Seeding Staff in the VEO Portfolio

Seeded staff members are internal contacts added to a VEO portfolio so they can receive and observe VEO outreach. This is commonly used for training, demonstration, or monitoring purposes. Seeded staff are treated as normal portfolio members for messaging, but their activity should not affect performance reporting.

This article explains how to add seeded staff members after a VEO has already launched.

You can access the Version2 Data Templates, which includes the Seeded Portfolio Template, here.

When to use seeded staff

Seeded staff are typically added when:

• Staff or internal stakeholders want to observe VEO messaging firsthand
• Leadership wants visibility into donor outreach
• Teams want test recipients for campaigns or content

Seeded staff are not considered donors and should not be included in performance reporting metrics.

Steps to add seeded staff to the portfolio

To add seeded staff members after launch:

1. Add the staff member using the Seeded Portfolio Template for your next file upload
2. Use unique placeholder text for the CRM_ID column or an actual CRM ID if the seed is in your database. (e.g., SEED1, SEED2, SEED3)

3. In the AFFILIATION column, enter:

   Seeded        

4. Include the staff member’s contact information (email and/or phone number) so the VEO can deliver messages (see Contact information best practices note below)

Once uploaded, the seeded staff member will be added to the VEO portfolio and will begin receiving outreach like other portfolio members.

Important data guidelines

To ensure seeded staff do not affect reporting or analytics, follow these rules when adding them to the Seeded Portfolio File:

• Use the Seeded Portfolio template, which does not include the following fields:
  • Last Gift Date
  • Last Gift Amount
  • Last Gift Designation
  • Fiscal Year Giving fields (such as FY0_TD or FY_1)
  • Lifetime Giving

Please note that seeded staff will be treated the same as a donor who has no previous giving to an institution because their contributions are not part of the file.

If you have more than one VEO, the same staff member can only be seeded to one VEO at a time.

CRM assignment is not required

It is not necessary to assign seeded staff members to the VEO in your CRM. Adding them to the Seeded Portfolio File is sufficient.

This is typically a one-time upload, and the staff member will remain in the portfolio unless removed through a Portfolio Management File.

Contact information best practices

If the seeded staff member is also:

• Receiving the Manager’s Report, or
• Listed as a referral contact

Use the staff member’s personal email and phone number for the seeded record.

Avoid using the same email address for both staff and donor records. Using duplicate contact information can create confusion for the VEO when identifying and responding to messages.

Need support?

For questions or help, please email version2support@givzey.com.