How to Connect Emma to Bloomerang Using Zapier
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Recently, we worked with a faith-based nonprofit that faced a common challenge: their Emma email marketing platform and Bloomerang CRM weren't communicating. Their Digital Communications Manager had spent days trying to connect the systems manually. "I tried for a good 4 hours and 2 days, with lots of help," she told me, frustrated that she couldn't even map basic fields like names and emails.
Together, we solved this in just one hour by creating two simple Zapier workflows. Here's exactly how you can do the same.
Prerequisites
- Active Emma account
- Active Bloomerang account
- Zapier account (Pro plan required for multi-step Zaps)
- Emma API key
- Bloomerang API access
Workflow 1: Adding New Emma Subscribers to Bloomerang
Here's an interesting quirk we discovered: Emma's initial trigger doesn't provide all the contact details you need. But don't worry - there's a simple workaround.
Step 1: Set Up the Trigger
- Create a new Zap in Zapier
- Choose Emma as the trigger app
- Select "New Member Added" as the trigger event
- Connect your Emma account if you haven't already
- Test the trigger to ensure it's working
Step 2: Get Detailed Member Information
This is the key step we discovered that makes everything work:
- Add an "Emma" action step
- Select "Get Member by ID" as the action
- Use the Member ID from the trigger step
- This will give you access to all contact details
Step 3: Create Bloomerang Constituent
- Add a "Bloomerang" action step
- Choose "Find or Create Constituent" action
- Map the following fields from Emma:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Email Address
- Any additional contact information available
- Set Email Interest Type to "Opted In"
Workflow 2: Handling Emma Unsubscribes
The nonprofit was particularly concerned about keeping unsubscribe preferences in sync. Here's how we solved that:
Step 1: Set Up Unsubscribe Trigger
- Create a new Zap
- Choose Emma as the trigger app
- Select "Member Unsubscribed" as the trigger event
Step 2: Update Bloomerang Record
- Add a "Bloomerang" action step
- Choose "Update Constituent" action
- Use the email address to find the matching constituent
- Set Email Interest Type to "Opt Out"
- Set Email Interest Update Reason to "Unsubscribed"
Testing and Verification
As our nonprofit client discovered, testing is crucial. They were relieved to see their test contact flow automatically from Emma to Bloomerang without any manual intervention.
Common Issues and Solutions
- If you don't see member details in the trigger, check that you're using the "Get Member by ID" action
- Ensure your API credentials have proper permissions
- Verify that required fields in Bloomerang are being populated
Best Practices
"Whatever data they choose to give us, we capture it automatically," our client shared after implementation.
To achieve this:
- Always use "Find or Create" instead of just "Create" to avoid duplicates
- Map as many fields as possible for complete constituent records
- Test thoroughly with sample data before activating
This integration took us just one hour to implement, and it's been running smoothly ever since. The nonprofit no longer worries about manually syncing their systems or missing important contact updates. With these steps, you can achieve the same results for your organization.
Remember to monitor your Zap history initially to ensure everything is working as expected. If you encounter any issues, check your API connections and field mappings first.
This integration will help maintain consistent contact records across both platforms while eliminating manual data entry - just like it did for our nonprofit client.
Need support setting this up? We can help!
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