Why Are There Two Activist Searches In Action Network, And How Are They Different?

Why Are There Two Activist Searches In Action Network, And How Are They Different?

A common cause of confusion within Action Network is the presence of two separate Activist Searches, which each serve different purposes and function in different ways. In this guide we'll explain the difference between the two functions.
In the majority of cases, you'll be looking to find an individual Activsist Record based on their name, email, or address. The easiest way to do this is via the Activist Search found in the People menu. To find this function click on the PEOPLE menu at the top of the page and then click on Activists.



This will present a single search box that will allow you to find the Activist Record(s) you need. You'll then be able to view or edit the records of your members and supporters.
You can find out how to use this Activist Search in this guide: How To Use The Main Activist Search To Find Activists.
On any of your Group Management pages, you'll see a menu with another Activists option.



Clicking on this option will present you with the second Activist Search function. This function does not search your entire list, but searches against a specified report. You can consider this Activist Search as an extension of the Reports function. It allows you to search the results of a Report, and order columns in ascending or descending order. You can also edit Activists directly from the results table, without going into their Activist Record.
It also offers the ability to search the results by Tags. So if you were working from a report of Current members you could quickly search for all members with a Volunteer tag, without having to create a separate report.

So Which One Should I Use?

For day to day Activist and Membership Management, it's easiest to use the Activist Search found under the People menu. The second Activist Search is of more use when you need to do more of a deep-dive into a particular report or sub-set of your list.

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