Outbid, Pledge and Grant Triggers

Three workflow triggers let you follow up on auctions, pledges and grants automatically: Auction: Outbid, Pledge installment: Coming due or missed and Grant milestone: Coming due or missed. You find them in the workflow builder's trigger list, under the Auction, Pledges and Grants groups. Like any trigger, they can start any workflow action: send an email, create a task, assign an owner, add a tag or add the contact to a list.

Auction: Outbid

Runs when someone's leading bid on a silent auction item is beaten, either by a higher bid or by another bidder's maximum bid. The workflow runs on the contact of the bidder who lost the lead.

Filters

Campaign (optional): only outbids in these auctions.
Item (optional): only outbids on these items. The list loads once you choose a campaign.
Their bid was at least (optional): only when the beaten bid was at or above this amount. Useful for a personal follow-up with bidders who were in for a lot.

Good to know

Live auction items are not included. Outbids happen too quickly in the room for a follow-up to help.
If the bidder has taken the lead back by the time the workflow runs, the workflow is skipped. No one is told they were outbid while they are winning.
Bidders without a contact record are skipped.
Guests still receive the usual outbid text message. The workflow is in addition to it.

Ideas

After the auction closes, email bidders who were outbid and didn't win, with a link to give the amount of their bid to your fund-a-need.
Create a task for a board member when a major donor is outbid on a high-value item.

Pledge installment: Coming due or missed

Runs for an installment on a pledge's payment schedule that still has money owed. The workflow runs on the pledge's contact.

Coming due runs 30, 7 and 1 day before the installment's due date. Use Days before due to pick one reminder point. Leave it empty and the workflow runs at the first reminder point it reaches.
Missed runs the night after the due date passes, if the installment is still not fully paid.

The due date is the installment's end date, or its start date when it has no end date. Installments that are closed or fully paid, and pledges that are not in Pledged status, never trigger.

Filters

Changed to (required): Coming due, Missed, or both.
Days before due (optional): 30, 7 or 1 day before, for Coming due.
Amount still owed at least (optional): only installments with at least this much unpaid.

Ideas

Seven days before an installment is due, email the donor a friendly reminder with how to pay.
When an installment is missed, create a task for the pledge's relationship owner to call the donor.

Grant milestone: Coming due or missed

Runs for an open milestone on a grant: a report, a payment or a deadline. It uses the same timing as pledge installments: Coming due at 30, 7 and 1 day before the due date, and Missed the night after it passes while the milestone is still open.

The workflow runs on the grant's grantor contact, or on the grantor organization when there is no grantor contact. Grants with neither are skipped, as are grants that were declined or canceled.

Filters

Changed to (required): Coming due, Missed, or both.
Days before due (optional): 30, 7 or 1 day before, for Coming due.

Ideas

Thirty days before a report is due, create a task for your grants manager and assign them as owner of the funder contact.
When a milestone is missed, send an internal email to your development director.

When these triggers are checked

Outbids are recorded the moment the bid is placed. Pledge installments and grant milestones are checked once a night. A missed installment or milestone is announced only if its due date passed in the last seven days, so turning on a workflow does not send reminders about old, long-overdue items.