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NGP VAN News
July 2025
Welcome to the July 2025 edition of NGP VAN News for Fundraising & Compliance customers!
Read on to learn about new features, updates, and trainings.
Heading to Netroots Nation?
We’re excited to connect with you — whether at the Town Hall or one of our sessions! Check them out below and add them to your agenda:
* Inbox Impact: Boosting Email Deliverability | August 7, 9 a.m. CT * Learn from Al Iverson (Valimail) and Sandro Cocito (NGP VAN) about the latest in sender policies, best practices, and email strategy.


* Organizing the Black Church “For Such a Time as This” | August 7, 1 p.m. CT * Join Black Church PAC to discuss their 2024 election work and shift toward advocacy in 2025.


* A Connected Movement: Modernizing Our Tech Ecosystem | August 8, 10 a.m. CT

* Tune in for a roundtable on strengthening the tools and data powering today’s campaigns and causes.


See you in New Orleans!
WHAT'S NEW
Phones data model update
Our new phones data model has released! Here’s what’s changed:
Modernized phone data
* Phone Types (Personal, Work, Other)
* Device Types (Cell, Landline, VoIP, Fax)
Preferred vs Best Phone
* Preferred Phones must be manually marked as Preferred via the contact record.
* A contact’s Best Phone is automatically calculated based on their Preferred phone and Personal phone.
Likely Cell score
* The “Is a Cell” field can no longer be edited, but is still available in reports, exports, and Create a List.
* The Likely Cell score is a new field containing 3rd-party data about whether a number belongs to a cell phone or not. This data has shown to be around 95% accurate.
Phone tags
* Phone tags are a new type of tag where you can capture more customized information about a phone number — like “vacation phone” or “evening phone."
Phone update FAQ [[link removed]]
Bulk clear custom field values
You can now clear custom field data from contact records and contributions using the Bulk Upload Wizard!
This new functionality is a selectable option when using the "Apply Custom Fields" workflow in Bulk Upload.
COMING SOON
New navigation and homepage beta experience
A new NGP VAN navigation and homepage beta experience is coming soon!
You’ll have the chance to test out an improved navigation and homepage design with easier-to-use menu and customization options.
Street View in MiniVAN
Soon, you’ll be able to use Google Maps Street View on MiniVAN!
When you select a household in MiniVAN, you’ll be able to view the Street View for that address in Google Maps.
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NEW: Zoom integration daily rate limit alert
To help organizers better understand sync delays with Zoom, we've added a daily rate limit alert to the Zoom tab in the dashboard.
When a Zoom account hits its daily sync limit, a red dot will appear on the Zoom tab, and a message will display on the integration page indicating syncs are paused.
COMING SOON: The ability to close events in advance
Soon, organizers will be able to close shifts in advance on Mobilize, giving you more control and predictability when planning events.
With this new feature, you can set a cut-off time for each shift. After the cut-off:
* The shift stops accepting new signups
* It’s hidden from event feeds
Closing shifts ahead of time helps you confirm your volunteer list early, so you can:
* Allocate resources more efficiently
* Communicate with attendees in advance
* Avoid last-minute signups or no-shows
This feature is optional, customizable per shift, and very easy to set up!
COMING SOON: We’re expanding Custom Field Sync to VAN
We’re expanding the custom field sync with VAN to support syncing a checkbox as a survey response, as well syncing dropdown, short and long text fields.
Why it matters:
* More flexibility for organizers: Use a wider range of custom fields for organizing work.
* Stronger data sync: Reduce manual data entry between Mobilize and VAN.
* Better reporting: Capture richer data for analysis and follow-up.
* Less overhead: Automate more of the sync process and save time.
COMING SOON: QR self check-in is rolling out to all organizations
We’re thrilled to announce that our improved QR code self check-in experience (Beta) will soon be available to all organizations!
Thanks to your feedback, we’ve made the Beta feature more powerful and easier to use:
* 🔗 Easier access via icon in shift details
* ⚙️ Improved placement of the check-in toggle during event creation
* 🌐 Support for Spanish-language check-in
* 🙋‍♀️ Volunteer host form compatibility
Events using the QR code check-in tool see 1.5x more completed volunteer shifts and significantly improve walk-in tracking. These events capture 8x more walk-ins on average, with 95% successfully marked as completed when attendees check in using the QR code.
This feature has been successful in beta and it’s coming soon to everyone. Stay tuned for the wide release!
COMING SOON: A waitlist feature to maximize event attendance
We're working on something exciting that will make event organizing smoother and save you valuable time!
The new Waitlist feature will allow organizers to collect interest from supporters when events reach full capacity. If a spot opens up due to cancellations or capacity increases, the organizer will be able to select a supporter from the waitlist to take the available spot.
Interested in getting access? Let us know by filling out the form below and be the first to try it out!
Request access [[link removed]]
TRAININGS
Monthly new feature overview
Join us for our upcoming Monthly Feature Overview where we’ll be walking through the latest updates and enhancements across NGP VAN products and Mobilize, including what’s new, what’s improved, and how these changes can support the important work you do.
This is a great opportunity to see new features in action and get your questions answered live by our product experts.
Sign up [[link removed]]
📚 Level up with NGP VAN training!
Looking to sharpen your skills and stay ahead in the world of political fundraising, compliance, fieldwork, organizing, and digital strategy? Our new NGP VAN training hub is your go-to resource for live webinars, key guides, and feature updates — all in one place!
🔷 Learn new tools & strategies
🔷 Stay updated on the latest features
🔷 Access expert-led live training sessions
🚀 Get started today! Sign up for Advocacy 101 or explore other training opportunities at ngpvan.com/feature/training [ngpvan.com/feature/training] .
IMPORTANT DATES
Office closures:
* Tuesday, August 26 in observance of Women’s Equality Day
* Monday, September 1 in observance of Labor Day
Office closures will be staffed with on-call support coverage.
Scheduled maintenance:
* Saturday, August 16 (6-7AM ET)
* Sunday, August 17 (6-7AM ET)
* Monday, August 18 (6-7AM ET)
* Saturday, September 21 (6-7AM ET)
* Sunday, September 22 (6-7AM ET)
* Monday, September 23 (6-7AM ET)
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NGP VAN
750 17th St NW
Third Floor
Washington, DC 20006
United States
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