Donor tags and categories¶

In short: Create donor tags under Settings → Donors → Tags with Add Tag (a name and a colour), then attach them to a donor in the Tags field of the donor form. Creating tags needs Manage Settings; attaching an existing tag needs Manage Donors. Tags let you group and filter donors and report on giving by tag.

Overview¶

Tags let you group your donors into categories such as VIP, Volunteer, Doctors, or a family name. You can attach one or more tags to a donor, then filter lists and reports by tag. Each tag has a name and a colour, shown as a coloured label on the donor's profile and in lists.

Before you start¶

You'll need:

Manage Settings to create, edit or delete tags; Manage Donors to attach an existing tag to a donor.
To know that donor tags are separate from project tags — when you create a tag you choose which type it is. Only Donor tags can be attached to donors.

Creating a donor tag¶

Step 1: Open the Tags tab of donor settings¶

Open Settings from the gear/cog menu in the top navigation bar, choose Donors in the Settings left-hand navigation, then click the Tags tab. You'll see the Donor Tags heading and a table with columns Tag Name, Description and Manage.

Step 2: Open the Add Tag window¶

Click Add Tag (top-right of the Donor Tags heading). The Add Tag window opens, pre-filled with a random colour.

Step 3: Enter the tag details¶

A name (required, up to 255 characters).
A colour (required) using the colour picker.
An optional description.

Step 4: Save¶

Save the tag. It appears in the Donor Tags table and you'll see "Category <name> has been created."

The Tags tab of donor settings — the Donor Tags table (Tag Name, Description, Manage) with the Add Tag button, and the Add Tag window showing the name, colour picker and description fields.

Editing or deleting a tag¶

In the Tags tab, each tag row has a pencil icon to edit and a trash icon to delete. Editing lets you change the tag's name, colour and description. Deleting removes the tag.

Attaching tags to a donor¶

Step 1: Open the donor form¶

Add a new donor, or edit an existing one (the Manage button on the profile, then Edit Donor).

Step 2: Choose tags¶

In the Tags field, choose one or more existing donor tags.

Step 3: Save¶

Save with Create Donor (or Update Donor). The tags then appear as coloured labels beneath the donor's name on the profile.

Using tags in reports¶

Tags can filter several reports — for example the Donor history report lets you filter donors by tag, and the Giving by tag report summarises donations per tag. Group your donors thoughtfully so these reports are meaningful.

What this does not do¶

Tags don't move donations or change how receipts work; they only label and group donors.
A Project tag won't appear as a donor tag option. Set the tag's type to Donor if you want to attach it to donors.

Field reference¶

Field	Required?	Notes
Name	Yes	Up to 255 characters.
Colour	Yes	A hex colour (up to 7 characters), set with the colour picker.
Type	Yes	Donor or Project — choose Donor for donor tags.
Description	Optional	Up to 255 characters; shown in the Donor Tags table.

Common issues & solutions¶

What you see	What it means	How to fix it
You don't see the Add Tag button	You lack Manage Settings, or you're not on the Tags tab.	Get the permission and open Settings → Donors → Tags.
A tag doesn't appear when editing a donor	The tag's type is Project, not Donor.	Create or edit the tag with type Donor; only donor tags attach to donors.
The colour didn't save	No colour was picked (it's required).	Pick a colour with the colour picker before saving.

FAQ¶

How do I group donors by family, or into categories like VIP? Create a donor tag for each group (e.g. a family surname, "VIP", "Volunteer"), then attach it to the relevant donors in the Tags field of the donor form. Filter lists and reports by that tag.

Where do I create tags? Settings → Donors → Tags, then Add Tag. You need the Manage Settings permission.

Can I report on giving per tag? Yes — see the Giving by tag report (donations summarised per tag) and the Donor history report (filter donors by tag).

Why can't I attach a tag I created? It was probably created as a Project tag. Only Donor-type tags can be attached to donors.

Configuring donor settings and capture forms
Adding a donor (types and required fields)
Editing a donor's details
Donor history report