to filter by contact details

Set filter conditions

Each filter type has its own conditions.

Common examples include:

• Fundraising Campaign: Is or Is not

• Lifetime Amount: Is more than, Is less than, Is between, Is, or Is not

• Date of Transaction: Is after, Is on, Is before, or Is between

• Recurring Donation: Is, Is cancelled, Is past due, or Is not

• Note: Contains, Does not contain, Is known, or Is unknown

• Location: search by state, province, full address, or country

• Company: search by company name to find associated contacts

Apply multiple filters

You can stack filters to build a more specific audience.

1. Apply your first filter.

2. Click + Filter again to add another.

3. Choose whether All filters apply or At least one filter applies.

All filters apply shows only contacts who meet every condition. At least one filter applies shows contacts who meet any of the selected conditions.

To remove a filter, click the trash icon next to it. You can also change filter conditions at any time.

Save filters as a list

Once your filters are set, click Save filters as list.

Then choose whether to save the results as an automatic list or a manual list.

Take action on filtered results

After applying filters, you can work with the matching contacts right away.

1. Click Select All. Selected contacts are highlighted.

2. Choose the action you want to take.

From there, you can:

• Export the contact list

• Send an email to selected contacts

• Delete selected contacts

• Unsubscribe selected contacts from emails

• Add selected contacts to a manual list

Send an email to a saved list

To send an email to a saved list of contacts, follow these steps.

1. Go to Contacts > Lists.

2. Find the list you want to use.

3. Click the mail icon next to the list to open the email builder.

4. All contacts in the list are added as recipients automatically.

Edit, rename, or delete a list

You can manage existing lists from the Lists tab.

1. Go to Contacts > Lists.

2. Click the three dots next to the list.

3. Choose to edit, rename, or delete it.

Remove a contact from a list

Use Remove from list at the top of the page to take a contact out of a list without deleting their record.

1. Open the list you want to edit.

2. Select the contact you want to remove.

3. Click Remove from list at the top of the page.

Removing a contact from a list keeps their contact profile, payment history, and recurring donations intact.

What to do next

To grow your audience, see Create a newsletter sign-up form.

To email a saved audience, see Send emails to contacts.