Introduction to the Opportunities Interface

Jessica Abejar
Jessica Abejar
  • Updated

The Opportunities Interface in Spektrix is where your organization can structure its fundraising activity and workflow management.

This article guides you through each of the menus and dashboards in the Opportunities Interface, as well as providing links to other helpful resources.

 

What can I do in the Opportunities Interface?

There are several fundraising capabilities already available in Spektrix including:

To find out more, you can check the Managing Donations and Memberships category section of our Support Centre.

The Opportunities Interfaces gives added fundraising structure and workflow management. It’s designed for managing gifts from high-level donors that you plan to cultivate on a one-on-one basis, including major donors, corporations and trusts and foundations.

Effective use of the tools provided in the Opportunities Interface will help you identify and manage your prospects, donors and funders and track your progress against your team’s fundraising targets, all in one place.

These tools include:

TIP: The Opportunities Interface is usually set up at the Implementation stage of your organization’s onboarding to Spektrix. If your organization currently doesn’t have this interface on your system and you’re considering using it, you can set up a consultation with Spektrix to discuss further.

 

Navigating the Opportunities Interface

In order to navigate and access the Opportunities Interface, User Accounts will need the Opportunities User role.

There is also an Opportunity Administrator role that gives Users permission to update settings and configurations within the interface as well as perform restricted actions in the Basket/Cart.

TIP: An Opportunity Administrator will need both the Opportunities User and Opportunities Administrator roles. If you don’t have these user roles, contact a Settings Administrator in your organization to edit your User Account and add these roles.

Follow the steps in Navigating Spektrix to access the Opportunities Interface from the Control Panel. Click on the Opportunities button.

The Control Panel with Opportunities highlighted.

The Opportunities Interface is designed to give you a clear view of all your open Opportunities. You’ll be able to see where in the pipeline most Opportunities are currently sitting. 

The interface is split into three main sections:

The Opportunities Interface with three sections highlighted. Each section
  is numbered 1-3.

  1. Menu: Runs vertically along the left side of the screen and includes buttons for navigating to different dashboard configurations.
  2. Dashboard: The main workspace in the Opportunities Interface. There are six available dashboards.
  3. Pinboard: An alternative workspace on the right side of the screen. The Pinboard doesn’t change when navigating between the different dashboards.

 

Opportunities Dashboard

Click the gauge icon to open the Opportunities Dashboard.

The Opportunities Dashboard.

The Opportunities Dashboard shows an overview of all your organization’s current Opportunities, as well as where they are sitting in your pipeline.

 

Opportunity Stages

The pipeline is broken into Opportunity Stages, which provide a structure to your Opportunities. You can quickly view how many Opportunities are in which Opportunity Stages:

Current Opportunity Stages.

To set up your Opportunity Stages, read Introduction to Opportunities and Opportunity Stages.

 

Viewing and Managing Opportunities

By default, all the Open Opportunities are displayed. Each line displays a summary of an Opportunity:

Opportunities in the Opportunities Dashboard.

  1. Prospect’s Name: Clicking their name will open their Customer Record in the People Dashboard.
  2. Campaign: The Campaign their Opportunity is for.
  3. Opportunity Stage: The Opportunity Stage they are currently in. For closed Opportunities, the Opportunity Stage will be the Stage it was in when closed.
  4. Description: The description of the Opportunity.
  5. Pop Up Notes: Any Pop Up Notes for the Opportunity.

You can click the pencil icon Edit button to edit the Opportunity. For more information, read Creating and Managing Opportunities.

Each line of the Opportunity also displays additional information:

Opportunities table in the Opportunities Dashboard.

