Where we're up to, and the next few steps
A lot of the groundwork in HubSpot is already in place. To keep building, we need a handful of things from BCF. We've split them into three small chunks, so you can take them one at a time.
Your next steps
Start with chunk 1. Once chunks 1 and 2 are in, we can agree dates for the next stage of the build. Each link opens the video, the HubSpot setting or the ClickUp task with more detail.
Each one takes a few minutes and has a short video. These let HubSpot log your emails and meetings for you, so follow-ups stop living in your head.
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1.1
Connect your Outlook email to HubSpot
Follow the video. If you're on a Mac, let us know whether you use Outlook in the browser or the app, as the steps differ slightly.
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1.2
Connect your Outlook calendar to HubSpot
Same idea as the email. Once connected, book a test meeting to check it works.
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1.3
Connect Stripe to HubSpot
This lets us test taking payments in HubSpot, for things like event packages and donations.
Rough is fine. A list in an email, a photo of a hand-drawn flow or a voice note all work. We just need to see how things run today.
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2.1
Give us access to the spreadsheets you manage by hand
Live view access is best, as you keep updating them. We use them to see what you track today, so we can build the same fields in HubSpot. Moving any data across is a separate step that you approve first.
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2.2
List the common reasons a deal doesn't go ahead
For example: not the right time, no budget, doesn't want to be a sponsor. We turn these into a dropdown, so you can report on why partners and donors say no.
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2.3
Walk us through the scholarship process
From application to completion: which form they fill in, who gets notified, which emails go out and when. Let us know if generic and corporate-sponsored scholarships follow different steps.
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2.4
Share the annual report survey
Three things: the current survey questions, who it goes to, and an example annual report. This lets us store the answers in HubSpot so the findings are ready for your report.
These are for Jess. Some may already be done, so a quick reply on each is enough to close them off.
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3.1
Send the copy for the autoresponder emails
The emails that go out straight after someone fills in a form on the website. We can set them up with placeholder text first if that's easier.
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3.2
Confirm the marketing email templates
Jess has already built one simple template in HubSpot. If that covers what you need, tell us and we'll close this off. If not, we'd suggest one for follow-ups and one for the newsletter.
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3.3
Run through campaign settings
A short call or video on adding assets to a campaign, cloning campaigns and seeing which contacts and revenue a campaign influenced.
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3.4
Connect the shared team inbox
We can connect info@ and events@ so those emails and contacts go into HubSpot automatically. This may need your IT support to help.
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3.5
Update Jess's login to her BCF email
Jess's HubSpot login still uses her own email address. She can change it here.
Done so far
Set up and working in your HubSpot account.
Foundations
- Full review of your HubSpot account
- Core settings: internal traffic exclusions, Google Tag Manager and Google Search Console connected
- HubSpot tracking code installed on the website and tested
- Email authentication (DKIM) set up, so HubSpot emails reach inboxes
- Default values set for contact properties
Marketing
- Website forms replaced with HubSpot forms, and the fields tidied up
- Newsletter sign-up form on the website
- Social media accounts connected
- Launch event emails (Feb 2025) sent from HubSpot
- HubSpot AI features switched on for contacts, companies and deals
Sales and relationships
- Lead stages and prospecting set up
- Rules for who follows up on new leads, and how quickly
- Products set up
- Individual sales dashboard built
Team
- CRM structure walkthrough with Sara (26 Feb 2025), with the recording shared
- Jess added as a super admin
Built, ready to walk you through
- Contact, company and deal record layouts
- Required fields when creating contacts, companies and deals
- Lead source tracking
- Marketing and non-marketing contact rules
- State dropdown
- File structure
In progress with us
- Contact, company and deal properties
- Data segmentation for marketing and fundraising
- Payments and products, including event packages
What your steps unlock
Once we have your input, this is what we build next.
Scholarships
Automated emails through the scholarship: approval, check-ins, funding extensions and an end-of-funding notice, plus a survey during and after.
Donors and partners
Workflows for new donors (such as sending their recognition badge) and a clear view of people who are a donor, partner and sponsor at the same time.
Follow-ups
Deal stages, tasks and reminders, so nothing slips between events and meetings.
Reporting
Marketing and team dashboards, and survey answers ready for the annual report.
Training and go-live
Three short training sessions, then go-live.
HubSpot naming convention For Sara and Jess to read
The aim is to know what anything in HubSpot is for at a glance, and to use the same name for everything that belongs together.
General rules
- Use the same or similar name across related assets
- For a series, put the order at the front:
Seq 1a,Seq 1bor(1/4),(2/4) - Use folders, and delete drafts you don't need
- Add
TESTto anything that's a test - Add
[Do Not Touch]to anything others shouldn't edit - Add
[Smart]at the front when smart content is used
Examples
| Asset | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Autoresponder | Autoresponder: <purpose> | Autoresponder: Contact Us |
| Email in a series | Email 1: <content> - <campaign> | Email 1: Post Event Email - 2025 Feb Launch Event |
| Landing page | LP: <purpose> - <campaign> | LP: Register - Giving Month |
| Thank you page | TYP: <purpose> - <campaign> | TYP: Registered - Giving Month |
| Form | <purpose> - <where it's placed> | Newsletter - Website footer |
| Campaign | Evergreen: <name> or YYYY Month - <name> | 2025 Feb - Launch Event |
| List | <purpose> - <where it's used> | Donors - Giving Month |
| Workflow | <purpose> - <where it's used> (ADMIN: for data admin) | ADMIN: Set state dropdown |
| Task | <action> - <purpose> - <campaign> | Follow Up: Left Voicemail - Sponsorship |
Ready to start with chunk 1?
Send Alyssa a quick note when it's done, or if you'd rather work through it together.