Segment Codes and Media Outlets can both help you trace where a Gift comes from, but they track different things. A Segment Code ties a Gift to a Campaign, Campaign Communication, and Channel, while a Media Outlet identifies the media source, such as TV, radio, or podcast, that prompted a donor to give. This article compares how each works in Virtuous CRM+ and when to use them.
What Are Segment Codes?
A Segment Code is the unique code that tracks the origin of a Gift and is part of the Campaign hierarchy in CRM+. Use it to track which appeal or audience drove the Gift. Each Campaign can have one or more Campaign Communications, and each Communication can have one or more Segments, each connected to a Segment Code, letting you tailor messaging for specific audiences. For example, you might send one version of a mailer to non-givers and a different version to major donors. The Communication is 2026 Mail Appeal, and the Segments are Nondonors and Major Donors.
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What Are Media Outlets?
A Media Outlet tracks the media source, such as TV, radio, podcast, or newspaper ad, that motivated a donor to make a Gift. Typically, a Media Outlet is donor facing, letting a donor choose how they heard about you directly on the giving form. For example, you may place ads on a local TV station. When a donor navigates to your giving page, they can select Local TV Ad as the Media Outlet for how they heard about you.
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Differences Between Segment Codes and Media Outlets
The main difference is that a Segment Code tracks the Campaign and appeal context of a Gift, while a Media Outlet tracks the specific media source that prompted the donor to give.
| Aspect | Segment Code | Media Outlet |
|---|---|---|
| What it tracks | The Campaign, Campaign Communication, and Channel a Gift belongs to | The media source, such as TV, radio, podcast, or newspaper, that motivated the Gift |
| Hierarchy | Part of the Campaign hierarchy; must live under a Communication within a Campaign | Standalone; not tied to a Campaign |
| Donor facing? | Never; applied through defaults in a giving form or Import, custom URLs, or during gift entry | Sometimes; donors select it on a giving form or team members apply it manually through gift entry |
| Primary use | Targeting and tracking specific audiences | Attributing Gifts to the station, outlet, or channel a donor says influenced them |
Using Segment Codes and Media Outlets Together
Segment Codes and Media Outlets are not mutually exclusive and can both be used on the same fundraising initiative to capture a fuller picture of a Gift's origin.
For example, say your organization runs Giving Tuesday ads across a few different media sources. In CRM+, you might create a Year End Campaign, a Giving Tuesday Campaign Communication, and a Sponsored Ads (YE1226TWV) Segment. You then use Media Outlets for each station where the Giving Tuesday ad ran, such as Local TV Ad, Podcast Ad, and Radio Ad.
On your giving form, donors select which Media Outlet prompted their Gift, while the Segment is applied in the background to attribute the Gift to your Sponsored Ads effort. Together, the two fields tell you both which Campaign drove the Gift and which specific source resonated with the donor.