The Raiser's Edge FAQ

Frequently asked questions about The Raiser's Edge application.

How do I submit technical issues/questions/suggestions?

For technical issues/questions/suggestions, please send an e-mail message to: which will be logged as an open issue to be tracked and resolved. Please include a very informative subject line which describes the issue in a short sentence. Please do not use subject lines like "Raisers Edge" or "Help". In the body of the e-mail message, describe the problem in detail, and include the exact steps/inputs to recreate the problem for troubleshooting purposes. Please include the exact text of any error messages that are displayed. You should receive a confirmation e-mail message which includes a "tag" in the subject line indicating the tracking number that is assigned to this issue. Please make sure to include this "tag" in all subsequent e-mail correspondence regarding this specific issue. Otherwise, a new issue will be opened in our issue tracking system.

How do I install/upgrade the Citrix client to access Raiser's Edge?
Why am I unable to connect to Raiser's Edge via the Citrix client?
Why do I receive errors installing/running the Citrix client?

You probably need to reinstall the most current version of the Citrix client. Either you or your IT staff should follow the steps below. These steps MUST be performed while logged into your workstation with your workstation login and your workstation login must have admin rights. Your workstation login does not require admin rights once the software has been installed.

  1. Uninstall all existing Citrix client software. The client can be named any of the following: Citrix Presentation Server Client, Citrix Online Plug-in, Online Plug-in, Citrix Receiver.
  2. Use Internet Explorer to visit the RE/Citrix webpage at http://re.al.arizona.edu and login with your RE credentials.
  3. You should then be prompted to download/install the Citrix client software. When prompted to download the Citrix installation program, save the installation program to a location on your local workstation. If you are not prompted, click on the Messages tab, and then, click on the link "Click here to obtain a client".
  4. Close down all instances of Internet Explorer
  5. Run the Citrix installation program that you have downloaded to your workstation. Approve the default prompts to install the Citrix client.
  6. Once the Citrix client is installed, restart Internet Explorer and login to RE/Citrix again at http://re.al.arizona.edu.
  7. When you initially click on the RE icon, you should be prompted with a "Citrix Receiver Security Warning" window that displays "An online application is attempting to access files on your computer". You should first make sure that the checkbox next to "Do not ask me again for this site" is checked and then click on "Permit all access". If RE does not start then, try clicking on the RE icon again and RE should startup.

How do I reset my Raiser's Edge/Citrix password or retrieve my userid if I forget my userid/password?

The RE/Citrix password can be reset by visiting the RE Password Reset webpage.

Why does my RE login get disabled?

If you do not utilize the RE application within 90 days, your access will be disabled. Inactivity email warning notifications will be sent to you weekly starting at 60 days of inactivity reminding you to use RE or risk losing your access (and being required to attend another training session).

How do I change my Raiser's Edge/Citrix password?

The RE/Citrix password can be changed from the main Citrix application page after a successful login. Above the RE application icon, click on the menus Preferences->Account Settings. Then, click on Change Password. You must change your password every 90 days.

Once you have changed your password or have had your password reset, you are not allowed to change it again for 24 hours!

The rules for new passwords are:
  1. Passwords must be at least 8 characters long.
  2. Passwords must not contain any part of your name or userid.
  3. Passwords must not be based on any part of your last three passwords.
  4. Passwords can only be changed once every twenty-four hours after a successful password change.
  5. Passwords must contain at least three of the following types of characters:
    1. One or more lowercase alphabetic letters
    2. One or more uppercase alphabetic letters
    3. One or more numerals
    4. One or more symbols

Change Password

Change Password

Change Password

How do I make changes in RE that I cannot do myself?

Most changes can be initiated with a request to IS in an Action. Create this action in the record that needs to be amended or in your own constituent record if it is a general request such as adding a Fund. Use the appropriate defaults. On the Notes tab of the Action that you just created, open the Notepad and provide very detailed information.

Defaults:
  • IS Gift Modification Request:

    Use this default to request a change in a gift.
    (In order to complete your request, you must provide documentation to: Jason Shults, Manager, Central Gifts, PO Box 210109, Fax: 626-8211.)

  • IS merge/ duplicate record:

    Use this default to have records merged or request research to determine if records are duplicates.

  • IS deceased request:

    Use this default to have a record marked 'deceased.'

  • IS update/add education:

    Use this default to request changes to an Education record.

  • IS new appeal request:

    Use this default to have an Appeal added. Create this Action in your own record.

  • IS Constituent modification/Delete request:

    Use this default to have changes made in a record that you unable to perform such as deleting an Action, Relationship, etc.

