Contact segments
Build live, filter-based audiences that re-evaluate automatically and can be reused across email campaigns, SMS campaigns, and meeting invite lists.
On this page
Segments are live, filter-based audiences: OrganizeOS re-evaluates the rules each time you use a segment and returns whoever qualifies right now. No manual re-export. For a quick primer on tags vs. segments, see CRM basics.
Tags vs. segments
A tag is a static label that stays on a contact until someone removes it. A segment is a saved question: "Who currently meets these conditions?" The answer updates automatically as contacts change. Use tags to record facts; use segments to act on them at scale.
The segment builder
Open CRM in the workspace sidebar, then go to Segments and choose New segment. Each rule has three slots: a field (the attribute to test), an operator (how to compare it), and a value (what to match).
Rules are organized into groups. Each group has a match setting: All requires every rule to be true; Any requires at least one. You can nest groups for more complex logic. The builder caps nesting at 5 levels, 20 rules per group, and 100 rules total per segment.
Rules with more than one value
Some operators take a list, a range, or a number of days instead of a single value:
- Is one of / is not one of: pick as many values as you need from the menu. On a
free-text field such as state, type the values separated by commas (
CA, NY, TX). - Has any of these tags / has all of these tags: pick the tags from the menu.
- Is between: enter a lower and an upper number. Both ends are included.
- Within the last: enter a number of days, for example 30 for the last month.
When you switch a rule's operator, the builder carries the value over where it can, for example a single value becomes the first item of a list. A segment will not save while a rule has no values picked, only one end of a range, or no number of days; the builder tells you which rule needs finishing.
Filter categories
| Category | What you can filter on |
|---|---|
| Demographics | Name fields, city, state, zip |
| Tags | Has tag / does not have tag / has any of these tags / has all of these tags |
| Engagement | Lifetime donation amount, events attended count |
| Activity | Contact created date, last activity date |
| Behavior | Campaign interactions, donations, event attendance, petition signatures, and segment membership (detailed below) |
Behavioral filters
The Behavior category lets you filter on actions a contact has taken:
- Opened / Clicked / Received / Did not open campaign: filter by interaction with a specific email campaign, or any campaign. These filters appear only for team members who can view email campaigns (the View email campaigns and analytics permission), because they show which contacts opened or clicked an email.
- Donated to fundraiser: target donors for a specific fundraiser (or any), with optional minimum and maximum amount.
- Attended event / RSVPed to event: match by attendance or RSVP on a specific event or any event.
- Signed petition: match contacts who signed a specific petition or any.
- Is in saved segment: match contacts who belong to another saved segment, letting you combine audiences.
All behavioral filters (except "Is in saved segment") accept a timeframe qualifier: ever, in the last N days, before a date, after a date, or between two dates.
Donation, event, and petition filters only match contacts who have a linked platform account. Campaign filters match by contact record and do not have this limitation.
Live count preview
As you add rules, a live count in the preview panel shows how many contacts currently match the full filter tree. Use this to confirm your logic is working before you save.
Reading the numbers on the segments page
CRM → Segments lists your saved segments alongside a set of built-in ones (All Contacts, Donors, Recurring Donors, Volunteers, and others), plus a strip showing how your contacts are distributed across engagement levels.
Every count on this page is exact. It covers every contact in your organization, however large your database is — not a sample, and not a subtotal rounded up.
The average-engagement column is different. It is shown only where it can be calculated exactly, which today means All Contacts. Everywhere else you will see a dash. A dash means the figure is not available yet — it never means zero, and it is never a partial number dressed up as a full one. Use the engagement distribution strip, or open the segment, when you need a read on how engaged a particular audience is.
Saving and reusing segments
Name the segment, add an optional description, and save. Saved segments are available as the audience source for email campaigns, SMS campaigns, and meeting invite lists. A segment re-evaluates at send time, so anyone who qualifies later is included automatically.
Why this matters
Manually curating lists for every campaign is slow and error-prone. With segments, you define the audience once and the platform keeps it current for you. Your outreach reaches the right people at the right moment without requiring a fresh export each time. As your contact database grows, segments scale with it, so targeting precision improves rather than degrades. You spend less time on list hygiene and more time on the message.