Deceased Finder Results

When Deceased Finder runs, it compares your database against the Social Security Administration (SSA) death benefits database and other sources to return a list of individuals who may have passed away. In Tools, Data health, under Deceased Finder, you can view how many constituents Deceased Finder matched to individuals in its sources. To review the individuals Deceased Finder identified and verify whether they match constituents to mark as Deceased, select the Total records total.

To help with the research and decision-making, under Finder Results, you can view details about the individuals Deceased Finder identified.

To help prioritize your review, view the impact of a matched constituent's passing, from low to high, based on:

  • When they may have passed away

  • The date and amount of their most recent gift

  • Their total lifetime giving

  • Their affiliations with your organization, based on their constituent codes

  • Their spouse's activity with your organization

To sort the Deceased Finder results based on this criteria, select the Impact risk column header.

Under Date deceased, view when the individual identified by Deceased Finder passed away. To help verify this match, compare this date to the constituent's activity with your organization, such as the date of their most recent interaction, gift, or event.

Under Birth year, view when the individual identified by Deceased Finder was born. To help verify this match, determine whether this birth year matches your constituent's age.

Under Reported by, view how Deceased Finder's source identified the individual as passed away, such as an obituary, death certificate, or relative.

To verify whether an individual Deceased Finder found matches a constituent:

  • Compare the individual's death date to the constituent's giving and interactions.

  • Compare the individual's birth year to the constituent's age or date of birth.

  • Research whether the constituent's still alive through an internet search or interaction with a known relative.

If you determine an individual matches a constituent, you can select Mark as..., Deceased from their record.

Once you determine whether an individual matches a constituent, under Finder Results, choose whether to mark them as Deceased or remove them from the results.

If you verify Deceased Finder matched an individual to a constituent, mark them as deceased.

  1. In Tools, Data health, under Deceased Finder, select the Total records total.

  2. Under Finder Results, select Mark as deceased from the individual's menu .

  3. In the Deceased date field, enter when they passed away.

  4. Select Mark deceased.

If Deceased Finder returns an individual you aren't going to mark as Deceased, such as if they're not your constituent or are inactive, remove them from the Deceased Finder results.

  1. In Tools, Data health, under Deceased Finder, select the Total records total.

  2. Under Finder results, select Remove from list from the individual's menu .

  3. Select Remove.

When a constituent passes away:

  • Notify everyone at your organization who helped manage their relationship.

  • Reach out to the constituent's spouse, family, and close friends to give your organization's condolences and express how much you valued the constituent's support.

  • If the constituent was active with your organization and you learn of their passing in time, send a representative to attend the funeral — but only if respectful of any wishes, such as those for private services.

Note: To help honor the memory of the deceased, a family member or friend may request that — in lieu of flowers — others donate to your organization to support a cause their loved one found meaningful. For more information, see Memorial Giving Best Practices.