  • Creating the Action:
    1. In the appropriate Record, create New Action located in the upper left area.
    2. Go to 'Action' on the menu bar, select "Load Defaults from..."
    3. Select default: Make sure the "Load defaults now" box is checked at the bottom of this window or the appropriate person in IS will not be notified of your request!
    4. Click OK
    5. Click on the Notes tab and open the notepad and give appropriate information.

    Please be very detailed in the notes regarding this request and provide documentation if necessary.

    To learn when this Action has been completed: On the General tab of the Action, click Notify and add yourself to the list. This will allow the Action to be listed on the Action Reminder panel on your Home Page in RE, and when the Action is completed it will show up with a line through it. To remove it from the list, click on the Refresh button on the upper right area of the screen.

How do I know which Funds are related to a Campaign?

Go to Records, Campaigns, Open Campaign, click on the Giving Hierarchy tab. To export the list, right click in the white area.

How do I learn about gifts made online?

Open query named 'Template: Online Gifts.' Go to 'File' on menu bar and use the "Save" option then rename the template and save it and rename using 'naming conventions.' You may make any changes to criteria, output, etc. to meet your needs.

How do I determine what Funds (Accounts) are in RE?

Open the Query 'Template: Funds with Fund Attribute Dept. Name'

Save the Query using Naming Conventions

On Criteria tab, highlight the second filter on the list in the right-hand column, 'Fund Specific Attribute Dept. name Descriptions' (Each Fund has an attribute 'Fund Dept. Name.' You will find this on the Attribute tab in a Fund record. In RE, go to Records/Funds/Open Fund/click on Attribute tab.)

Click 'Change' at the bottom.

To remove funds from the list: Highlight fund names in the list on right and move to left with arrow pointing to the left.

Scroll down list on left and when you see one you want to select, highlight it and click arrow that points to the right. (Most of these Fund names begin with the Department name although begin with 'College of' and 'School of' so please check the list carefully.)

Click on Results tab to see a list of Dept. Names, Fund ID, Fund Description and associated Campaigns. (Make any changes you would like on the Output and Sort tabs)

You may export this list to review more carefully and compare to your list of Accounts/Funds.

On menu bar, click on icon that looks like a CD. Follow prompts.

If you need to have Funds added to RE, follow the instructions on Creating an Action

(You may find some funds that may not belong in your list and you may request these to me moved too.)

Our suggestion for everyone who uses Funds in RE is to learn which funds that you need to use are in RE and which ones need to be added. Planning ahead can go a long way in frustration prevention! (If by chance you don't have time to go through this process before you create your next batch...look up your Fund before you start adding records to your batch--Records/Funds/Open Fund. If it isn't there, create an action to have it added and this will most often be completed in a short amount of time.)

How do I add/update "Parent" constituent records?

For all Parent records, the constituent code should be "Parent".

In the "Parent" record, see "Notes" tab for notes regarding Student information. In cases where the student's identity is not known, the parent may have to be contacted to ascertain this information.

If the constituent is no longer a parent of a UA student, then, the "Parent" constituent code should be removed. If a constituent code of "Alumnus" or "Non Graduate" is not present, change the "Parent" constituent code to "Friend".

If the constituent is still a parent of a UA student, open both the Parent constituent record and the related student constituent record and follow these steps to update:

Identify and record the UA Person ID (formerly called the 'Student ID') alias for the student constituent record by clicking on the Alias box immediately adjacent to the last name field on the Bio 1 tab. You may also copy this value and then paste it into the Parent record as described below.

A new alias needs to be created, for the Parent record, named "Parent ID":

  1. Open Alias field in Student record (to the right of last name on Bio 1)
  2. Copy UA Person ID Number
  3. Open Parent record
  4. Open Alias Field
  5. Put cursor in first empty field under Type and select Parent ID
  6. Paste UA Person ID into Alias field and add P to the beginning of the number

If a parent has multiple student children, there can be and should be multiple "Parent ID" aliases constructed from the proper student child RE constituent record.

For each Parent record, a relationship then needs to be defined for each student child record. The process to create a parent/child relationship is as follows:

  1. Open parent constituent record
  2. Go to the Relationship tab
  3. From the menu on the left select Individuals
  4. Select New Individual Relationship (top of column on left)
  5. Click binoculars in the Last Name field. From this screen enter student's last name and first name or the student's Constituent ID in that field
  6. Enter the relationship of the parent (mother or father) in bottom right area
  7. Enter the reciprocal relationship for the child (daughter or son)
  8. Place a value in the "Date From" field. This could be the date of data entry, or when the student entered the UA, whichever is known.
  9. When message box appears asking to reciprocate, click YES

How do I manually update the Address Accelerator software?

If you receive an error message while attempting to utilize Address Accelerator, please perform the following steps to manually update or reinstall the Address Accelerator software. NOTE: These steps are for non-Citrix (local) users since Citrix users have already been manually updated.

  1. Click on the Windows "Start" icon
  2. Click on "Run"
  3. Type: \\al.arizona.edu\shares\REPostaltools\Update.exe
  4. Click on "OK"
  5. On the Welcome screen, click on "Next".
  6. On the Choose Destination Location screen, click on "Next".
  7. If you receive a message regarding "An option that you selected requires files be installed to your system", choose "Yes" for each file.
  8. Click on "Finish".
  9. If prompted to restart your workstation, please do so. Then, continue at the next step,
  10. Restart RE and attempt to use Address Accelerator.
  11. If you receive an error message about the serial number is out of date or corrupt, execute steps 12-17.
  12. Click on the Windows "Start" icon
  13. Click on "Run"
  14. Type: \\al.arizona.edu\shares\REPostaltools\serial_number_fix.reg
  15. Click on "OK"
  16. When prompted "Are you sure...", click on "Yes".
  17. Restart RE and attempt to use Address Accelerator.

How do I add a document to the Media tab?

  1. Make sure that your document is closed and on your C: drive.
  2. From a constituent record, select the Media tab.
  3. On the action bar, click New Media. The Insert Object screen appears.
  4. Mark the Create from File option to add a media object from a file you previously created and saved. To generate a new media object, select Create New. You can use various object types, such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Paintbrush, and Adobe Acrobat.
  5. After you mark Create from File, click Browse. The Browse screen appears.
  6. Select C$ on 'Client' (V) then find your file.
  7. Locate the media object and click Open. You return to the Insert Object screen.
  8. Click OK. The New Media screen appears.
  9. DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK BOX.
  10. In the Date field, enter a date.
  11. In the Type field, select the media type, such as "Picture".
  12. If this media object is related to a proposal, you can click the binoculars in the Proposal field to search your database for that proposal.
  13. In the Description field, enter a description of the media object, such as "Cynthia's baby, Jamie, won the cute baby contest."
  14. Enter a title for the media object, such as "Baby Jamie", in the Title field.
  15. In the Author field, enter who created the media object.
  16. Click Save and Close. You return to the Media tab of the constituent record.
  17. Click Save and Close.

How do I delete a single query or multiple queries at once?

To delete one query at a time:
  On the Query page, highlight the appropriate query and click Delete on the action bar.

To delete multiple queries at a time:

  1. On the Query page on the menu bar, select Tools, Delete Multiple Queries (or right-click within the query list and select Delete Multiple Queries). The Delete Multiple Queries screen appears. It will take a minute or so for the query list to load.
  2. Mark the 'Only show my queries' checkbox.
  3. Indicate the query type and format to delete if you want to shorten your list.
  4. Mark the Delete column checkboxes for the queries to delete.
  5. Click Delete Now in the action bar to begin the process.

How do I set up file path location for files that I export or merge in RE?

Below, are the instructions for adding your file locations to RE. You are not able to access your network files while working in RE through Citrix and need to designate a local folder for information that you export from RE. (If you use a local version of RE (non-Citrix), you do not need to set up the file locations, although it could be helpful)

  1. Create a new folder on your C drive in My Documents for your Raiser's Edge exports. (In this example, the folder is named "RE Stuff". Do not use an apostrophe in the name of your folder if you name it "Raiser's Edge".)
  2. In the RE application, on the top menu bar, choose "Tools", "User Options" and click on the tab that is labeled "File Locations".
  3. Click in the white window next to the label "Word Processing Documents/Letters" then click on the 3 dots.
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the file/folder list and you will see "$C on 'Client' (V:)".
  5. Find the folder that you created in step 1, and select it. Click on OK
  6. When you are back in the File Location window in RE, copy-n-paste this file path to the line labeled "Export/Import Data Files" and to the line labeled "Excel Spreadsheets".
  7. Click on OK or Apply to save your changed User Option settings.

How and when should I update email addresses?

Please do not change an email type from "Email" to "Email (Former)" based on a response from a single e-mail broadcast. The standard convention is to wait until the email address has bounced back as undeliverable 5 times. An exception to this condition is when you have a direct request from the constituent to change their email address.

Please note that when you directly broadcast e-mail messages from your workstation, rather than using a properly authenticated e-mail broadcast engine, you will look identical to spammers resulting in unintended consequences and possibly false conclusions. There are a number of reasons why you may receive a message from the System Administrator that the email you sent is undeliverable. The ISP will "bounce" the email because the sender is not recognized as a legitimate sender; the recipient's mail box is full; you need to be "invited" to send email to a recipient (SPAM Filtering) and for a variety of other reasons.

