Self-Guided Training

What You’ll Learn in This Guide

Whether you're setting up your first donor outreach or managing a full portfolio, this guide gives you step-by-step direction to master key tools—at your own pace, with your own style.

• How to navigate Momentum confidently
• How to manage donor outreaches using the Inbox
• How to plan and execute meaningful, consistent donor touchpoints
• How to stay organized with lists, segments, and workspace tools
• How to let Momentum support your work, without losing the personal touch

You don’t need to be tech-savvy. You don’t need to memorize anything. You just need to follow along and try things in real-time.

Table of Contents

• Get Logged In
• Your Inbox: Home Base for Fundraising
• Creating Outreach: New Actions
• AI Writer: Support for Stronger Messages
• Lists & Segments: Organize Your People
• Automations: Don’t Miss a Beat
• Workspace Tools: Templates, Cadences, Prospecting
• Best Practices for Staying in Rhythm
• Troubleshooting & Support

Get Logged In

Before you dive into donor engagement, let’s get you signed into Momentum.

Step-by-Step Login

1. Head to the application site here.
2. Click “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Microsoft”
   • Sign in using your work email login credentials
3. Grant Read/Write permissions so Momentum can:
   • Access your work email (to send and track emails)
   • Sync with your CRM (to log all actions automatically)

You only need to do this once. After that, Momentum remembers your login and settings.

What You’ll See After Login

You’ll land on your Inbox, where any scheduled tasks, AI recommendations, or follow-ups will appear.

If this is your first time, your Inbox might be empty. Don’t worry—it’ll start filling up as you create actions, receive automations, or set up your lists and portfolio segments!

Having trouble logging in? Reach out to your Customer Success Manager or submit a support request directly from the login screen.

The Inbox: Home Base for Fundraising

The Inbox is where real work happens in Momentum. It’s your personalized to-do list for donor engagement—combining automated suggestions, scheduled actions, and key follow-ups so nothing slips through the cracks.

You’ll return here again and again, so let’s make sure you know how to use it with ease.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this section, you’ll be able to:

• Understand what appears in your Inbox and why
• Take action on recommendations (automated or manual)
• Draft and send emails
• Log other outreach types (calls, letters, cards)
• Use filters and sorting to manage your workload

Step 1: Understand What’s in Your Inbox

Your Inbox queue is organized by due date, and includes:

• Manual Actions you’ve created or others have assigned to you
• Automated Recommendations (based on things like “No Contact for 30 Days” or “Birthday”)
• Prospecting Suggestions from the Workspace, delivered weekly

Tip: The Inbox shows you what’s due in the next 3 days—so you always have time to review, tailor, and send without rushing.

Step 2: Review a Recommendation

1. Click on any action in your Inbox.
2. You’ll see:
   • Donor sidebar (or, the Momentum Donor Record) on the right, with overview, plan, and history tabs
   • Draft and tailors outreaches in the Composer
   • Action details at the top (e.g., “Gift Received: Thank them”)
3. How to draft an outreach
   • Click into a recommendation from the inbox queue and
4. Review the content on the recommendation, compare it with the info in the sidebar. Does it look correct? Can you seen details in the donor record being used to personalize the AI draft?

Step 3: Send an Email Outreach

If you're feeling a little nervous, choose a low stakes automated recommendation like a Birthday, Gift Received, or Get In Touch.

These are touchpoints intended to generate an excuse to get back in front of a donor, in a manner that is personal and puts no pressure on the donor. Not an ask, just a bit of sunshine for their inbox!

Emails go out via your connected Outlook or Gmail, and the interaction logs automatically to your CRM.

Step 4: Log a Call, Card, or Letter

If your action is a Call, Card, or Letter:

1. Generate or edit the AI script or note
2. After you complete the outreach manually, click Mark Complete
3. Momentum will log the action to your CRM with a copy of your draft

These types of outreach keep your engagement personal, while ensuring your CRM stays up to date.

