Why Approval Processes Shouldn’t Feel Like Herding Cats
Let’s get real: approval workflows are where productivity goes to die. You’ve got contacts waiting in Raklet, payments piling up, and stakeholders who treat email replies like an extreme sport. This is why combining Raklet’s CRM muscle with ApproveThis’ approval automation isn’t just nice-to-have – it’s your secret weapon for turning “waiting on approvals” into “done, what’s next?”
Raklet Does the Heavy Lifting, ApproveThis Does the Deciding
Raklet keeps your contacts, payments, and communications organized. But here’s the rub: CRMs aren’t built to handle the messy human stuff – like getting five people to sign off on a new vendor payment or verifying high-risk contacts. That’s where ApproveThis comes in. Think of it as the bouncer for your Raklet data: automated rules, clear accountability, and zero chasing people down.
Where This Combo Hits Different
For teams using Raklet: You’re already tracking members, payments, and communications. Now add layers like:
- Auto-approving payments under $500, but escalating big spends
- Requiring dual sign-off for adding VIP contacts
For ApproveThis users: Raklet becomes your source of truth – approval requests auto-populate with contact details, payment histories, and notes so approvers aren’t digging through inboxes.
Real-World Use Cases That Don’t Suck
1. New Contact? Cool – Let’s Verify First
The problem: Sales teams adding sketchy leads to Raklet. Finance teams onboarding vendors without proper checks. Data chaos.
The fix: Zapier triggers an ApproveThis workflow whenever a new Raklet contact is created. Example: A nonprofit using Raklet for donor management could require board approval before adding major contributors to avoid duplicate entries or compliance issues.
Approver perks: They see the full Raklet contact record in ApproveThis, click approve/reject via email, and it’s done. No Raklet license needed for external approvers.
2. Payments That Actually Get Reviewed (Without the Paperwork)
The problem: Raklet tracks payments, but someone still has to manually check if that $10K invoice was legit. Cue: delays, errors, fraud risks.
The fix: Every new Raklet payment triggers an approval chain. Example: A franchise using Raklet for member dues could auto-approve recurring payments under $1K but route larger transactions to regional managers. Bonus: ApproveThis’ calculated fields auto-flag amounts exceeding budget thresholds.
3. Approval Paper Trails That Don’t Require a Detective
The problem: “Who approved this client discount?” “Why was this vendor fast-tracked?” Crickets.
The fix: When an ApproveThis request is created, Zapier auto-adds a note to the Raklet contact. Later, when approved/denied, a Raklet tag like “Approved-Vendor” or “Denied-2024” is added. Example: A marketing agency could track which clients approved campaign budgets directly in Raklet, visible to everyone without digging through emails.
Setting This Up Without Losing Your Mind
Step 1: Create a Zapier account (free tier works for testing).
Step 2: Pick your trigger – like “New Contact in Raklet” or “New Payment in Raklet”.
Step 3: Choose ApproveThis as the action. Map Raklet fields to your approval template (e.g., contact name → requester, payment amount → calculated field).
Pro tip: Use ApproveThis’ conditional logic – like “If payment > $5K, require CFO approval”. Set vacation delegates so approvals never stall when someone’s OOO.
Which Teams Stop Hating Their Tools
Finance Teams
Auto-approve recurring invoices under thresholds you set in ApproveThis. Escalate abnormal payments with Raklet data pre-attached. Audit trails show who approved what, when – no more spreadsheet gymnastics.
Operations Managers
New vendor in Raklet? Require three department heads to approve before activation. Use approval groups in ApproveThis so it’s sequential (legal → procurement) or simultaneous (any 2/3 managers).
Membership-Driven Orgs
Tag Raklet contacts as “Approved-Member” only after board review. Add notes in Raklet showing when waivers were signed off. Automate renewal reminders based on approval dates.
The Unsexy Benefits You’ll Actually Care About
No more app-hopping: Approvers get everything in email or ApproveThis’ dashboard. They don’t need Raklet access – huge when dealing with external partners.
Version control dies here: Since approvals are tied to Raklet data, there’s no “I approved the old spreadsheet” excuses.
Scale without the chaos: Raklet’s handling 10K members? ApproveThis ensures new entries get reviewed without hiring a coordinator.
Cool, But Does This Actually Work?
Let’s say you’re a mid-sized association using Raklet:
Before: New member applications sit in someone’s inbox. Payments get processed without fraud checks. Expired members aren’t flagged.
After: Applications trigger approval workflows with background checks. Payments over $500 require treasurer approval. Members get auto-tagged as “Lapsed” if renewals aren’t approved within 30 days.
It’s not magic – it’s just connecting tools that should’ve been talking all along.
Bottom Line: This Isn’t About Approvals
It’s about making Raklet the system people actually use, not just tolerate. When adding a contact or payment automatically starts the right processes, you get:
- Fewer “Did you approve this?” meetings
- Faster onboarding (clients, members, vendors)
- Data that’s accurate because approvals happen before entries go live
How to Start (Without “Starting”)
1. Grab an ApproveThis trial – takes 2 minutes.
2. Bookmark the Raklet-Zapier docs for reference.
3. Pick one process to automate first – like member approvals or invoice reviews.
Pro tip: Their support teams can pre-build your first Zapier workflow if you’re allergic to setup. Just ask.
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ApproveThis doesn’t require contracts or PhDs to use. If your Raklet processes involve more than one “Hey, can you check this?” per week, it’s time to upgrade.
Integrate with Raklet Integration and get 90 days of ApproveThis for free.
After you create a Zapier integration, please email us at support@approve-this.com with your account name and we'll add 3 months of ApproveThis to your account. Limit one redemption per account.
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Best Approval Workflows for Raklet
Suggested workflows (and their Zapier components) for Raklet
Create approval requests for new Raklet contacts
When a new contact is added in Raklet, an approval request is generated in ApproveThis to verify contact details before onboarding. This integration helps ensure data accuracy and control over new contact entries.
Zapier Components

Trigger
New Contact
Triggers when a new contact is created.
Action
Create Request
Creates a new request, probably with input from previous steps.
Create approval requests for new Raklet payments
When a new payment is registered in Raklet, an approval request is initiated in ApproveThis for further review. This integration automates payment verifications and enhances financial oversight.
Zapier Components

Trigger
New Payment
Triggers when a new payment is created.
Action
Create Request
Creates a new request, probably with input from previous steps.
Add note to Raklet contacts for new approval requests
When a new approval request is received in ApproveThis, a note is automatically added to the corresponding Raklet contact. This integration creates an auditable log of approval workflows tied to contact records.
Zapier Components
Trigger
New Request
Triggers when a new approval request workflow is initiated.

Action
Add Note to Contact
Adds a note to the specified contact.
Add tag to Raklet contacts for completed requests
When an approval request is completed in ApproveThis, a tag is added to the related Raklet contact indicating the outcome. This integration simplifies tracking of approval decisions within your contact management system.
Zapier Components
Trigger
A Request Is Approved/Denied
Triggers when a request is approved or denied.

Action
Add Tag to Contact
Adds a Tag to the Specified Contact.
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