Segment Codes and Motivation Codes can both help you trace where a Gift comes from, but they track different things. A Segment Code ties a Gift to a Campaign, while a Motivation Code identifies the media source, such as TV, radio, or podcasts, that prompted a donor to give. This article compares how each works in Raise 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 structure. Use it to track which appeal or audience drove the Gift. Each Campaign 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 current recurring givers and a different version to donors without a Recurring Gift schedule. The Campaign is 2026 Year End, and the Segments are Recurring Donors and One-Time Donors.
Click here to learn more about Segment Codes.
What Are Motivation Codes?
A Motivation Code tracks the media source, such as TV, radio, podcast, or newspaper ad, that motivated a donor to make a Gift. Typically, a Motivation Code is donor-facing, letting a donor choose how they heard about you directly on the giving form. Motivation Codes optionally include Code Groups letting you categorize Motivation Codes. For example, you may choose to organize Motivation Codes into Groups by specific stations or media types. Then, your Motivation Codes could include specific local news segments (such as Heartland News, Heartland Sports, and A Better Heartland). The Code Group would then be the station itself (KFVS-12).
Click here to learn more about Motivation Codes.
Differences Between Segment Codes and Motivation Codes
The main difference is that a Segment Code tracks the Campaign and appeal context of a Gift, while a Motivation Code tracks the specific media source that prompted the donor to give.
| Aspect | Segment Code | Motivation Code |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Data structure | Part of the Campaign hierarchy; must live under a Communication within a Campaign | Standalone; optionally categorized by Code Group. A single Code can belong to multiple Groups. |
| Donor-facing? | Never; applied through defaults in a giving form or Import, custom URLs, or during gift entry | Yes; donors select it on a giving form. |
| Primary use | Targeting and tracking specific audiences | Attributing Gifts to the station, outlet, or channel a donor says influenced them |
Using Segment Codes and Motivation Codes Together
Segment Codes and Motivation Codes 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. You might create a Year End Campaign and a Sponsored Ads (YE1226TWV) Segment. You then use Motivation Codes 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 Motivation Code 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.
CRM+ Sync
For organizations integrated with Virtuous CRM+, Motivation Codes in Raise sync bidirectionally with Media Outlets in CRM+. Changes made in either system are reflected in the other automatically. This sync requires an active Virtuous CRM+ integration. Click here to learn more about Media Outlets in CRM+.