Adding a Constituent Record in Altru

Important Note: Be sure the constituent doesn’t already have a record. If you’re uncertain about the spelling of a name and nothing comes up for your search, click “include fuzzy search on name” under Advanced Search Options. Once you’re sure you’re not creating a duplicate record, you can begin adding a new one.

Step 1: Adding the Primary Record

1. Next to the search bar, click Add New, then Individual
2. Enter the name of the constituent, remembering to add the correct title
   1. Don’t add any spaces after the names, as the spaces will appear on any mailings
   2. Make sure the first letter of both names is capitalized — Altru will not correct this
   3. If the constituent has two last names, add them both in the last name box using either a space between them or a hyphen, as appropriate
   4. If a second name that needs to be added, such as a spouse, this will be done under the Household tab after you enter in the primary contact information.
3. Add the Address Type – Pick either Home or Business (Home is the default, if you’re unsure)
4. Add the address – Use the following formatting rules:
   1. Post Office Boxes are entered like this: PO Box 1 (no periods between the letter)
   2. Always spell out Drive, Street, Boulevard, Court, etc. (no abbreviations)
   3. Apartments are entered like this: 100 Cedar Street, #11 (street name, #number)
   4. Suites, Units, etc. are entered like this: 100 Cedar Street, Unit 11 (street name, Unit number)
   5. State initials should be entered in all caps (TX not Tx)
5. Add the Phone Type – There are many options here. If they have not designated the type, default to Home
6. Add the Phone Number – Phone number should be entered using this format: XXX-XXX-XXX. Altru will re-format the number when you navigate away.
7. Add the Email Type – Select either Personal or Business. If the type is unknown, default to Personal.
8. Add the Email Address

*Note: Phone numbers and email addresses are not required fields, so it is okay if you do not have this information.

Step 2: Adding the Spouse and Household

1. Click on the Relationships tab, click Add Individual
2. In the search box, search the spouse’s name to confirm whether or not they are already in Altru
3. If the spouse has no record, click the blue button with the yellow star
4. Enter the spouse’s name information
5. Click the Copy Individual’s Primary Contact Information to the Household box, if appropriate
   1. If you know that the email or phone number is for one specific person in the household, but the address is for both, go back when you are done and delete the email/phone number from the person’s record it doesn’t belong on
6. Under Relationship, select the Relationship Type*
   1. If the individuals are spouses, click This Is the Spouse Relationship for Individual
   2. If you know that this is a relationship other than a spouse, such as a son/daughter/parent, etc., choose the appropriate relationship type (and remember to uncheck the boxes for “copy individuals contact information to the household,” “this is the spouse relationship for individual,” and “copy individual’s primary contact information to spouse.” These boxes will only be checked for spouse relationships
7. Leave the start date blank and click Save

*Knowing whether or not a relationship is a spouse relationship can be difficult; this is where you have to use your judgment. If there are two individuals with the same address listed, we are marking it as a spouse relationship (for mailing purposes) unless we know for a fact it is something else.

Step 3: Name Format Clean-up

Important Note: Altru defaults to incorrect and embarrassing name formats for spouses 99% of the time. Double check both records of the household you created and clean up mistakes. Correcting the formats on one of the records does not fix it for both.

1. Under Personal Info on the constituent record, scroll down to Name Formats to see the updated name formats Altru created based on the information you entered for a new spouse relationship.
2. Each record needs a BMA Formal Addressee and a BMA Formal Salutation (which include both names of the spouses, unless otherwise preferred)
3. To change a format, click on the two green arrows next to one of the formats and click Edit

BMA Formal Addressee Formatting

Under Type, choose BMA Formal Addressee, then click the box that says Primary Addressee. You will see many options for name formats. Look at the information you have for both individuals and think about how they would prefer to have a formal invitation addressed to them or to be introduced to a group.

Common examples of Joint Addressees:

• and Mrs. John Doe (married male/female couple with a shared surname)
• Jane Doe and Mr. John Doe (male/female couple with a shared surname but she has indicated that she goes by Ms.)
• Jane Doe and Mr. Alex Alexander (when couples do not share a surname, and she goes by Ms., Mrs., etc.)
• Jane Doe and Ms. Andrea Anderson (female/female couple)
• John Doe and Mr. Alex Alexander (male/male couple)
• Jane Doe and Dr. John Doe (married couples who are both doctors and share a surname)
• Jane Doe and Mr. John Doe (for a woman who “outranks” her husband, both names are written out. It is never Dr. and Mr.)
• and Mrs. John Doe (married male/female couple where the male is a doctor and they share a surname)

There will be times when you will not see the correct format as an option. In this case, you can create a custom form at the top. When you have found/created the correct addressee, make sure to “select” it by highlighting the row and clicking select at the top. Click save.

BMA Formal Salutation Formatting

Click the green arrows next to the BMA Formal Salutation, then click Edit.

This salutation should match what you’ve added for their addressee. Here are some salutations that correspond with the addressee examples from above:

• and Mrs. John Doe (addressee)
• and Mrs. Doe (salutation)
• Jane Doe and Mr. John Doe
• Doe and Mr. Doe
• Jane Doe and Mr. Alex Alexander
• Doe and Mr. Alexander
• Jane Doe and Ms. Andrea Anderson
• Doe and Ms. Anderson
• John Doe and Mr. Alex Alexander
• Doe and Mr. Alexander
• Jane Doe and Dr. John Doe
• Doe
• Jane Doe and Mr. John Doe
• Doe and Mr. Doe
• and Mrs. John Doe
• and Mrs. Doe

Again, if Altru does not give you the correct salutation, you can create it.

When you have found/created the correct addressee, save your changes by highlighting the row and clicking Select at the top or by double-clicking on the correct row. When the green check mark appears beside the correct salutation, click Save.

Double check the Individual Addressee and Salutation that Altru has created (it is usually correct).

Step 4: Fixing the Household

Altru defaults to incorrect household names if the spouses do not share the same last name. For example, Jane Doe and Alex Alexander’s household would default to Jane and Alex Alexander, which is incorrect. If the constituents do share a surname, the default should be correct on the primary member’s record and you may not have to change it, but you should still check both spouse records.

1. To view a household, look under Primary Relationships on a constituent’s record. The name of their spouse as well as their household will be listed. Click on the household.
2. To edit the household name, click Edit Household (under the Tasks bar on the left side)
3. Click on the option for Custom name and enter the correct household name. If they do not share a surname, type out the first and last name of both constituents connected by “and” (example: Jane Doe and Alex Alexander)
4. Click Save.

Step 5: Check Your Work!

Once you’ve made the necessary changes, go back to each constituent and make sure you have updated the information for them both. It is very important to check and be sure you fixed the names on both of the records; it can be easy to forget and only change it for one of them.

Done!