  1. Owner: The User Account of the team member who owns the Opportunity.
  2. Next Activity: The soonest incomplete Activity.
  3. Target: The target amount of the Opportunity.
  4. Asked: The asked amount of the Opportunity.
  5. Received: The total amount of all Donations and other purchases (including Tickets, Memberships, Merchandise) received linked to the Opportunity.
  6. Pledged: The current amount pledged and linked to the Opportunity and not yet received. As Donations are made towards the Pledge, the value decreases under Pledged and increases under Received.
  7. Reserved: The current value (Price + Ticket Commission) of reserved Tickets linked to the Opportunity. As Tickets are purchased, the value decreases under Reserved and increases under Received.

You can also bulk update Opportunities to make changes to multiple Opportunities at once by clicking on the buttons in the top right of the Opportunities table.

Bulk updating Opportunities buttons.

To Update multiple Opportunities, read Creating and Managing Opportunities. To Add multiple Activities, read Activities.

 

Searching Opportunities

You can use the search options to filter Opportunities by the following parameters:

Search options in the Opportunities Dashboard.

  • Name: Enter the Customer Name or part of the Name of the prospect
  • Description: Enter words from the Opportunity description to search
  • Status: Select from All, Open or Closed Opportunities
  • Campaign: Select from one or multiple Campaigns, Sub-Campaigns and/or Sub-Sub-Campaigns
  • Owner: Select from one or multiple Users

Select one or more parameters and click Search to filter the results.

You can also save searches in a saved tab by entering a Tab Name and clicking the plus sign icon Add button.

Saving tabs in the Opportunities Dashboard.

The saved search tab will appear at the top. You can edit the search results by clicking the pencil icon Edit button. You can also delete the saved search tab by clicking the x icon Delete button.

WARNING: Deleting a saved search is an irreversible action.

A saved search tab called My Opportunities.

TIP: The saved search tab is only visible to the User who created them. Any new Opportunities that fit the search tab criteria will automatically be added to the saved search tab.

For more information on working in the Opportunities Dashboard, read the following articles:

 

Activities Dashboard

Click the checkbox icon to open the Activities Dashboard.

The Activities Dashboard.

The Activities Dashboard shows an overview of all your ongoing and completed Activities.

 

Viewing and Managing Activities

By default, all Activities are displayed. Each line displays a summary of an Activity:

Activity in the Activities Dashboard.

  1. Completion Status: A checkbox will appear if the Activity is completed
  2. Priority: Priority symbol for High (red up arrow), Medium (yellow diamond) or Low (green down arrow) priorities
  3. Subject: Subject of Activity
  4. Linked: Opportunity it is linked to with the Campaign of the Opportunity
  5. Type: Activity type
  6. Date: The Date of the Activity

You can click on the Activity subject to view and edit the Activity in the Pinboard. For more information, read Activities.

 

Searching Activities

You can use the search options to filter Activities by the following parameters:

Search options in the Activities Dashboard.

  • Subject: Search for words in the Subject of the Activity
  • Completed: Select All, Complete or Incomplete Activities
  • Priority: Select from Low (green arrow down), Medium (yellow diamond) or High (red arrow up) priority Activities
  • Assignee: Select one or more Users
  • Type: Select one or more Activity Types
  • Linked Name: Enter the Customer Name or part of the Name of the Customer the Activity is linked to
  • Date from and to: Enter the date range for the due date

Select one or more parameters and click Search to filter the results.

You can also save searches in a saved tab by entering a Tab Name and clicking the plus sign icon Add button.

Saving tabs in the Activities Dashboard.

The saved search tab will appear at the top. You can edit the search results by clicking the pencil icon Edit button. You can also delete the saved search tab by clicking the x icon Delete button. 

WARNING: Deleting a saved search is an irreversible action.

A saved search tab called My Activities.

TIP: The saved search tab is only visible to the user who created them. Any new Activities that fit the search tab criteria will automatically be added to the saved search tab.

For more information on working in the Activities Dashboard, read Activities.

 

People Dashboard

Click the person icon to open the People Dashboard.

The People Dashboard.

The People Dashboard lets you search for prospects and look at their Customer Records.

TIP: The People Dashboard can access all Customers in your Spektrix database, including Inactive Customers.

