Linking Constituents in Name/Address

It is very easy to add a linked record to a constituent. DDI recommends that you utilize linked records rather than combining constituents on one record. This makes it easier to update information such as marriages, divorces, and other relationship changes. For example, if you track the constituents of a particular church, if one of your constituents changes their place of worship, it's very easy to update your records.

To add a new linked constituent, do the following:

• From the main menu, double-click Name/Address
• Double-click Name/Address Inquiry
• Look up the constituent that you will be linking the new record TO
• When you have the constituent record on the screen, click the menu button to the right of the Constituent Window:

What you select from this menu will depend on which action you are taking:

• If you are adding a brand new constituent to your database, you will select Add New Constituent This will take you to this screen:

Click the drop down arrow to select the relationship that this new constituent has to the constituent you are linking to. Your organization can modify the relationship codes by editing the code set. You can find more information about that procedure here: Relationship Code Setup

Click the New Constituent button. This will launch the constituent entry screen. As with adding any new constituent to your database, you can add as much or as little information as you like. One difference, however, will be that you will see a Link tab:

The system offers the option to link the new constituent's home address to the address of the constituent you are linking to. If the new constituent shares an address with the existing constituent, you can check the box to the left of the address and click Save - this will add the address information to the newly added constituent.

• If you are adding a link to an existing constituent record, you will select the New Relationship menu item. This launches the following screen:

On this screen, you can type the PIN number of the constituent you are linking to (if known), or click the binoculars to launch the Name/Address Inquiry screen. For information on how to use the Name/Address Inquiry screen, please reference this page: Name/Address Inquiry

Next, select the relationship to the existing constituent. Again, your organization has the ability to modify this list. For information on how to do so, please reference this page: Relationship Code Setup

Click OK. The constituent is now linked: