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NeonCRM Zapier integrationAutomate NeonCRM with Zapier.

NeonCRM Zapier integration: 3 triggers, 6 actions, 1 search. The nonprofit CRM tells Zapier straight away about new donations, accounts and activities, and Zapier can write records back into it. All three triggers are instant, and the app runs on the free plan.

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Overview

What the NeonCRM Zapier integration does for a nonprofit

The NeonCRM Zapier integration connects the CRM nonprofits run on to the rest of their tools. A Zap, the automation you build on Zapier, can start from a new donation, account or activity in NeonCRM, or write into NeonCRM from another app. Every NeonCRM trigger is instant: the app itself warns Zapier, so no plan makes you wait for a check.

Three results worth building. A donation log outside the CRM: New Donation sends each gift to a spreadsheet or a reporting tool you already use. Gifts that arrive from elsewhere: Find Account checks whether the person already exists, then Create Donation records the gift against that account. A tidy company record: Link Individual Account to Company Account attaches a person to the organization they work for, marking whether they are the primary contact.

What Zapier does not do for NeonCRM is just as useful to know. There is no trigger for an updated account or a changed donation: only new items start a Zap. There is no delete action. Updates exist for accounts only, not for donations or activities. And searching covers accounts alone, through Find Account, which can also create the account it does not find. If you are still choosing between automation tools, read our Zapier review or the Make vs Zapier comparison first.

Vocabulary

Zapier words you will meet here

Eight terms come back on this page. Each gets one plain line here, then the page uses it without explaining again.

Zap
The automation itself: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event that starts the Zap, such as a new donation or a new account showing up in NeonCRM.
Action
What the Zap does once started, for example creating an activity or updating an individual account.
Task
The unit Zapier bills: one action completed successfully. Your monthly quota is a count of these.
Instant trigger
A trigger the app reports to Zapier itself, so nothing waits for a timed check. All three NeonCRM triggers are instant.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when what arrived meets your condition, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up an existing record, so later steps can reuse what it found, such as an account ID.
Multi-step Zap
Any Zap beyond one trigger and one action. A filter, a search or a second action makes one, and it needs a paid plan.
Cost

What NeonCRM automations cost in tasks

NeonCRM is not a premium app, so it works on the free plan. Zapier bills tasks, and a task is a completed action, nothing else.

  • Free plan100 tasks per month, two-step Zaps
  • Premium appNo
  • Instant triggers3 of 3

The trigger never costs a task: a new donation arriving in Zapier is free. Each create, update or link that succeeds counts once, and an action that fails is not counted. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, each limited to one trigger and one action. A filter, a Find Account step or a second action makes the Zap multi-step, so it needs a paid plan. The interval grid below is how often Zapier checks polling triggers on each plan; it does not apply to NeonCRM's triggers, which are all instant.

Connect

Connect NeonCRM to Zapier

  1. 01

    Open the Apps page

    In your Zapier account, open Apps and click + Add connection. A connection is your NeonCRM account linked to Zapier once and reused by every NeonCRM step afterwards.

  2. 02

    Choose NeonCRM and sign in

    Search NeonCRM in the dialog, pick it and click Add connection. Sign in to NeonCRM in the tab that opens, with the account whose records the Zap should work on.

  3. 03

    Grant access

    Let Zapier into the account. You need an account on the app, plus read or write access on anything you do not own yourself and want the Zap to touch. From then on, each NeonCRM step reuses this connection.

First Zap

Your first Zap: email the team about the donations you choose

GoalWhen NeonCRM records a new donation, a filter keeps only the ones you want, and your email tool sends a message to the team.

  1. 01

    Set the trigger

    Create a Zap, choose NeonCRM and the event New Donation, then your connection. Test it: Zapier brings back the three most recent donations so you map a real one.

  2. 02

    Add a filter

    Click the plus icon, add Filter, and fill its three boxes: the donation field to look at, the rule, and the value to compare with. A filter makes the Zap multi-step, so this version needs a paid plan.

  3. 03

    Add the email

    Add your email tool and its send action. Write the message with fields from the donation, so the person reading it knows which gift came in without opening NeonCRM.

