Q1: Can we create and send email campaigns directly from Donorfy?
Answer: No. Bulk email campaigns must be created and sent in Mailchimp. The integration keeps audiences in sync, but automated campaigns can be triggered by actions in Donorfy, such as online donations or adding tags.

Q2: What happens if a supporter changes their email address in Donorfy?
Answer: A new contact is created in Mailchimp for the new email address. The old email address remains as a separate contact and must be manually unsubscribed or managed in Mailchimp to avoid duplicate communications.

Q3: Can we use campaign member segments from Donorfy in Mailchimp?
Answer: No. Segments must be created directly in Mailchimp.

Q4: Can we trigger an automated journey when someone buys a specific product?
Answer: Yes. Record the purchase in Donorfy via the API or import, apply an auto-tag, and use that tag to trigger an automated Mailchimp campaign.

Q5: Can we send event-related emails such as post-event questionnaires?
Answer: You can, but it is recommended to use your event platform’s communication tools. This approach supports timely automation and reduces the amount of event-specific personal data stored in Donorfy, improving GDPR compliance.

Q6: Should ecommerce order-related emails be sent from Mailchimp?
​Answer: No. Use your ecommerce platform’s communication features. Donorfy should only store summary order details synced via the API, reducing GDPR risk.

Q7: Is syncing between Donorfy and Mailchimp automatic?
Answer:Data syncing from Mailchimp to Donorfy is automatic for new contacts and changes to existing contacts. Changes to Tags for existing contacts are not updated automatically, it is suggested that Tags are managed within Donorfy.
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From Donorfy to Mailchimp data can be synced either by the nightly automation or by on-demand syncing from Donorfy provides visibility and control over what data is sent.

Q8: How are Mailchimp GDPR tools handled?
Answer: GDPR requirements are managed using groups and tags, which are then used for campaign segmentation.

Q9: Does the sync include merge fields?
Answer:Yes.
There is a wealth of data fields that can be synced to Merge fields within Mailchimp. For example, first name, last name, email address, organisation name, giving stats, address details, etc.

Q10: What effect does turning off the email channel have?
Answer: Turning the email channel off unsubscribes the contact in Mailchimp. Unsubscribing directly in Mailchimp does not block the email channel in Donorfy, as the supporter may still receive transactional emails.

Q11: What if someone wants to stop receiving one type of email but not others?
Answer: They should untick the relevant groups on the Mailchimp form instead of unsubscribing from the entire audience.

Q12: How do we prevent constituents without permissions from syncing to Mailchimp?
Answer: Filter your Donorfy list to exclude people who do not have any mapped purposes selected.

Q13: What happens when someone unsubscribes in Mailchimp?
Answer: Mapped communication purposes are blocked, a history entry is added to the preference centre, and an activity is recorded on the constituent’s timeline. The email channel status remains unchanged.

Q14: How do we unsubscribe someone from Mailchimp via Donorfy?
Answer: Open their Mailchimp profile from Donorfy and unsubscribe them, or turn the email channel off or archive the constituent and run a sync.

Q15: What happens when someone re-subscribes?
Answer: Re-subscriptions in Mailchimp sync into Donorfy automatically. Re-subscriptions made only in Donorfy must be manually re-subscribed in Mailchimp.

Q16: What happens if a contact is deleted in Mailchimp?
Answer: The constituent is not deleted from Donorfy. Deletion in Mailchimp is permanent and can cause sync issues. Re-subscribing requires the contact to sign up again via a Mailchimp form.

Q17: How are email opt-ins captured from other systems?
Answer: Systems like Eventbrite, JustGiving, and donation widgets sync automatically. Other systems must update purposes via the API or File Uploader, then sync to Mailchimp.

Q18: How are bounced emails handled?
Answer: Email addresses set as Bounced in Donorfy are not synced to Mailchimp. If an email address is manually set as Bounced, then the corresponding contact in Mailchimp will need to also be amended.
Bounced emails reported from Mailchimp will add an Activity to the Constituent Timeline in Donorfy. A hard bounced email address from Mailchimp will set the email status to Bounced in Donorfy.

Q19: What if another system also updates Mailchimp?
Answer: Review guidance on using custom integrations with Mailchimp to avoid conflicts.

Q20: How long does the sync process take?
Answer: Sync time depends on list size. Small lists may take minutes, while large lists can take several hours. Contact support if the process appears unusually slow.

Q21: What happens if we change the Mailchimp API key?
Answer: Changing the API key resets the connection and requires all mappings to be reconfigured. Capture your existing mappings before updating the key.

Q22: Why does the Mailchimp activity feed show contacts as opted out?
Answer: In GDPR-enabled audiences, contacts added via the API are marked opted out by default. These indicators can be ignored, as the integration does not use these GDPR fields.

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