FreshDex

What is FreshDex?

FreshDex™ offers a fresh approach for organizations who want to better manage and access their collections of contacts and related information, while — with the same tool — strengthen their network of community members. FreshDex goes beyond what the usual database programs do. This directory lives online and also includes a unique component we call the Community Portal. An organization's "community" includes people, organizations or other institutions who in some way have become involved with the hosting organization. For example, if a non-profit organization includes members, donors or event presenters, these people can be included in the database system, making them "community members". The hosting organization's staff members are also included and can serve as the system's administrators.

Using FreshDex, staff can easily manage contact and donation information for their community members. They can also group people — what we call Group Associations — by organization events they have attended or by membership level, for example. The system can also showcase highlights of a person's related work and any important internal notes written by staff. Intuitive tools help users find and edit groups of people quickly and accurately. Staff can also easily export group listings into a spreadsheet or print them onto mailing labels.

Because FreshDex is Web-based, users can get information on demand wherever they can get online, 24/7.

The directory's name includes the word "fresh", because changes to data happen immediately and community members who are given logins to the system by staff can readily update their own contact information. This means that the organization can always have the freshest contact information for their community members — saving time, money and frustration when the organization wants to communicate messages to its community.

What does an organization's staff see?

The hosting organization's staff members, who have been given administrative privileges in their FreshDex, are able to see and edit everything in the system. This includes multiple entries related to contact information , donation/gift history , Showcase items , Group Associations , and internal notes on an individual or organization.

Can I designate contact information which I would prefer the organization use first when trying to get in touch with me?

Yes. On your Edit Contact page, you will see a radio button labeled Primary next to each piece of contact information. The system allows you to select one mailing address, one phone, and one email as your primary contact. Your primary contact information is displayed in a red-brown color, highlighting this preference to the organization's staff (and community members, as appropriate — see How do I allow only certain contact information to display to other community members?).

What if I want to be removed from the organization's database?

Please contact the hosting organization directly with your request for removal.

How can my own organization use FreshDex to improve our internal contacts and donations management, and also enrich its broader community?

Please browse our Main Tour and pricing options for more information.

How do I login to FreshDex?

Each organization subscribing to FreshDex has their own unique Web address (URL). The organization is responsible for distributing this URL, along with login usernames and passwords to staff and community members, as determined appropriate by them. If at any time you have problems with your login, please contact your organization directly for assistance.

How can I change my login username and/or password?

Go to your Edit Contact page. At the bottom of the page, just above the Update button, you will see the Login Info section. The Active checkbox should remain checked, but then you can type in whatever Username and Password you would like. Make sure to click the Update button to save your changes. Your password cannot be seen by anyone — not even the hosting organization's system administrators.

What should I do if I forgot my login?

Your password cannot be seen by the hosting organization's system administrators. Therefore, you will need to contact them directly and provide them with a password, so that they can re-set your login. Once you have logged in again, you can change your password, if desired.

How do I navigate FreshDex?

Once logged in, you will first see your name, title/affiliation and relevant Web site address (as applicable), along with all of the contact information collected by the organization. This may include multiple mailing addresses, phone numbers, and emails. You may also see one or more Group Associations related to you, depending on the organization's preference for tracking event attendees, speakers, membership levels, etc.

In your contact information view, you will see a set of icons to the far right side on the same line as your name. Click to edit your contact information. (See How do I update my contact information? for more explanation of this feature.) To add or edit any Showcase items, click on your . (See How do I add or edit my a Showcase item? for more explanation of this feature.)

To locate other community members, you can search by name in the search field (first name, last name), or use the drop-down filters to select a Group Association variable. Click a person's or organization's name to expand the contact information view. If that contact has any Showcase items, you can click the to review them.

How do I update my contact information?

When you first log in to the system, you will go to a page where you will see all of the contact information the organization currently has for you. This may include one or more phone numbers, mailing addresses, and email addresses. Click the pencil icon to go to your Edit Contact page. Here, you can update, add or delete information, as you wish. You can also change your login username and password. Make sure to click the Update button to save your changes.

How do I upload my photo?

Until you upload your own photo, FreshDex displays a generic profile image. To change this, click to your Edit page and go to the Avatar section just below Identification. Browse to choose the photo you want to upload. FreshDex will automatically re-size the image, so that it is 100px wide. Click Update at the bottom of the page to save. To remove the photo item, return to your Edit page and check the Delete box and update your changes.

Who is a "community member"?

Unlike other donor and contact management software available to organizations, FreshDex includes a Community Portal — a component that allows access by other people in some way involved with the organization. We refer to these folks as the organization's broader community. Anyone who has been included in the database by the organization and to whom the organization gives login access, is a community member. Community members can log in to update their own contact information as needed, and also find other members within the shared community of your organization to improve networking opportunities and shared inspiration.

