Constituent name information
Getting constituent names right is critical. LGL offers you a lot of options when it comes to defining the constituent names. All of the names are searchable by the constituent Names field.
- First name: The first name, if applicable. For organizations, this field can be used to store the first name of the primary contact.
- Last name: The last name. For organizations, this field can be used to store the last name of the primary contact.
- Middle name: The middle name or initial. Used for individual constituents only.
NOTE: You can select to have constituent middle names display in search results by selecting this option from the Constituent Names settings in Settings > Subscription settings > General. - Maiden name: This field can be added to your account from Settings > Subscription settings > General. Scroll down the page till you see the Display Maiden name setting. Check the checkbox to turn on the setting.
- Nicknames: The constituent nickname(s), if any. These are useful for storing additional names for reference and for searching.
- Spouse/partner name: The name of the constituent’s spouse or partner. For individuals only. Note that you can add the spouse's/partner's last name in this field as well, if it is different. If you're using the formal name setting, make sure you include title prefixes such as "Mr." or "Ms." so that LGL can correctly calculate the name for the Salutation and Addressee/Label fields. Notice that it is possible to create a new constituent record for the spouse by checking the "Set up spouse as related constituent?" box.
NOTE: To display the spouse/partner name on search, go to the Settings > Subscription settings > General page, and scroll down to the Display Spouse name section to select the setting. - Spouse/partner nicknames: Any relevant nicknames for the constituent’s spouse or partner. For individuals only.
- Organization/Employer name: For individuals, this is the current employer. For organizations, this would be the name of the organization.
- Annual report name: A formal/annual report name. Useful for including in an annual report or a formal donor listing.
- Honorary name: Gives you the option to customize the constituent name/s for an honor roll or a memorial.
- Addressee: The constituent name as it should appear on a label or envelope.
- Alt. Addressee: An alternate version of the constituent name for mailings (more or less formal). When used in mailings, Addressee values will be used if no Alt. Addressee is defined.
- Salutation: The constituent salutation. Use this field to store the salutation you would like to use in a letter.
- Alt. Salutation: An alternate version of the constituent salutation (more or less formal). Will fall back to Salutation in mailings, if not defined.
- Pronouns: Though a custom category for pronouns is not currently available, it's possible to request the addition of a custom text field to track this data. To request this, go to the Help page in your account and submit a request.
On the main constituent details page, you can also edit all the name information by clicking on the name itself (as shown in the screenshot at the top of this article), which can be a time saver if you want to update just one field. Otherwise, you can update all the names at once by clicking the Edit button at the top of the page.