Step 5: Use Filters to Stay Focused

At the top of the Inbox, try filters like:

• Action Type: Email, Call, Recommendation
• Tag: Upcoming event, Donor tier
• Due Date: Today, This week, Overdue

This is especially helpful if you’re working through a long list and want to focus on one type of outreach at a time.

Step 6: Take Advantage of Grouped Actions

Some actions will appear as Group Outreach—these are NOT mass emails. They’re a smart way to:

• Use one message style across multiple donors
• Draft individually, but work more efficiently
• Keep messaging personal while saving time

Click into the group action, then work through each recipient one by one, tailoring each message as needed before sending.

Your Weekly Routine

Make it a habit:

• Monday morning: Check your queue and prioritize
• Midweek: Tackle your next batch of actions
• Friday: Mark any completed tasks and prep for next week

Momentum keeps you in rhythm—no spreadsheets, no sticky notes, no inbox chaos.

Quick Practice Checklist

By the end of this section, try to:

• Open a recommendation and edit a draft
• Send 1 email using AI
• Log a handwritten card or call
• Filter your Inbox by outreach type
• Complete a grouped outreach (2+ donors)

No more “what should I be doing right now?” Momentum tells you who’s ready for connection, and why.

Creating Outreach: New Actions

Use the New Action button at the top right to plan ahead.

The New Action form lets you define:

• Who – Select a segment, list, or individuals
• When – Choose the date this outreach should begin
• What – Add a subject, prompt, or saved template
• How – Pick an outreach type (email, call, letter, handwritten card)

Your outreach will:

• Appear in your Inbox when it's time to draft and send
• Remind you to follow up if there’s no reply (if enabled)
• Be saved in the donor’s plan and activity history

✨ You can draft messages from scratch, use a pre-written template, or get help from the AI Writer.

AI Writer: Support for Stronger Messages

Momentum’s AI Writer gives you a head start when writing messages.

It can help you:

• Draft outreach quickly based on the donor’s history
• Match your tone and writing style (with help from your User Bio)
• Avoid blank-page paralysis with structured first drafts

Best Practices:

• Always review and tweak drafts before sending
• Add a personal detail or story to make it yours
• Use the “Regenerate” button if it doesn’t feel right

🤖 Think of it like a human assistant who writes rough drafts—you’ll always want to check and polish before sending.

Lists & Segments: Organize Your People

Use Segments for long-term engagement strategies and Lists for short-term tasks.

Segments

• Persistent groups (e.g. Recurring Donors, New Gifts Over $500)
• Power your automations and reporting
• Great for stewarding different donor types intentionally

Lists

• Temporary groupings (e.g. Event Attendees, Gala Follow-up)
• Useful for scheduling one-off or seasonal campaigns
• Created manually or via import

Start by creating 1–2 segments that match your major donor strategy. Add your top contacts and assign a cadence or follow-up.

Automations: Don’t Miss a Beat

Momentum can recommend actions automatically based on triggers like:

• No Contact in X Days
• Thank You for a Gift
• Follow-Up if No Reply
• Birthday or Giving Anniversary

Click the vertical ellipses at the end of the automation row and open up the quick menu, where you can configure each rule for each segment.

You’ll never miss a moment to reach out—without needing a reminder system or extra spreadsheet.

Automations can be customized for each segment, so your VIPs don’t get the same reminders as your general pool.

Workspace Tools: Templates, Cadences, Prospecting

The workspace is your digital toolbox.

The Workspace is where you set up reusable tools that make your outreach faster, smarter, and more consistent—without making it feel robotic.

Everything here is designed to support your future self: you do a little setup once, and then Momentum works with you behind the scenes, offering helpful prompts and structured support every time you return.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this section, you’ll be able to:

• Create reusable AI templates and Mail Merge templates
• Set up an automated cadence for a specific donor group
• Launch a prospecting workflow for a segment or list
• Understand how to use your User & Org Bio to personalize your outreach

Step 1: Start with AI Templates (aka Prompts)

Why this matters: Instead of writing the same message again and again, prompts let you reuse your best ideas—and AI tailors them to each donor.