What do community members see?

Community members only get a very limited view of all of the information the database holds. Initially, only your name, title/affiliation and relevant Web site address (as applicable), along with any community-related Group Associations and Showcase items are seen by other community members. No community members see any of the organization's internal notes or donation history related to an individual. Plus, an individual can only edit his or her own contact information, not that of anyone else in the system. Lastly, community members see only the contact information of someone who has specifically chosen to allow certain contact information to be displayed "publicly" to other community members. (See next FAQ for more information.)

How do I allow only certain contact information to display to other community members?

Until you log in to FreshDex, every piece of contact information that the organization has collected for you remains hidden from all other community members. Initially, only your name, title/affiliation and relevant Web site address (as applicable), along with any community-related Group Associations, is seen by other community members. After you log in, it is up to you whether you wish to share any of your contact information with other community members. If you would like to share certain information, then on your Edit Contact page select the checkbox labeled Shared. If you decide to hide this from community view later, simply return and uncheck the box.

Are there any contacts in the database who are not community members?

Yes. Not everyone in a FreshDex database is necessarily given community access. This may include a contact, for example, that is a foundation to which the organization has submitted funding proposals. Or perhaps it includes publicly available contact information of relevant government agencies or other non-profit organizations, which the hosting organization wants to provide to their community as an appropriate public service tool. It is up to the hosting organization, then, as to what other contacts in the database should be shared with the broader community.

What is a "Group Association"?

A Group Association relates to how the hosting organization categorizes its community members and other contacts in the database. Categories are typically based on each individual contact's activities with or relationship to the organization. Group Associations are attached to each contact in the database by the hosting organization's system administrators. A community member cannot alter any Group Associations. If you feel a Group Association is in error, please contact the hosting organization directly.

Also, Group Associations that the hosting organization uses may not all be displayed openly to the community. A group association of "Donor" or a membership level designation, for example, may be set for strict, internal viewing only.

How do I find a Group of people or an individual contact?

Search tools can be used in a variety of ways to help you find the people or person you are looking for. Using any of the search tools described below, select your search criteria, and then click the Search button to process the query. Your search results will display below in the main contacts table list.

Using the Search Text Field

To search for a name:

— To search for an individual, type in an individual's first name, last name, first & last names, or "last name, first name". You can also type in a partial name (especially helpful if you aren't certain of the correct spelling, for example)

— To search for people affiliated with a specific organization, type in the organization's full name or at least the first part of the name.

To search email addresses, use @ — e.g., xxx@xxx (to include any text before or after the @ symbol)

To search by state, use state:xx (state's two-letter abbreviation)

To search by city, use city:xxxxx (name of city)

Using Other Search Tools

To find a specific group of people, use the drop-down filters to the right of the search field to select one or more Group Association variables. Using more than one will cross-reference groupings.

Another way to select a specific group is to click on the group name listed under the Group Associations heading within the expanded contact information view of a specific person (which may be yourself). Doing this will instantly pull up any contacts related to this group.

You can also click an alphabet tab — just above the main contacts table list — at any time to find people who's surname begins with that letter.

What is "Showcase"?

The FreshDex Showcase feature encourages each community member to post relevant work (e.g., articles, Web sites, workshops, or other events or news) related to that person, to share with other members of this community. Community members should be conscientious about appropriately using this feature, as abuse could lead to removal from the community at the hosting organization's discretion.

The "Most Recent" showcase item is listed in a person's expanded contact information view. To see all Showcase items for this person, click their .

How do I add or edit a Showcase item?

On your Showcase page, click to + Add Item. You will get a form to input your item's title, the date, the Website address (if applicable), and any comment you would like to add. Click the Create button to save your entry. To edit, click the Showcase item's . The form will appear in which you can edit the item's information. Click Update to save. To remove an item, click .

How do I see freshly added Showcase items or updated contact information?

Click Updates tab in main menu to view page that displays entries added or updated within the last 30 days.

Does FreshDex have any additional special features available to community members?

Next to a contact's address, click this icon to jump to a map showing that location.

What is the best Web browser to use?

We recommend any Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.), as long as it is the most up-to-date version. This will help ensure that the browser you are using is the most standards-compliant available. For example, IE 7 is better than IE 6.

Why doesn't my browser's "Back" button take me back to the last page of information?

A browser's Back button works, because the browser stores your visited page history. In FreshDex, when you are on the main Contacts page, for example, and click to other letters or do searches within that page, only the content re-loads, not the entire page. You will notice that the Web address (URL) remains the same. This means that, as far as the browser knows, you are still on the same page as you were before. If, however, you go to your Edit page and then use your Back button, then you will go back as you would expect, because the Edit page is actually a different page and the browser recognizes that. We at FreshDex are working to make our streamlined system better track content history to resolve this issue.