URL Custom Fields

The URL field type lets you store and display website links directly on constituent profiles. When a URL is saved on a constituent, it appears as a clickable link that opens in a new tab — so your team can jump to a donor's LinkedIn profile, a foundation's website, or any relevant webpage without leaving Alpine.

URL is one of four custom field types available in Alpine, alongside Text, Email, and Date.

Creating a URL Field

Navigate to Settings > Custom Fields.
Click New Custom Field.
Enter a name for the field (e.g., "LinkedIn Profile," "Website," "Foundation Page").
In the Field Type dropdown, select URL.
Optionally check Lock Field to prevent anyone from editing values once they're saved.
Click Save.

The field will now appear on all constituent profiles in your database.

Entering and Editing URL Values

When entering a URL on a constituent profile, you can type or paste the full address. Alpine accepts both full URLs (https://example.org) and bare addresses (example.org) — bare addresses are automatically saved as https:// links.

Only http:// and https:// links are accepted. Common reasons a URL might not save:

Issue	Example	What to do
Contains spaces	`https://example .com`	Remove the space
Is an email address	`donor@example.org`	Use an Email field instead
Uses a non-web scheme	`ftp://files.example.com`	URL fields support http/https only
Not a valid URL	`just some text`	Check that the value is a real web address

Converting an Existing Field to URL

If you have a Text field that already contains website links, you can convert it to a URL field by changing its Field Type to URL and saving.

Before you save, Alpine will check all existing values in that field. If any values aren't valid URLs:

A confirmation modal will appear listing how many values will be permanently deleted.
You'll see a preview of the first five affected records and the reason each one is invalid.
You can download a CSV of all affected records before confirming, so you have a record of what will be removed.
To proceed, check the acknowledgement box and click Convert and remove [N] invalid values.

⚠️ This action cannot be undone. Invalid values are deleted permanently when you confirm the conversion. Download the CSV first if you want to keep a record.

How URL Fields Appear on Profiles

When a constituent has a value saved in a URL field, the field row on their profile will include a small open link icon next to the value. Clicking it opens the URL in a new tab.

This only appears when there is a single URL saved in the field. If a constituent has multiple values in the same URL field, the icon is not shown (to avoid ambiguity about which URL would open).

Filtering by URL Fields

URL fields support the same filter operators in Constituent Reporting as Text and Email fields:

equals
begins with
ends in
contains
is set

Select “Field Value” from the Constituent Reporting dropdown, then select your URL field to filter with it.

Tips

Name the field for what it stores. "Website" is vague if you're tracking multiple URL types — "LinkedIn Profile" or "Org Website" makes it immediately clear what belongs there.
Download the CSV before converting. If you're converting a Text field and suspect some values are messy, download the affected records first so nothing disappears without a record.
URL fields can't sync to email marketing. If you need a field synced to Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign merge fields, use a Text or Email field instead.
One field, one URL. The clickable link icon only appears for constituents with a single URL value in the field. If you expect constituents to have more than one URL of the same type, consider whether separate fields (e.g., "Primary Website," "Secondary Website") would serve your team better.