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83.7. When to Use Groups vs. Notes

Groups - Categories and Groups are intended to keep track of regularly used lists/groups of individuals. It is not designed to carry a large volume of information because of its utility in highlighting key data. A Group can prevent you from having to do a routine search for the same individuals over and over; for example by including people with similar payroll deductions, large donors, or local/regional leaders.

Groups are easily accessible on the home page and provide quick access to select records. They are also exportable to Excel type formats and PDF (displaying the first name, last name, home phone, gender, marital status, party, ethnicity and occupation).

Notes - Notes have definable fields (category, subcategory subject, date) that can be viewed without opening the individual Note details window. Within the Note details widow, the user can populate the note text with advanced record keeping and internal
organizations/clarification.

Notes are an excellent place for archival record keeping, including member communication. Notes also appear in the system report, titled "Briefing Book." It's easy to add multiple people to a single/multiple note through the linking feature (i.e. four people meeting with the same legislator). Essentially, more information can be stored at the individual level utilizing notes. There are a few of your existing categories that may be better stored as notes including: member invoices, Christmas cards, letters.