Smarter Raiser's Edge Donor Matching

When a kiosk donation flows to Raiser's Edge, the right outcome is usually obvious: returning donors get attached to their existing constituent record, and brand-new ones get a fresh record. The tricky cases are everything in between — a donor who used a new email address, a guest with a common name, a returning donor whose phone or address has updated. We've reworked how matching handles those cases.

Matching now runs in stages

A direct email match still wins first. If that misses, we look for a name plus phone or address match — when those line up, we attach the gift confidently. Only when none of those signals agree do we look at name alone, and even then we don't guess: a name-only match creates a new constituent record with a clear NEEDS REVIEW: Possible duplicate name w/ record #X note attached so you can decide what to do.

Email addresses with + signs now match

A subtle bug was silently breaking any email search containing + (think donor+events@gmail.com) — we weren't URL-encoding the plus sign, so Raiser's Edge read it as a space. Those searches now match correctly.

Returning donors stay enriched

When a returning donor gives with a new phone number, email address, or mailing address, that information now flows onto their existing Raiser's Edge record as non-primary fields. Their primary contact info stays intact, but you don't lose the new details. This works whether the donor enters the new info on a kiosk or through a QR code donation.

Cleaner gift comments

Gift comments are easier to triage now: Matched: Name + Email, Matched: Name + Address, or NEEDS REVIEW: Possible duplicate name w/ record #X (kiosk: "Name"). The donation UUID is still there for traceability.

Refreshed Data Sync dashboard

Sync notes on the Data Sync page are easier to scan now — they sit on their own line beneath each transaction, and hovering highlights the whole row as a single unit so a long list reads cleanly.