Follow-Up Required Report

Priority-based follow-up management with actionable partner lists and task assignment

Co-authored by

Dien BasseyRHEMA Nigeria

Joshua AdamsRHEMA Nigeria

Overview

The Follow-Up Required Report helps you manage partner outreach by prioritizing follow-up actions based on urgency, partner value, and engagement history. Ensure no partner falls through the cracks with systematic, priority-based follow-up management.

What Data Is Shown

This report includes three key visualizations:

Priority Breakdown Chart

Visualization: Pie Chart or Donut Chart

Shows distribution of follow-ups by priority level:

High Priority (Red) - Immediate attention required
Medium Priority (Yellow) - Follow-up this week
Low Priority (Blue) - Follow-up when capacity allows

Use Case: Understand overall follow-up workload and urgency distribution.

Follow-Up Table

Visualization: Comprehensive Data Table

Lists all partners requiring follow-up with details:

Priority - Urgency level (High/Medium/Low)
Partner Name - Who to contact
Last Contact Date - When last reached
Days Since Contact - Auto-calculated gap
Last Contact Type - Email, phone, meeting, etc.
Reason for Follow-Up - Why contact is needed
Partner Value - Donation history or potential
Engagement Level - Current engagement score
Campus - Partner location
Assigned To - Staff member responsible
Notes - Context and talking points

Use Case: Detailed follow-up queue for daily task management.

Follow-Up Statistics Cards

Visualization: KPI Cards

Key follow-up metrics:

Total Follow-Ups - Overall count
High Priority - Urgent count
Overdue >90 Days - Critical attention needed
Completed This Week - Progress tracking

Use Case: Quick workload assessment and progress monitoring.

How to Use Filters

Priority Filter

Focus on specific urgency levels:

High Priority Only - Immediate actions
Medium Priority - This week tasks
Low Priority - When capacity allows
All Priorities - Complete view

Start each day by filtering to "High Priority" and completing those follow-ups first. Move to Medium once High is cleared.

Days Since Contact Filter

Target specific time gaps:

30-60 Days - Follow-up recommended
61-90 Days - Follow-up needed
90+ Days - Urgent, immediate attention
Custom Range - Specific day range

Campus Filter

Organize by location or team:

Individual campus follow-ups
Multiple campus view
All campuses

Assigned To Filter

Track individual or team workload:

My Follow-Ups - Your assigned tasks
Unassigned - Tasks needing assignment
Specific User - Individual's queue
All Users - Complete organization view

Use "Unassigned" filter daily to ensure all follow-ups have an owner and nothing is missed.

Partner Value Filter

Prioritize by donor importance:

Major Donors - High-value partners
Regular Donors - Consistent givers
Lapsed Donors - Previously active
Prospects - Potential major donors

Engagement Level Filter

Segment by current engagement:

High Engagement - Maintain relationship
Medium Engagement - Nurture and grow
Low Engagement - Re-engage
Unresponsive - Special intervention

Understanding the Charts

Reading the Priority Breakdown Chart

Segments: Each represents a priority level

Size: Proportional to partner count at that priority

Colors:

Red: High priority
Yellow: Medium priority
Blue: Low priority

Center (if donut): Total follow-up count

Example Distribution:

High: 42 partners (25%)
Medium: 89 partners (53%)
Low: 37 partners (22%)
Total: 168 follow-ups

Healthy Pattern:

Most partners in Medium (manageable flow)
Small High priority (urgent under control)
Reasonable Low priority (not overwhelming)

Warning Signs:

High priority >40% (overwhelmed, need help)
Low priority >50% (procrastination building up)
Very large total (need to address systematically)

Workload Assessment:

Total: 168 follow-ups
Team size: 5 people
Average: 34 follow-ups per person
Reasonable if spread over 1-2 weeks

Reading the Follow-Up Table

Columns Explained:

Priority (Color-Coded):

Red dot: High - Complete today
Yellow dot: Medium - Complete this week
Blue dot: Low - Complete when possible

Partner Name: Click to view full record

Last Contact Date:

Recent dates (green): Recently contacted
Old dates (red): Long time since contact
Example: "2024-08-15" (3 months ago)

Days Since Contact:

Auto-calculated from last contact date
Example: "92 days" (triggers high priority)

Last Contact Type:

Email, Phone, Meeting, SMS, Letter
Provides context for next contact method

Reason for Follow-Up:

"No response to previous email"
"Major donor inactive 90+ days"
"Requested call back"
"Pending donation acknowledgment"
"Re-engagement campaign"

Partner Value:

$ symbol count or color coding
Example: $$$ = Major donor
Helps prioritize when capacity limited

Engagement Level:

High, Medium, Low, Unresponsive
Affects follow-up approach

Campus: Location for team assignment

Assigned To:

Staff member responsible
Blank = Unassigned (needs owner)

Notes:

Context for conversation
Previous attempts
Talking points
Special considerations

Sorting: Click column headers

Sort by Priority: Focus on urgent
Sort by Days: Longest gaps first
Sort by Value: High-value partners first
Sort by Campus: Organize by team

Bulk Actions (if available):

Assign selected to user
Mark as completed
Change priority
Schedule calls

Reading the Statistics Cards

Total Follow-Ups:

Number: 168 partners
Context: Overall workload
Trend: ↑ 12 vs last week (accumulating)

High Priority:

Number: 42 partners
Context: Immediate action needed
Target: Less than 20% of total

Overdue >90 Days:

Number: 28 partners
Context: Critical attention needed
Target: Less than 10% of total
Action: Assign and complete ASAP

Completed This Week:

Number: 35 completed
Context: Progress tracking
Compare: vs New follow-ups added this week
Goal: Complete more than added (reduce backlog)

Common Use Cases

Daily Follow-Up Queue Management

Open Follow-Up Required Report
Filter to "High Priority" + "Assigned to Me"
Sort by Days Since Contact (longest first)
Work through list top to bottom
Mark as completed or reschedule

Daily Routine:

8:00am: Review high priority list
9:00am-12:00pm: Complete high priority follow-ups
1:00pm-3:00pm: Work through medium priority
4:00pm: Update statuses, notes

Completion Target: All high priority completed daily

Weekly Team Planning

Filter to "All Priorities" + "All Users"
Review total follow-up count
Check "Unassigned" filter
Assign follow-ups to team members
Balance workload across team

Weekly Meeting Agenda (Monday, 15 min):

Review total follow-ups (168)
Assign unassigned (15 partners)
Redistribute overloaded team members
Set weekly completion target (50 follow-ups)
Address challenges or blockers

Re-Engagement Campaign

Filter to "90+ Days" + "Lapsed Donors"
Review list for high-value partners
Export to Excel
Develop targeted re-engagement approach
Assign to senior staff

Campaign Steps:

Segment by value tier (major, regular, small)
Personalize approach by tier
- Major: Personal phone call from leadership
- Regular: Personalized email + follow-up call
- Small: Email sequence
Track responses and results
Schedule follow-up touches
Move to inactive if no response after 3 attempts

Major Donor Stewardship

Filter to "Major Donors" only
Sort by Last Contact Date
Ensure none exceed 30 days
Assign high-touch follow-up plan

Major Donor Follow-Up Schedule:

Every 15 days: Email update or content
Every 30 days: Personal phone call
Every 60 days: In-person meeting or event invitation
Immediate: Thank you for any gift within 24 hours

Protection:

Major donors never in 60+ day category
Always assigned to senior staff
Regular touchpoints scheduled
Personal relationship maintained

Clearing the Backlog

Problem: 168 total follow-ups, team overwhelmed

Systematic Reduction Plan:

Week 1: Focus on High Priority

Goal: Complete all 42 high priority
Team effort: 8 follow-ups per person
Result: High priority cleared

Week 2: Tackle 90+ Days

Goal: Complete all 28 overdue
Method: Mix of calls, emails, scheduled contacts
Result: Critical backlog addressed

Week 3-4: Medium and Low Priority

Goal: Complete 60 medium priority
Steady pace: 15 per week
Result: Backlog significantly reduced

Ongoing: Prevent Re-accumulation

Daily: Complete new high priority
Weekly: Process new additions
Monthly: Review and prevent buildup

Export Options

PDF Export

Best For: Printed daily call sheets, team assignments

Includes:

Follow-up table (filtered view)
Priority breakdown chart
Statistics summary

Use Case: Distribute to team for daily calling, print for offline work

Excel Export

Best For: Detailed management, team assignment, tracking

Includes:

Complete follow-up table
All columns (partner, contact, priority, notes)
Sortable and filterable
Assignment tracking

Use Case: Assign to team, track completion, analyze patterns

CSV Export

Best For: CRM integration, task management tools

Includes:

Partner IDs and follow-up details
Priority and assignment data
Last contact information

Use Case: Import to project management software, sync with CRM

Follow-up lists contain partner contact information and relationship details. Handle exports securely and limit access.

Best Practices

Priority Assignment Logic

High Priority Criteria (any one triggers):

Major donor inactive >60 days
Any donor inactive >90 days
Requested call back not completed
Complaint or issue unresolved
Pledge commitment unfulfilled

Medium Priority Criteria:

Regular donor 30-60 days since contact
Medium engagement level, 45+ days gap
Scheduled follow-up from previous conversation
Campaign follow-up needed

Low Priority Criteria:

Low-value partner, 60+ days gap
Low engagement level, any gap
General check-in, no urgency
Research or information gathering

Daily Discipline

Morning Ritual (15 min):

Open Follow-Up Required Report
Filter to High Priority + My Assignments
Review and prioritize top 5
Block time for completion

Throughout Day:

Complete follow-ups in priority order
Update notes after each contact
Mark as completed or reschedule
Add new follow-ups as needed

End of Day (10 min):

Review completion count
Reschedule any missed follow-ups
Plan tomorrow's priorities
Update assignments if needed

Preventing Backlog Buildup

Causes of Backlogs:

Over-scheduling
Insufficient staff
Poor prioritization
No accountability
Reactive vs proactive

Prevention Strategies:

Realistic Capacity: Don't over-assign
Daily Completion: Clear high priority daily
Team Balance: Distribute workload evenly
Regular Review: Weekly check-ins
Proactive Scheduling: Plan follow-ups in advance

Capacity Planning:

Staff member capacity: 5-8 follow-ups/day
Team of 5: 25-40 follow-ups/day
Weekly capacity: 125-200 follow-ups
If total exceeds capacity: Prioritize ruthlessly or add staff

Effective Follow-Up Approaches

For High Priority:

Personal phone call (best)
Personalized email if call fails
Schedule call back if no answer
Escalate to leadership if critical

For Medium Priority:

Email or phone (either acceptable)
Can batch similar follow-ups
Allow 2-3 days for response
Move to high if no response

For Low Priority:

Email campaign sequences
Group outreach acceptable
Lower personalization okay
Complete when capacity allows

Follow-Up Attempts:

Attempt 1: Initial contact
Attempt 2: 3-5 days later, different method
Attempt 3: 7 days later, leadership involvement
After 3 attempts with no response: Document and move to inactive or low priority