MailChimp Part I: Activating the Mailchimp-CRM Sync

Integrations: MailChimp Part I: Activating the Mailchimp-CRM Sync

1. This tutorial will cover how to configure the system to integrate with MailChimp so that contacts and communication preferences may be shared between both services.
2. MailChimp is an online email service allowing you to make and send newsletters and other communications to contacts.
3. For more on MailChimp, its services, and functionalities, and to create an account, please visit www.mailchimp.com.
4. Please Note: enabling the MailChimp sync will push ALL contacts in CRM who have e-mail communication preference set to Yes to MailChimp - EVEN IF THOSE CONTACTS ARE UNSUBSCRIBED IN MAILCHIMP. If you do not wish to resubscribe these people in MailChimp, you will need to update their e-mail communication preference in the CRM (SET IT TO "NO") FIRST (before enabling the sync).
   
   • Additionally, please note: only individuals sync from/to NPE from MailChimp. Organizational contacts/contacts missing a first and last name in MailChimp will not sync to NPE.
5. Please Also Note: once the sync is enabled, any contacts that unsubscribe via MailChimp to your newsletter will be unsubscribed from ALL of your newsletter lists/categories inside the CRM. Their communication preference for email will remain "yes," however, so you can continue to send them communications such as event registration confirmations, release of waitlist notifications, donation acknowledgements,etc. from inside CRM.
   
6. If you wish to unsubscribe someone from MailChimp from inside the CRM, you will need to change their e-mail communication preference in CRM to "no." Otherwise, unsubscribe them inside MailChimp first and that will unsubscribe them from newsletter categories inside CRM. PLEASE NOTE: Unchecking newsletter categories on a contact's record inside CRM does NOT unsubscribe the person in MailChimp because there is no way to sync particular newsletter lists/categories to MailChimp. Instead, changing the e-mail communication preference to "no" will trigger an unsubscribe inside MailChimp (or you must unsubscribe them from the MailChimp side first and let MailChimp update their newsletter categories inside the CRM).
7. To begin the process of configuring the CRM to integrate with MailChimp, click on Add-ons & more on the Main Menu.

   

8. Click on the Integrations tab.

   

9. Click on the MailChimp box.

   

10. The Start Tab provides some information on MailChimp and how to find your API key (which is needed to enable the sync).

    

11. After reading the material here, click on the Configure Tab at the top of the screen or the blue Next button in the lower right.

    

12. Add your MailChimp API key to the indicated field.
13. To create or locate your MailChimp API key:
    • log into your MailChimp account, click on your MailChimp User Name, then click Account Settings > Extras > API Keys.
    • If you have not already done so, click on Create A Key to create a new API key to use with CRM.
    • Copy the API key you wish to use from your MailChimp account into the API Key field and click on Validate and Save.
    • After a brief period, the system will validate the API key and provide a Select List drop-down where you will specify which MailChimp List you wish to synchronize with CRM.
14. After adding your MailChimpAPI key, select one of your MailChimp lists to sync your contacts to (you can only sync to one MailChimp list). If you do not yet have any lists in MailChimp, you will need to create one in order to continue.

    

15. Once you have selected a list from the drop-down, click on the Save button in the lower right, and the system will begin synchronizing your contacts with MailChimp.

    

16. Please note that this process can take up to 30 minutes to complete, depending on how many contacts you have, and you will be emailed when the process is complete.
17. This initial sync is ONE WAY from CRM to MailChimp. All contacts who have a valid/good email address and whose communication preference for email is set to Yes will be synced to MailChimp EVEN IF THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY NEWSLETTER CATEGORIES/ARE NOT SUBSCRIBED TO YOUR NEWSLETTER INSIDE THE CRM. If they have an existing MailChimp record, the system will connect their CRM record to their MailChimp record based on a match between First Name, Last Name, and Email Address (all three must match). Otherwise, the system will make a new record in your MailChimp account. If the contact exists in MailChimp and is unsubscribed from your list but has communication preference set to yes in CRM, they will be resubscribed.
18. Contacts who have more than one email will be synced and each email address will have its own record in Mailchimp.
    
19. After the initial sync completes, from this point forward the sync will become two-way and will update in real time with subscribe and unsubscribe preferences updated automatically between the two systems.
20. Additionally, as contacts in MailChimp subscribe for your newsletters they will be added to CRM and vice versa.
    
    • If a contact is added to CRM with a valid email address and communication preference for email is set to Yes, contact will be added to MailChimp and subscribed to the synced list.
    • If Contact is added to MailChimp either from the front end (online/self sign up) or back end (direct entry to MailChimp) and subscribed to the sync'd list, they will be added as a contact in CRM (with email communication preference set to yes).
    • If contact's email communication preference is set to no in CRM, they will be unsubscribed from your list in MailChimp.
    • Imported contacts in MailChimp will not sync from MailChimp to NPE. MailChimp has made some changes in the Web-hook logic because of that if you import contacts in MailChimp, it will not sync in your CRM. However, you can import them in CRM through import utility.
21. You will be able to move contacts to a MailChimp segment (list subset) in MailChimp from CRM from the All Search Results Take Action menu at the bottom of the search results screen. Please note: this just moved contacts already synced to MailChimp to a segment; this action does not manually sync/transfer contacts to MailChimp.

    

22. Additionally, whenever you send newsletters (campaigns) via MailChimp, the contacts in/synced to CRM will have an entry added to their Engagement History showing that a newsletter was sent.
23. For more on creating and sending segments from the CRM to MailChimp, please review the next tutorial on Exporting Segments to MailChimp.

    Note – Only those contacts that have Communication Preferences set as True for Email, are not deceased, and have a valid email address are synced to MailChimp from the CRM.
    

    Note Also – If you delete an email in MailChimp it will be unsubscribed in CRM and vice-a-versa.

    For more information on troubleshooting the MailChimp-CRM sync, see our troubleshooting tutorial.