Onboarding

Get yourself up and running in LGL

It’s so easy to use and the setup was not nearly as daunting as I had feared….the answers provided with each step is appreciated.
Christi Ana Brit, Sojourner Ministries
Ready to get going in your LGL account?
What to do once you've decided to subscribe to LGL

You've evaluated LGL by joining an Intro tour, setting up a free account, or joining a Prospective Customer Q&A, and have decided that LGL is a good fit for your nonprofit.

Now what? Let us guide you through the onboarding resources available to you and answer the most frequently asked questions.

Steps to get up and running in your LGL account

Little Green Light is designed to let you move at your own pace, and we’ve built the software to be intuitive enough that you can get up and running under your own power. However, if you would like the added comfort and expertise of a guide on the side, who will walk you through the steps, we recommend the LGL Consultant Network. This is a group of independent consultants, all of whom know LGL extremely well and are available, for a fee, to help you make the most of your LGL account. 

But even if you will be hiring a consultant, we recommend you go through the following steps to get familiar with LGL.

Step 1:

Learn your way around your LGL account
Review your account settings in “Settings > Subscription settings”
Set your fiscal year start date; choose your salutation/addressee options; turn on membership and school settings if applicable; and more.
Add a team member
Invite someone from your organization to join your LGL account. You can add unlimited team members to your account, at no extra cost.
Familiarize yourself with your Dashboard
You can customize which widgets to show on your Dashboard, and move them around and re-size them.
Activate your LGL forms area
Every LGL account comes with the ability to create online forms of all kinds. Try building a simple form.

Join our FREE Basic Training webinar course live or watch the recordings at your convenience.

Step 2:

Get comfortable with constituent and gift records
Create a constituent record for yourself
While adding your record, add your contact information and, in Groups, identify yourself appropriately.
Add a recent gift to your record
Use appropriate gift coding, such as payment type and gift category.
Create constituent records for around 10 board members and staff
Go to “Settings > Menu Items” to add attributes as needed. Learn more about constituent categories.
Add some recent gifts for these constituents
Expand your use of gift coding to include appeals, events, and funds.
Create an acknowledgment template
Read about how to acknowledgde gifts and try creating an email acknowledgment template.
Apply your email acknowledgment
Edit a gift record to apply your email acknowledgment template, and then review the email draft.

Join colleagues who have walked in your shoes > Visit the LGL user group.

Step 3:

Get your historical data into LGL
Learn how to use our import tool, the Flex Importer
Learn about the data migration process. Watch our video and review the FAQ.
Get tips on how to prepare your data for import
An article, "Preparing for migration" is in our free Knowledge Base, along with many detailed articles on how to import data to LGL.
Access the Data Dictionary in your account
Go to “Home > Flex Importer” to download this important resource.
Research how to pull your historical data into spreadsheets
If you are coming from another donor management system, find out what kind of export options they offer.
Do a test import of 5-10 records
You can compare your spreadsheet to a sample import file.
Decide if you will do your own data migration or if you need a consultant
You can request bids from the LGL Consultant Network.

Get an annotated guide to implementing our onboarding suggestions

Get the most out of our robust platform and our delightful, hard-working community.

Free Webinars

Live demo of Little Green Light
Join us for a guided tour of our software, with Live Q&A
View Recording or Register Now >

Prospective Customer Q&A's
Join us for a live Q&A and ask our team your questions about LGL.
Register Now >

Support & Guides

Help Center
Visit our extensive knowledge base for troubleshooting tips
Visit Now >

Learning Resources
Get knowledgeable support from our team, our community and our helpful articles
Learn More >

Free Courses & Downloads
View All >

Community

Browse the LGL Consultant Network
Get help migrating complex data
Find a consultant >

Join our Private Facebook Group
Meet other Little Green Light users. Share resources and tips.
Request Access >

Ready to try LGL? Get your first 30 days free. No credit card required.