Try it out:

1. Go to Workspace → Templates → AI Templates
2. Click “New Prompt”
3. Add a name like: “First Gift Thank You”
4. In the body, give clear guidance for the AI:
   “Write a warm thank-you note to a new donor. Mention that their gift helps students access meals and school supplies. Keep it personal and encouraging.”
5. Save it!

Use this in a New Action later by choosing this prompt when you draft outreach.

Step 2: Create a Mail Merge Template

Why this matters: These templates pull in donor-specific details (like name, gift amount, or campaign) automatically—so your message feels personal, even when writing to a group.

Try it out:

1. Go to Workspace → Templates → Mail Merge
2. Click “New Template”
3. Title it something like: “Event Follow-Up Email”
4. Use merge tags like

Hi [First Name],
It was great seeing you at [Event Name]. Your support helped raise over [Total Amount].
Hope to see you again soon!

   5. Save and preview.

Later, when you start a group outreach, you can apply this template and tailor each message individually.

Step 3: Build a Simple Cadence

Why this matters: Cadences help you create a repeatable journey for a specific type of donor—like a welcome series or a multi-step cultivation plan.

Try it out:

1. Go to Workspace → Cadences
2. Click “New Cadence”
3. Title it: “3-Touch Welcome Series”
4. Add 3 steps:
   • Day 1: Thank-you email
   • Day 14: Impact update
   • Day 30: Invitation to next event
5. Assign a template or prompt to each step
6. Save the cadence

Later, apply it to a Segment (e.g., New Donors) from the Constituents tab.

Step 4: Set Up Prospecting

Why this matters: Prospecting lets you chip away at a big list of unassigned or mid-level donors by surfacing just a few top priorities each week.

Try it out:

1. Go to Workspace → Prospecting
2. Click “Enable Prospecting”
3. Choose a Segment or List (e.g., "2023 Gala Attendees")
4. Assign a cadence OR a saved template
5. Set a goal: "Show me 3 new prospects each week"
6. Save

Each week, those top prospects will show up in your Inbox with clear outreach recommendations—so you can stay on top of long-term pipeline growth without getting overwhelmed.

Step 5: Complete Your User & Org Bio

Why this matters: The AI learns from your writing voice, tone, and values—so the better your bio, the more your drafts will sound like you.

Try it out:

1. Go to Workspace → User & Org Bio
2. Fill in your:
   • Writing style (e.g., Warm, casual, encouraging)
   • Things you often say (e.g., “Grateful to partner with you”)
   • Org description (How you usually describe your mission)
   • Personal sign-off (e.g., “Warmly, Jess”)
3. Save and test it next time you generate a draft

What Comes Next

Once your Workspace is set up, Momentum will help you:

• Write faster with better AI support
• Stay consistent in your messaging
• Create repeatable workflows you can share with others
• Focus your energy on relationship-building, not reinventing the wheel

You don’t have to build everything at once. But try to complete:

• 2 AI Prompts 
• 1 Mail Merge Template 
• 1 Cadence 
• Prospecting setup for 1 list or segment 
• Your full User & Org Bio

Once those are in place, you’re ready for deeper automation, better reporting, and more strategic fundraising—with less mental load.

Best Practices for Staying in Rhythm

• Start each day with your Inbox
• Use the 3-day view to plan your outreach flow
• Send 2–5 touchpoints per week to build consistency
• Use Prospecting to feed your pipeline in small, manageable bites
• Refresh templates seasonally
• Ask support staff to assist with prep work when possible

Troubleshooting & Support

Need help?

• Use the Support Request form in Settings
• Contact your Customer Success Manager
• Bookmark the Help Center for quick guides

You’re never stuck—just ask.

You’re Ready to Use Momentum with Confidence

This isn’t just a new tool—it’s a calmer, more focused way to work. When you bring your attention and Momentum together, you’ll stay personal, proactive, and present with your donors—all without burning out.