How to Track People who are Deceased
It is important that you keep your contact records updated by marking those that have passed to ensure that they are not receiving unnecessary communications.
Best Practices after marking a record deceased
Marking a Record as Deceased
- Navigate to the contact record you would like to update. From the Info tab, click the blue pencil located near the contacts’ name.
From the popup, select Deceased from the Status dropdown. Click Save.
NOTE: If you do not have Deceased listed as an option, you may go to your Profile icon on the top right, go to Site Settings, and then Customizations. Under Lookup Tables, locate Contact Status Types and add new for deceased.
The contact record is now updated to reflect your changes.
Please note: Those that are marked as deceased in your database will be automatically filtered out of your mailings unless you opt to include them.
Best Practices after Marking a Contact as Deceased
Accurately tracking when a contact has passed away is important for maintaining respectful communication and avoiding uncomfortable outreach. While Eleo automatically excludes deceased contacts from mailings, there are a few additional steps you can take to ensure your records are updated accordingly across the system.
Update Communication Preferences
Review Record for Associated Activities & Commitments
Review & Update Partner/Spouse Details
Document the Date & Supporting Information
1. Update Communication Preferences
In the contact record, navigate to the Communication Preferences section and check Do Not Contact under the Privacy Options. This ensures they are excluded from phone calls, emails, and other forms of outreach beyond mailings.
2. Review Record for Associated Activities and Commitments
After marking a contact as deceased, take a few moments to review their Contact record for any pending involvement that may need to be updated or removed:
History Tab: Check for any upcoming events, tasks, etc. Remove or reassign as needed.
Pledges Tab: Look for any open pledges that may need to be closed or written off, based on your organization’s policies.
Membership Tab: Review any active memberships. Decide if you want to deactivate or transfer the membership.
3. Update Contact Lists
Deceased contacts will remain in any static lists they were previously added to. However, if you use dynamic lists and they’re configured to exclude deceased or inactive contacts, those records will be automatically removed the next time the list runs.
4. Review and Update Partner/Spouse Details
If the deceased contact had a listed spouse or partner:
If the Partner/Spouse is not yet a contact, decide whether to create a new contact record for them.
If the Partner/Spouse is already a contact, consider updating their Marital Status to “Widowed.”
In their Communication Preferences, review the Formal and Informal Salutations. If the salutation includes the deceased (e.g., “Dr. John and Sally Johnson” or “John & Sally”), update it to reflect the change (e.g., “Sally Johnson,” “The Johnson Family,” or “Johnson Household”).
Tip: When in doubt, communicate with the surviving partner or family member. Preferences vary, and it’s always best to confirm how they’d like names and communications handled.
5. Update Related Contacts
If the deceased contact has any relationships listed in their Relationships section, you may want to add a note indicating they have passed. This note will also appear on the related contact’s record, helping your team maintain awareness across connected records.
6. Document the Date and Supporting Information
Your organization may choose to record the date of passing in the Summary section of the contact record for reference. If available, you can also upload related documents such as an obituary to the Documents section of the record.
