Crimson: Attributes

Attributes help you categorize People Records based on their involvement with your committee or campaign.  For example, you can use Attributes to identify active/inactive Volunteers, Major Donors, Grassroots Organizers, and more.  Attributes are completely customizable so that you can easily identify the correct label for each record in your database. 

In Crimson, Attributes have two layers: 

• Attribute Category – This tells the end user the nature of the attribute.  For example: 
  • Volunteer
  • Major Donor 
  • Staff 

• Attribute – This identifies the exact relationship of the People Record.  For example 
  • Volunteer 
    • Events 
    • Door Knocker 

Setting up Attribute Codes 

In order to organize your records, you must first create the attributes and the attribute categories. Note: Crimson does come with defaults, however, you can modify these as needed. 

Click on the People Dashboard from the Main Menu on the left-hand side and then click the  button in the top right of the Navigation Bar to open People Settings.   

1. Select the Attribute tab. 
   1. To easily see all Attributes, before viewing Categories, click . If the Attribute Category already exists, skip to Step 6 to add Attributes.
2. A list of existing Attribute Categories will appear so that you can view and manage. Click the Add button to setup a new Attribute Category.
3. To add, fill out the Attribute Category and select a Labeling order.  
4. Labeling will determine how the Attribute is displayed elsewhere in Crimson.  For example, “Category – Attribute” will always put the Attribute Category first, followed by a hyphen and then the Attribute (eg Volunteer – Phone Banking).  
5. Click Save when done. 
6. Next, to add the Attributes, first select the respective Category by clicking . 
7. Then click  in the Edit Attribute Category Window. 
8. Click  and add the Attribute Name and Note, if desired:
9. Click Save when done. 

Assigning Attributes to People Records 

When in a People Profile, you can assign Attributes, and other helpful codes. Simply click on the Codes panel box, and you will be defaulted to the Attributes tab.   

• From here, select any of the available Attributes and use the  icon to assign it.  
• Select from assigned Attributes and use the reverse arrow to remove an Attribute.  
• The item in a blue label is the attribute’s Category. 

• Once an Attribute is assigned, it will be added to the Recent list on the right-hand side. 
• Use the toggle to remove or include Inactive Attributes.  
• To access the additional Attribute features, select the assigned Attribute from here. 
• In the edit window, you can adjust the Start and End Dates by typing or using the calendar tool.   
• The Attribute will default to Active or Inactive depending on if there is an End Date and if that date has passed.  You can override this by clicking the toggle. 

• Lastly, to view all assigned Attributes in a list view, click All to the top right of the Recent list. From here, you can use the filters to sort, delete, or open one for editing. 

Mass Append – People Search 

You can use Crimson’s Mass Append feature to append Attributes to a set of People Search Results. 

1. Run your desired People Search and then select Mass Append (next to Export).  
2. From the new window, click the Attribute tab.
3. From here, use the lookup tool to find the Attributes.
4. Enter the start and end dates, and when finished click . 

Import – New Contacts or New Gifts 

When importing an Excel as part of a New Gift, New Contacts, or Append import, follow the same import process as you normally would for a New Contacts or New Gifts Import, but add the following columns to be able to import Attribute information: 

• Attribute Name – Put the Attribute name here, just the name not the Category. 
  • NOTE: The Attribute must exist in People Settings first to be able to import. 
• Attribute Start Date – This is for the Start Date. 
• Attribute End Date – This is for the End Date, not required. 
• Attribute Active – Crimson will either assume based on date information, or you can use a Y for active or N for inactive.