Action Blueprints help your organization maintain consistent data entry standards while saving time and reducing errors. This guide provides best practices for creating and using blueprints effectively.
How to maximize consistency and efficiency with Action Blueprints
Action Blueprints help your organization maintain consistent data entry standards while saving time and reducing errors. This guide provides best practices for creating and using Blueprints effectively.
Getting Started with Blueprints
Before You Create Blueprints
Audit Your Current Data Entry Patterns Review your most common Action types and identify where inconsistencies occur. Look for:
- Actions that frequently require the same Campaign combinations
- Data that your team repeatedly enters in notes fields
- Common mistakes or omissions in action entry
Involve Your Team Gather input from the staff who will be using these Blueprints daily. Ask them:
- What information do they always need to capture for specific Action types?
- What Campaign combinations do they use most frequently?
- What additional data would be helpful to standardize?
Blueprint Creation Best Practices
Start Simple and Build Up
Begin with Your Most Common Actions Create Blueprints for the actions your team enters most frequently first. Common starting points include:
- Major gift solicitations
- Thank you calls
Use Clear, Descriptive Names Blueprint names should immediately tell users when to use them:
- ✅ "Major Gift Solicitation - $10K+"
- ✅ "Annual Fund Phone Thank You"
- ❌ "Blueprint 1"
- ❌ "Gift Blueprint"
Campaign Configuration Strategy
Category Requirements vs. Specific Campaigns
- Use Category Requirements when you want flexibility within standards (e.g., "All gifts must include Campaigns from Donation Type and Fund categories")
- Use Specific Campaigns when certain Campaigns should always be included (e.g., Annual Fund gifts always include "2024 Annual Fund" and "Check")
Keep Campaign Requirements Logical Only require Campaign categories that make sense for the action type. Avoid over-constraining users with unnecessary requirements.
Custom Fields That Add Value
Focus on Information You'll Actually Use Before adding custom fields, ask: "Will this information be used for reporting, follow-up, or analysis?" If not, consider whether it's necessary.
Examples of Effective Custom Fields:
- Text Fields: "Follow-up Notes," "Donor Preferences," "Meeting Outcomes"
- Date Fields: "Next Contact Date," "Pledge Due Date," "Event Date"
Keep Field Names Clear and Consistent Use consistent naming conventions across all Blueprints (e.g., always use "Next Contact Date" rather than mixing "Follow-up Date" and "Next Contact Date").
Blueprint Usage Best Practices
For End Users
Choose the Right Blueprint Take a moment to select the most appropriate Blueprint for your Action. Using the wrong Blueprint can create inconsistent data.
Complete All Required Fields Blueprints are designed to capture important information consistently. Don't skip required fields even if they seem unnecessary in the moment.
Use the Notes Section Effectively The notes section remains fully flexible even when using Blueprints. Use it for:
- Context that doesn't fit in Blueprint fields
- Detailed conversation summaries
- Unique circumstances for this specific action
Common Blueprint Scenarios
Donor Cultivation Tracking
Blueprint Name: "Donor Cultivation Meeting" Campaign Categories: Relationship Manager, Solicitation Strategy Custom Fields:
- Next Contact Date (Date)
- Capacity Assessment (Text)
- Interest Areas Discussed (Text)
Gift Processing
Blueprint Name: "Major Gift Entry" Campaign Categories: Donation Type, Fund, Appeal Custom Fields:
- Acknowledgment Sent Date (Date)
- Stewardship Plan (Text)
Troubleshooting Common Issues
"My team isn't using the Blueprints"
- Solution: Ensure Blueprint names clearly indicate when to use them
- Review: Are Blueprints making entry easier or harder? Simplify if needed
- Training: Provide brief training on when and how to use each Blueprint
"Blueprints are too restrictive"
- Solution: Review Campaign category requirements - can some be made optional?
- Consider: Whether specific Campaigns should be changed to category requirements for more flexibility
"We need different Blueprints for different teams"
- Solution: Create team-specific Blueprints with clear naming (e.g., "Major Gifts - Solicitation," "Annual Fund - Phone Call")
Training Your Team
- New User Onboarding: Include Blueprint usage in your Alpine training process
- Regular Refreshers: Quarterly team meetings to review Blueprint best practices
- Feedback Loop: Create a process for users to suggest Blueprint improvements
Related Articles
Create, Edit, Copy, and Delete Action Blueprints