Glossary
Contact Management

Affiliation

By: Alec Hollingsworth
Updated:  
July 2, 2025

Definition:

Affiliation is a recorded connection or relationship between a contact and an organization, group, or another individual within your CRM.
Affiliation refers to the formal connection or association an individual or organization has with another entity, such as a nonprofit, company, or group. In nonprofit contact management, tracking affiliations helps organizations understand the relationships between donors, volunteers, board members, and organizations. This information can be crucial for segmentation, targeted communications, and identifying influential networks within your database. Affiliations may include current or past employment, volunteer roles, committee memberships, or other organizational ties. Maintaining accurate affiliation records enables nonprofits to personalize outreach, coordinate stewardship efforts, and leverage professional or social networks to further their mission.

Key Takeaways

  • Affiliations reveal connections between contacts and organizations.
  • Enables targeted outreach and relationship mapping.
  • Supports accurate segmentation and reporting.
  • Facilitates personalized stewardship strategies.
  • Helps identify influential community networks.

Why It Matters

Understanding affiliations helps nonprofits build networks, target communications, and strengthen relationships.

Real World Example

A nonprofit is hosting a fundraising gala and wants to invite influential community members. Using Keela, they review contact affiliations to identify board members, major donors, and corporate partners. They discover that one donor is also affiliated with a local business willing to sponsor the event. By leveraging affiliation data, the nonprofit sends personalized invitations, coordinates sponsorship opportunities, and builds stronger connections. This approach increases event attendance and fundraising success, demonstrating the real-world value of tracking and utilizing affiliation information within a nonprofit CRM.

How Keela Helps

In Keela, affiliations are managed as part of a contact’s profile, allowing nonprofits to map relationships between people and organizations. Keela’s contact management features enable users to add, view, and report on affiliations, making it easier to identify key connections and optimize engagement strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an affiliation in contact management?

An affiliation is a recorded relationship or connection between a contact and another organization, group, or individual in your CRM.

Why should nonprofits track affiliations?

Tracking affiliations helps nonprofits understand their network, personalize outreach, and identify opportunities for engagement or partnership.

How does Keela help manage affiliations?

Keela allows users to add, view, and report on affiliations within contact profiles, supporting relationship mapping and targeted communication strategies.

Related Terms

A/B Test
Accessibility Compliance
Acknowledgement Letter
Address Verification
Archiving Historical Donor Data
Audit Trail

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