ApproveThis manages your PhoneRaise Integration approvals.

Two Tools, One Mission: Better Donor Management

Nonprofits and fundraising teams face a universal challenge: moving quickly without sacrificing oversight. PhoneRaise gives you donor management superpowers, while ApproveThis brings structure to decision-making. Together through Zapier, they create a system where donor outreach meets accountable governance – perfect for organizations balancing rapid growth with board oversight or grant compliance.

Why This Integration Changes the Game

PhoneRaise excels at tracking donor interactions, but critical decisions often get stuck in email threads or spreadsheet limbo. ApproveThis adds missing layers:

Decision Velocity Without Chaos

A major university foundation uses this integration to handle $500k+ legacy gift approvals. Development officers log donor promises in PhoneRaise, which auto-triggers tiered approvals in ApproveThis based on gift size. Board members review via email without needing PhoneRaise logins, cutting approval time from 3 weeks to 72 hours.

Audit-Proof Alignment

Grant-funded organizations leverage calculated fields to auto-flag requests needing committee review. A community health nonprofit routes vaccine funding requests through ApproveThis only when PhoneRaise data shows donor restrictions apply, ensuring compliance without manual checks.

Real-World Workflows (No Theory Allowed)

Use Case 1: High-Touch Donor Onboarding

Political campaigns use the New Donor → Approval Request Zap to screen major contributors. When a $10k+ donor appears in PhoneRaise, ApproveThis:

• Routes to Compliance Officer → Finance Director → Campaign Manager (sequential approval)
• Pulls PhoneRaise data into calculated fields, flagging past employer matches
• Auto-updates PhoneRaise touchpoints post-approval with next steps

Result: A Senate campaign reduced FEC compliance errors by 40% while processing 2x more large donations.

Use Case 2: Grant-Funded Program Approvals

Community foundations managing restricted gifts use the Approval Decision → Touchpoint Update integration. ApproveThis:

• Escalates requests exceeding $25k to board members via email
• Uses vacation delegation to prevent summer approval delays
• Triggers PhoneRaise to log decisions against specific grant IDs

Outcome: A homeless services org automated 78% of their grant reporting by linking approval decisions to donor records.

Setup That Takes Minutes, Not Days

Zapier acts as the bridge between PhoneRaise and ApproveThis – no coding needed. Core steps:

1. Connect Accounts: Log into Zapier, authorize both apps (5 mins)
2. Choose Trigger: Select PhoneRaise events like New Donor or Updated Touchpoint
3. Map Data: Pull PhoneRaise fields into ApproveThis requests (gift amount → approval tier)
4. Set Approval Logic: Use ApproveThis to define who approves what, and when
5. Close the Loop: Configure Zapier to update PhoneRaise post-decision

Pro Tip: Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to auto-determine approval paths based on PhoneRaise data. Example: Gifts over $5k from new donors require executive director sign-off.

Team-Specific Wins

Development Officers

Stop chasing signatures. When a major donor verbally commits during a call logged in PhoneRaise, ApproveThis automatically:

• Routes based on gift size and donor history
• Sends reminders to approvers
• Updates PhoneRaise once approved, triggering next steps

Finance Teams

Real-time visibility without manual reporting. Approval thresholds ensure CFOs only see exceptions, while all decisions sync to PhoneRaise for audit trails.

Executive Directors

Approve via email during travel, with vacation coverage preventing bottlenecks. Dashboard view shows approval rates and bottlenecks.

Key Differentiators You Won't Find Elsewhere

While other tools handle approvals or donor management, this combo delivers unique advantages:

External Approvers, Zero Friction

Board members approve directly from email without PhoneRaise logins. Their decisions still update PhoneRaise automatically, maintaining system of record integrity.

Conditional Logic That Understands Fundraising

ApproveThis calculations reference PhoneRaise data like donor type (individual vs. DAF) or campaign affiliation to determine approval paths – crucial for complex gift acceptance policies.

Two-Way Sync Without Custom Code

Zapier ensures PhoneRaise stays updated whether approvals start in ApproveThis (e.g., sponsorship requests) or originate from donor interactions.

Getting Started: Think Beyond Basic Automation

Start with a simple donor approval Zap, then expand using ApproveThis features most relevant to your funding model:

Membership Orgs

Use approval groups for chapter-level vs. national decisions. Calculated fields auto-route based on member tier in PhoneRaise.

Event-Driven Fundraising

Silent auction item commitments in PhoneRaise trigger ApproveThis workflows with item-specific approvers (e.g., art committee for high-value pieces).

Grantmakers

Approval thresholds auto-approve small disbursements while escalating others, with all decisions logged against PhoneRaise donor records.

Your Next Step: Smarter Donor Stewardship

Fundraising success hinges on moving quickly when donors are ready – without bypassing essential checks. This integration lets you:

• Cut approval delays by 65%+ (actual client average)
• Eliminate manual data entry between systems
• Prove compliance without slowing down

Ready to transform how your team approves donor requests? Start your ApproveThis trial or explore PhoneRaise’s donor tools, then connect them via Zapier in under an hour.

Non-technical teams thrive with this setup – but the results look like you’ve hired a full-time workflow engineer. What could your organization achieve with decision cycles that match donor enthusiasm?