Do you write notes in the tab under Actions, or write notes under the individual note tab on the constituent?

It depends.

The action tab serves a more dynamic function - that is, you are planning to perform a future task by a certain day and with a certain outcome and the tasks may vary over time. Therefore it would be helpful to add relevant notes within the action tab. For example, you set an action to perform a phone call on the afternoon of November 15th. Let say the person you are calling is going to speak for a group/business about their experience with your organization and has requested specific information from you, in a phone call, by that date. Notes tied to that action will serve as a reminder of why you are calling and what you need for that specific call because you may not remember it by November 15th.

The note tab is more static. There are certain notes/facts/items that are more general in use. You may want quick access to this information without digging through all the past actions.

Hi Jill.

We think of the notes tab as an umbrella where you capture information about the constituent, i.e. biographical info, changes in assigned solicitors, changes in committees, etc. The action tab is where we track contact with our constituents, the action notes field is to flush out the action. For example, when we link an email to a constituent it creates the email icon in the action record, but also adds to the action notes.

I have samples and procedures if you're interested. Email me directly.

Karen

Maine Community Foundation - khartt@mainecf.org

Jill - You've gotten some good replies, so I just want to reiterate :) We use the Action note if the note is directly related to a specific action. We use Constituent notes for more broad/general information about the constituent.