Searching for Customers works the same as that in the Sales Interface. You can perform a Basic Search or an Advanced Search.

The search results will include a link to their Customer Record and display:

Customer search in People Dashboard.

  1. Name and Salutation: Customer Name and salutation
  2. Address: Billing address of Customer
  3. Email: Email address
  4. Customer Group: Any Customer Group tabs can be viewed when hovering over the Customer
  5. Pop Up Notes: Any Pop Up Notes, including pink Fundraising Notes
  6. Basket/Cart Button: Clicking this button will add the Customer to the Basket/Cart and prompt a transaction
  7. Person icon: Click and drag this icon to pin the Customer to the Pinboard

Each Customer will also display additional information:

A table of additional information in the People Dashboard.

  1. Active Opportunities: Any active and open Opportunities linked to the Customer with its linked Campaign and its Description.
  2. Next Activity: The soonest due Activity to be completed.
  3. Donated: The total amount donated since the beginning of time. This doesn’t include soft credited Donations.
  4. Pledged: The current amount pledged and not yet received. As Donations are made towards the Pledge, the value decreases under Pledged and increases under Received.

Clicking their Name will open the Customer Record in a new tab in the People Dashboard.

You can also create new and manage existing Customer Records for Individuals and Organizations by clicking on the buttons in the bottom right corner.

Buttons for creating new Customer Records.

For UK charities, you can also add Gift Aid declarations to the Customer Record.

The Customer Record in the Opportunities Interface contains all the tabs similar to the Customer Record in the Sales Interface plus four additional tabs (Opportunities, Pledges & Legacies, Timeline and Invitations) and the Donor Profile Report.

For more information, read The Customer Record in the Opportunities Interface.

For more information on working in the People Dashboard, read the following articles:

 

Donations and Memberships Dashboard

Click the basket icon to open the Donations and Memberships Dashboard.

The Donations and Memberships Dashboard.

The Donations and Memberships Dashboard lets you process a Donation or sell or renew a Membership and link them to an Opportunity when a Customer is to the Basket/Cart.

TIP: In the Opportunities Interface, every Order is required to be linked to an Opportunity.

Customers can make Donations to any active Funds. Customers can purchase any active Memberships. You will see these Funds and Memberships in both the Opportunities and Sales Interfaces.

When you add a Donation or Membership to the Basket/Cart, the Basket/Cart will open in the Pinboard.

For UK charities, you can also add Gift Aid declarations. When a Donation or Membership with a Donation element and a Customer that doesn’t already have an existing declaration are added to the Basket/Cart, the Gift Aid declaration pop up will appear.

TIP: Any Order made in the Opportunities Interface can also be searched for and viewed and edited in the Sales Interface.

For more information on working in the Donations and Membership Dashboard, read the following articles:

 

Reporting Dashboard

Click the paper icon to open the Reporting Dashboard.

The Reporting Dashboard.

The Reporting Dashboard lets you run Standard Reports related to Campaigns, Opportunities, Pledges and Activities and other fundraising Reports.

You can use the Reporting Dashboard in the same way as you’d use the Report Explorer. Opportunities Administrators can create folders and shortcuts.

You can copy and create new Criteria Sets, copy and edit Reports and create new Reports, which can also be used in the Insights and Mailings Interface.

TIP: The Reporting Dashboard contains only Reports that have a Report Type of Opportunities, Campaigns, Opportunity Stages, Activities, Pledges & Legacies, Attendee, Invitees, Relationships or Soft Credits. Any Report created using this type can be found in both the Opportunities Interface and Insights and Mailings Interface.

For more information on working in the Reporting Dashboard, read the following articles:

 

Admin Settings Dashboard

TIP: The Admin Settings Dashboard is available only to Opportunities Administrators. If you don’t have this user role, contact a Settings Administrator in your organization to edit your User Account and add the Opportunities Administrator role.

Click the cog icon to open the Admin Settings Dashboard.

The Settings Dashboard.