  4. 04

    Test each step

    Run each step once and read what came back before going further. Check what the filter decided about the test donation, then the email that actually went out.

  5. 05

    Publish

    Click Publish to switch the Zap on. From that point, new donations that pass the filter send an email; gifts recorded before publishing stay out of it.

Triggers

NeonCRM triggers

3 events start a Zap when something happens in NeonCRM, and 3 of them are instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

New Account

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new account is created.”

Starts the Zap when someone creates an account in NeonCRM, whether a person or an organization, and passes the new record to the next step. Zapier puts it forward as one of the app's main triggers, and it is the natural entry point when a new account should show up in another tool.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a new account should land in your mailing list or a shared spreadsheet.
Watch out
an account that is edited, not created, does not start this Zap.
2

New Activity

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new activity is created.”

Fires whenever an activity is added in NeonCRM, so the follow-up your team logs in the CRM can reach the place people actually look, such as a team chat or a task list. It is one of the three triggers Zapier highlights for the app.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a colleague needs to hear about a new activity without opening NeonCRM.
Watch out
an edit to an existing activity is not a new activity, so it will not fire.
3

New Donation

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new donation is created.”

Sends each new donation into your Zap the moment NeonCRM records it. This is the trigger behind a donation log kept outside the CRM, or a message sent from another tool for each gift.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
every gift should add a line to a spreadsheet or reach a colleague by email.
Watch out
donations recorded before you publish the Zap are never sent; only new ones are.
Actions

NeonCRM actions

NeonCRM gives you 6 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Activity

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new activity.”

Logs an activity in NeonCRM for a client account, with a subject, a start date, a status and a priority.

When to use it
a meeting booked elsewhere should leave a trace on the matching account.
Watch out
the start date expects a format like 2022-04-18, so map a date in that shape and check it at the test step.
2

Create Account

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new account.”

Adds a new account to NeonCRM from another app, one of the actions Zapier highlights.

When to use it
a sign-up form filled in elsewhere should become a CRM record without retyping.
Watch out
the step also carries the No Solicitation option, which opts the account out of communications when set to TRUE; it is FALSE by default.
3

Create Donation

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new donation.”

Records a gift in NeonCRM against an existing account, with its amount in USD, date and status.

When to use it
a payment taken in another tool should show up as a donation in the CRM.
Watch out
account ID, amount, date, status, anonymity and tender type are all mandatory, and the Send Acknowledgement Email option decides whether the default acknowledgement email is sent for the donation.
4

Update Company Account

Action

In Zapier“Update a company account”

Edits the record of an organization that already exists in the CRM, identified by its account ID.

When to use it
company details changed in another system should follow into NeonCRM.
Watch out
it needs the account ID, which Find Account can supply, and it has its own Do Not Contact option, FALSE by default.
5

Update Individual Account

Action

In Zapier“Update an individual account”

Changes the record of a person already in NeonCRM.

When to use it
new contact details or preferences gathered in another tool should overwrite the old ones.
Watch out
the account ID is mandatory, so place Find Account before this step. The Do Not Contact option opts the person out of communications when set to TRUE.
6

Link Individual Account to Company Account

Action

In Zapier“Link an individual account to a company account”

Attaches a person's account to an organization's account, so NeonCRM knows who belongs where.

When to use it
a new contact at an organization already in the CRM should be tied to it straight from the Zap.
Watch out
both account IDs are mandatory, and so are two yes-or-no answers: is this person the primary contact, and are they a current employee.
Searches

NeonCRM search

1 search step looks for data that already exists in NeonCRM, so a later step can use it.

A search step looks up a record that already exists and hands it to the following steps. In NeonCRM, that is how you get the account ID that donations, activities and updates require. Searches sit at the bottom of the action-event list, under SEARCH, and a Zap with one is multi-step, so paid. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not clean.

1

Find Account

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds an account by a few fields.”

Looks up an account in NeonCRM from a few of its details and returns it, ID included, to the steps that follow.