At present, if you are trying to send mass e-mail to a group of UA alumni, you should contact the UA Alumni Association and take advantage of the authenticated e-mail broadcast engine they use. If your need is to send e-mail to a variety of RE constituents beyond alumni only, we ask you to consider waiting until we have installed the Blackbaud e-mail broadcast engine, NetCommunity. When the NetCommunity email broadcast functionality is made available we will be able to use the tools associated with this software package to properly manage the various responses to e-mail broadcasts. If you cannot wait until then, please proceed with caution. You do not want your workstation, or your unit's e-mail server, to be blacklisted for failing to adhere to current e-mail conventions.

How do I print a dashboard panel from RE and Word?

Below, are the instructions for printing an RE dashboard panel using Microsoft Word. You must have your desktop default printer selected in RE ’Print Setup‘ in order to print from RE (this is true for Citrix and local users).

  1. Go to Dashboard
  2. Click on ‘Panel Options’ in upper right-hand corner of the Dashboard that you want to print (button looks like ‘Properties‘ button elsewhere in RE)
  3. Select Print
RE Dashboard Instructions

To increase the size of the font of the panel:

  1. Click ’Panel Options‘ and then Copy Table to Clipboard.
  2. Open a Word document
  3. Paste the Dashboard table onto the Word document
  4. Adjust Font and Size and then select Print
RE Dashboard Instructions

How do I use Query Templates in RE?

Below, are the instructions for using Query Templates in RE.

  1. In RE, click on Query from the Navigation Bar
  2. Click on the Folder (to right of Navigation Bar) that begins with ’Template‘
  3. Make sure that the box at the bottom of the page "Only show my queries" is unchecked
  4. Open the query that looks like it might have what you want and review the filters 5. (You will get a message that says you do not have rights to make changes)
  5. Click OK
  6. You may need to check a few queries before you find one that you want
  7. Once you have one you want to work with
    1. Go to File on the menu bar
    2. Click ’Save‘ or ’Save as‘
    3. Save the Query and give it a name using the correct naming conventions.

To make changes to this query:

  1. On the Criteria tab, highlight a filter in the right hand column
  2. Click 'Change' at the bottom
  3. You can change the operator (equals, greater than, etc.) and the values (day, amount, fund, etc.)
  4. To add filters, find field in left hand column, highlight and click 'Select' at bottom. You may need to click on the + sign to reveal more fields.

To remove filters:

  1. Highlight the filter on the list the right hand column
  2. Click ’Remove‘ at the bottom of the window

You may go to the other tabs and make changes in a similar way.

If you would like your Query reviewed, send an email to with the parameters (what you want in the query such as Alumni from College of Science, donors who have gave gifts to specific Funds, etc.) and the exact name of the Query.

If you are creating a mailing list and need to make a spreadsheet with the names and addresses you will need to create an Export.

How do I use Export Templates in RE?

Below, are the instructions for using Export Templates in RE.

  1. In RE, click on Export from the Navigation Bar
  2. Click on the binoculars next to ’Quick Find‘ at the bottom right of this page (make sure there isn't anything in this window)
  3. Type ’template‘ in the window next to Export name:
  4. Click on the binoculars/Find Now
  5. Find the one that looks like what you want
  6. Go to File on the menu bar
  7. Click ’Save‘ or ’Save As‘
  8. Save the Export and and give it a name using the correct naming conventions.
  9. On the General tab, click the ’Include‘ button
  10. Click on ’Selected Records‘ and find your query
  11. Make any changes on this tab to meet your needs
  12. Click on the Output tab
  13. Check the Criteria and Format on the filters by highlighting each filter then click on Criteria or Format at the bottom of the page
  14. Click ’Export Now‘ on bottom right corner of page
  15. Make sure that the file will end up where you want it (If you are using a Template, the file path will be the one last used and most likely will not land in your local folder.)

If you would like your Export reviewed, send an email to with the exact name of the Export.

How do I change the name of a Batch?

Every week, Batches are deleted that was committed more than 30 days ago or is uncoommited, has not been updated in 60 days and the Batch Number does not contain the word 'Template.' To add the word 'Template' to your Batch Number follow these instructions.

  1. Open the Batch. Click on the ‘Batch design’ icon (or go to Tools->Edit Batch setup)
    2. RE Batch Name Change
  2. In the ‘Batch number’ field add the word ‘template’
    3. RE Batch Name Change

How can I access RE from off campus?

Please follow these instructions to access RE when you are off campus.

Go to the UITS VPN Support page and click on the "UA's SSL VPN site" link.

The UITS site contains contact information if you have issues with establishing a connection via SSL-VPN. This service is supported directly by UITS. You will need to know your UA NetID account/password in order to use the SSL-VPN service. If you do not already have a UA NetID account, please visit the UITS NetID page for information on how to establish an account.

Once SSL-VPN connection is established, use your browser to visit the UAF's Citrix page to install Citrix to access RE.