The Admin Settings Dashboard lets you view and edit Funds, Campaigns, Stages, Activity Types and Relationship Types. Navigate between these sections by clicking on the relevant tabs at the top of the screen:

  1. Funds: View only. Add or edit funds in the Admin Interface.
  2. Campaigns: Add or edit Campaigns.
  3. Stages: Add or edit Opportunity Stages.
  4. Activity Types: Add or edit Activity Types.
  5. Relationship Types: Add or edit Relationship Types.

TIP: The Pinboard is not available while in the Admin Settings Dashboard.

For more information on working in the Admin Settings Dashboard, read the following articles:

 

Using the Pinboard

The Pinboard is an alternative workspace that stays pinned on the screen as you move between dashboards. There are four tabs on the Pinboard. From left to right, each tab allows you to:

 

View, add and edit Activities

Click on the tab with a checkmark icon to see an overview of the Activities assigned to you. They are organized by:

  • Unsaved Activities
  • My upcoming incomplete activities
  • My recently completed activities
  • Recently Viewed Activities

You can also add new Activities by clicking the plus icon inside the tab next to the checkbox icon.

Activities tab in the Pinboard.

Each Activity shows a quick summary that includes:

  1. Completion Status: The box will be checked if the Activity is complete
  2. Priority:  Priority symbol for High (red up arrow), Medium (yellow diamond) or Low (green down arrow) priorities
  3. Date: The date of the Activity
  4. Activity Type: The Activity Type
  5. Activity Subject: The subject of the Activity

Click into the Activity to edit or delete. For more information on working in the Activities tab in the Pinboard, read Activities.

 

Start new or view recent transactions

Click on the tab with a basket icon to start a new transaction or see recent transactions.

The Basket tab in the Pinboard.

To start a transaction, choose a sales channel. This will open up a Basket/Cart panel where you can process a Donation or sell or renew a Membership.

TIP: If you start a transaction in the Opportunities Interface, you can switch to the Sales Interface with the current transaction opened. You can only switch to the Sales Interface with a Sales User role.

In addition to processing a Donation or Membership sale, you can also return non-Donation and non-Membership Items. This is to encourage conversion of these returns into Donations.

 

Pin Customer Records

Click on the tab with the people icon to pin Customer Records from the People dashboard for easy access.

Customer Records in the Pinboard.

Search for the Customer Record you’d like to pin. From the search results or in their Details page, click the blue person icon and drag and drop it into the Pinboard.

Click on a Customer’s name in the Pinboard to open their Customer Record in the People dashboard.

To remove a Customer from the Pinboard, click on the x icon delete button to the right of their name.

TIP: Pinning Customer Records will only last for the session. When you switch interfaces or log out, the pinned Customer Records will be removed.

 

Manage Invitations

Click on the tab with the envelope and light icon to manage Invitations to Event Instances made visible and on sale in the Opportunities Interface.

Invitations in the Pinboard.

You can view invitations sent by Event Instance or by all Instances by checking the Show All Instances box.

Each Instance will show an invitation by line that includes:

  1. Invitee: Customer Name and Salutation of main invitee in a party
  2. Accepted: Acceptance status of Not Replied, Accepted, Declined, Accepted - Canceled or Accepted - No Show
  3. Invited: Number of guests invited
  4. Coming: Number of guests accepted and attending
  5. Sent: Date invitation is sent
  6. Expected: Date of expected reply

For more information on working in the Invitation tab in the Pinboard, read Invitation Management.

 

On-Demand Training - Opportunities Interface

In this section of our Spektrix Training: On Demand video on Fundraising and Opportunities, we cover the Opportunities Interface.

VIDEO TIP: With our Spektrix Training: On Demand videos- you can stop, restart or move to specific chapters. Click the CC option to turn on captions. Click in the Settings menu cog icon to control speed, captions and quality.

 

Further Reading

This article should give you an introduction to the Opportunities Interface. For other helpful resources, visit the Customer Loyalty and Fundraising category section of our Support Centre.