CRM List allows your organization to automatically keep donor and constituent lists up to date between Momentum and your CRM. Rather than manually importing or exporting lists, this feature ensures that any list changes made in your connected CRM — such as new members being added or records being updated — are automatically reflected in Momentum.
Overview
CRM Lists connects Momentum directly to your CRM’s list management system to automatically import your saved lists, track which lists are actively in use, and ensure that any changes in those lists are mirrored inside Momentum donor lists.
For example, if you maintain a list of “Board Members” or “Major Donors” in, any time a new person is added or removed from that list, Momentum will automatically update your corresponding donor list. This eliminates the need for manual updates and keeps your campaign and communication audiences perfectly aligned. The process happens automatically in the background and follows a few simple steps:
- Retrieve constituent lists – Momentum connects to your CRM and retrieves all available constituent lists.
- Fetch list members – For each active list, Momentum gathers the most current members from your CRM.
- Store and update – The lists and their members are securely stored in Momentum, updating any linked donor lists in real time.
- Keep everything fresh – The sync runs automatically on a regular schedule, ensuring your Momentum data is always in step with your CRM.
Users never need to trigger the process manually — it happens seamlessly as part of Momentum's background synchronization.
Creating a CRM List
1. In the Momentum Workspace, go to the Lists tab. In the upper right hand side, select Add CRM List.
2. In the pop-up modal, start typing the List name, exactly as it appears in your CRM, and select the correct list from the dropdown. For Virtuous users, the list will be based on a Virtuous CRM+ Tag.
Important Note: If you recently created the list and the list does not appear in the dropdown, it is possible that Momentum has not synced with your CRM recently enough. Most syncs occur at least hourly, so you may need to wait up to an hour in order for your list to appear
3. Click Create CRM List.
4. Wait for the constituents to sync into the new list. Depending on the size of your list, it can take a few minutes for the complete list to sync across into Momentum.
Select Refresh from CRM at any time to manually push a sync into Momentum. However, your CRM List
CRM List Automations
Dynamic CRM lists can trigger automated actions when donors are added to the list. This allows you to automatically start outreach workflows based on donor behavior. Example automations include:
- thank-you outreach for new donors
- engagement for donors above a certain gift level
- follow-up with event attendees
- re-engagement for lapsing donors
To launch an automation from your CRM List, click into the List and select either an existing Template or Cadence to add constituents to. Once configured, Momentum will automatically create outreach tasks for new donors who are added to the list.
After the initial launch, the actions for both the Template or Cadence will run automatically for any donors added to the list later.
Example Use Cases
CRM Lists and automations can support many common fundraising workflows. Some examples include:
- New donor welcome workflow
- CRM query: Donors who gave their first gift above $500.
- Momentum Automation: Start a new donor welcome cadence.
- Lapsing donor outreach
- CRM query: Donors who have not given in the last 12 months.
- Automation: Trigger a re-engagement outreach sequence.
- Event follow-up
- CRM query: Donors who RSVP'd for an event.
- Automation: Send a thank-you or follow-up email.
Best Practices
- Build complex segmentation in your CRM. Your CRM is the best place to build donor reports and complex queries. Momentum is designed to act on that data, not replace CRM reporting.
- Use CRM Lists for ongoing workflows. CRM Lists are ideal when you want automations to run continuously.
- Start with simple automations. Start by automating a small number of workflows before expanding to more advanced segmentation.