When to use it
before Create Donation, so the gift lands on the account that already exists rather than a duplicate.
Watch out
the editor also shows Find or Create Account. It is this same search with the create box ticked, not a separate operation, and it then asks for the new account's fields.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap there and skips what depended on it. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking it turns the search into a find-or-create: the setting above goes away and the step asks for the fields to create the missing account.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several accounts match: keep the first one (the default), stop the Zap, or pass all of them on.
When it breaks

When a NeonCRM Zap breaks

Zapier attaches no help article to NeonCRM, so the cases below are the general limits of every Zap, read for a nonprofit CRM.

Each one has a plain explanation and a plain fix. If a Zap still behaves oddly after these checks, our Zapier troubleshooting page is the next place to go.

  • Past donations are not replayed

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you switch it on. Donations and accounts created before publishing are never picked up; moving that history is a separate job.

  • A Zap that triggers itself

    As a general precaution: a Zap that writes into the very place its own trigger watches can set itself off again and again, and each run eats tasks.

  • Bulk imports can be held back

    When a trigger suddenly returns a huge batch, after a bulk import or a migration into NeonCRM, Zapier's flood protection can hold those items back.

  • A date in the wrong shape

    Create Activity expects its start date in a format like 2022-04-18. Map a date in that shape from the earlier step and check it when you test.
Need help

Need help automating NeonCRM with Zapier?

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FAQ

NeonCRM Zapier integration: frequent questions

01Is the NeonCRM Zapier integration free?
Yes, for Zaps of two steps. NeonCRM is not a premium app, so a NeonCRM trigger plus one action, or another app's trigger plus one NeonCRM action, runs on the free plan. That plan gives 100 tasks a month and an unlimited number of Zaps. Anything longer is a multi-step Zap and needs a paid plan: a filter, a second action, or the Find Account search. Recording a donation on the right existing account needs that search whenever the incoming data lacks the account ID, so plan for a paid plan in that case.
02How many tasks does a NeonCRM Zap use?
One task per action that succeeds. The trigger costs nothing, so being told about a new donation is free. Creating a donation, an activity or an account, updating an account or linking two accounts each counts as one task when it works. An action that fails is not counted. A Zap that creates an account and then links it to a company uses two tasks per run. With 100 tasks on the free plan, count how many records your Zaps will write each month.
03Is NeonCRM real-time on Zapier?
Yes, for all three triggers. New Account, New Activity and New Donation are instant: NeonCRM tells Zapier itself when the event happens, so the Zap starts right away on any plan, the free one included. The interval grid of the plans, which sets how often Zapier checks polling triggers, does not apply to any NeonCRM trigger. In the editor, a Zap built on an instant trigger shows a lightning bolt.
04What does connecting NeonCRM to Zapier require?
An account on NeonCRM, plus read or write access on anything you do not own yourself and want the Zap to touch. Start from the Apps page of your Zapier account, click + Add connection, search NeonCRM, click Add connection, sign in to NeonCRM in the tab that opens, and grant access. The connection is made once and reused by every NeonCRM step. Create Donation and Create Activity then ask for an account ID, which Find Account can look up first.
05Why does Create Donation ask for an account ID?
Because the Account ID field of Create Donation is mandatory, along with amount in USD, date, status, anonymity and tender type. Data coming from a payment form does not necessarily carry that ID. Put Find Account just before the donation step: it looks the account up and passes the ID on. Ticking the create box turns it into Find or Create Account, so an account that is not in the CRM yet gets created first. That makes the Zap multi-step, so it needs a paid plan.
06What if the NeonCRM operation you need is missing?
Then Zapier does not offer it today, and no setting will reveal it. The NeonCRM page on Zapier lists the current triggers, actions and searches; check it before you build. Some gaps are visible already: no trigger on updated records, no update for donations or activities, no delete action, and a single search, on accounts. Shape the flow around the operations that page lists, and confirm at the test step that each one behaves as you expect before you publish.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for NeonCRM?
Pick on criteria rather than on a ranking. Start with availability: on Zapier, NeonCRM has 10 visible operations; check whether Make and n8n list the app in their own catalogs. Then the shape of your flows: a donation saved on the right existing account needs a search, which already means a paid Zapier plan. Then timing: the three NeonCRM triggers on Zapier are instant, so the plan grid does not apply to them. Finally, how each tool counts usage; Zapier only bills completed actions.
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