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SmartLists are one of the most powerful features in GiftWorks and Panorama Donor Management, but they can sometimes return unexpected results. This article covers the most common SmartList issues and how to resolve them.
SmartList Returns No Results (or Fewer Than Expected)
Check 1 — Verify your filter criteria
Open the SmartList and review each filter condition. A common mistake is using AND between conditions when you mean OR. For example, "Donated this year AND donated last year" returns only donors who gave in both years — if you want donors who gave in either year, use OR.
Check 2 — Check date ranges
Date filters use the date the donation was entered in GiftWorks, not necessarily the date on the check or the donation date you recorded. If you're filtering by donation date, make sure donors' donations were entered with the correct date in the Date field.
Check 3 — Refresh the SmartList
SmartLists are dynamic, but in some cases the list may be showing a cached view. Close the SmartList, reopen it, and allow it to fully load before checking results.
Check 4 — Confirm the records actually exist
Search for a constituent you'd expect to appear in the list and check their record directly. Verify that the data matches your filter criteria. For example, if you're filtering by Fund, confirm the donation is recorded against that exact Fund name (check for typos or alternate names).
"Donors Who Gave This Year / Last Year" Template Returns Wrong Results
The built-in "Donors who gave this year" and "Donors who gave last year" SmartList templates use the current calendar year as their reference, which updates automatically on January 1st each year. If you're seeing results that seem off:
Verify the template hasn't been modified. Open the SmartList, click Edit, and check what date range is actually set.
If you need a fixed date range (e.g., your fiscal year), create a new SmartList with explicit date criteria rather than relying on the "this year" template.
If the template appears correct but results are still wrong, contact support — this is a known intermittent issue being investigated.
SmartList Not Updating After a Bulk Update or Data Change
After making a bulk update (e.g., changing a custom field value for many records), the SmartList may not immediately reflect the change. Try the following:
Step 1. Close the SmartList entirely.
Step 2. Navigate away to a different section of GiftWorks.
Step 3. Return to the SmartList and reopen it — it should now reflect updated data.
If the SmartList still doesn't reflect the update after 5–10 minutes, log out and log back in, then check again. If the issue persists, contact support with details of what was changed and what the SmartList should show.
Custom Field Values Not Appearing in SmartList Filters
If a custom field you created doesn't appear as a filter option in your SmartList:
Confirm the field is the correct type (constituent field vs. donation field). SmartList filters only show constituent fields in constituent SmartLists and donation fields in donation SmartLists.
Check that the field is set to Active in Settings > Custom Fields.
If the field is new, try logging out and back in — new fields may not appear until the session is refreshed.
SmartList Date Grouping Shows Wrong Dates
Some users have reported that when grouping SmartList results by date, donations appear one day earlier than expected. This is a known display issue related to timezone handling. As a workaround, when reviewing date-grouped totals, allow for a one-day variance and verify individual records if precision is needed. This issue has been reported to our engineering team.
Exporting a SmartList to Excel
To export a SmartList:
Step 1. Open the SmartList and confirm it shows the correct results.
Step 2. Click the Export button (or the download icon).
Step 3. Choose your format (Excel .xlsx or CSV).
Step 4. Save to your computer.
If the export is blank or missing columns: Try exporting a smaller date range first to confirm the export function is working, then broaden your range. Very large SmartLists (thousands of records) may time out — contact support for large data exports.
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