Getting started

Sign in

TruePyramids uses your existing Google or Microsoft account, so there's nothing new to remember. Use the same button whether it's your first visit or your fiftieth: the first time you sign in, we set up your account and your organization's workspace; after that, you go straight to your pyramids.

We ask your provider for your name, email address and, for a Microsoft work account, the organization that issued it. We never see your password. If you sign in with Google one day and Microsoft the next using the same verified email address, it's the same account.

Tip: Use the account your organization uses for work. If your team will join you, each person signs in with their own account — see inviting your team.

More detail: Your account and sign-in.

Set up your organization

Right after your first sign-in, the Welcome to TruePyramids step asks you to confirm:

• Organization name — the name your team will see, such as “Riverside Food Bank”. With a Microsoft work account we fill it in from your organization's directory; check it, because it's sometimes a legal or abbreviated name.
• First name, Last name and Email — from your sign-in provider.

Choose Continue and you're in. You can change the organization name and your own name later in Settings.

An organization is your team's private workspace: its pyramids, uploads, CRM connections, team and plan are kept apart from every other organization. You're its owner. If you work with more than one nonprofit — a consultant, say — you can create more organizations and switch between them from the account menu. See Organizations.

Which pyramid answers which question

TruePyramids builds three kinds of pyramid. Each answers a different question, and you can build all three from the same gift file.

Gift pyramid

A gift pyramid (also called a gift range chart or gift table) starts at the top: one lead gift, usually about 20% of the goal, then a few large gifts, then more and smaller gifts until the goal is reached. For each level it shows how many prospects you need to ask — typically 2 to 4 for every gift — and, if you add your gift history, how many prospects you already have and the gap. Full guide: Gift pyramids.

Donor pyramid

A donor pyramid sorts every donor into one tier for your latest full fiscal year — major & planned, mid-level, recurring, annual or first-time — and shows how many donors and how much revenue each tier brings. Compared with the year before, it shows who moved up, stayed, moved down, is new, came back or lapsed. Full guide: Donor pyramids.

True Pyramid

Instead of fixed dollar bands, a True Pyramid uses machine learning to group your constituents by how recently, how often and how much they give. Each tier gets a plain-language description, and each tier's “ready to move up” list names the donors who already look like the tier above — by constituent ID, so you can look them up in your CRM. Full guide: True Pyramids.

Campaigns with several priorities

Raising for more than one thing at once — a new building, an endowment and a program fund? Start a campaign from the dashboard instead. Each priority gets its own gift pyramid, they roll up to the campaign goal, and a donor is counted in only one priority. See Campaigns and priorities.

Bring your gift history

Donor and True Pyramids need your gifts; a gift pyramid uses them to count the prospects you already have. There are two ways to bring them in.

Upload a file

Export your gifts from your CRM or donor database as CSV or Excel (a ZIP holding one such file works too, up to 2 GB). It needs one row per gift and these five columns:

transactionid,constituentid,date,amount,type
T-100231,C-004518,2026-09-28,250.00,One-time
T-100232,C-000977,2026-09-30,25.00,Monthly
T-100233,C-004518,2026-10-02,1000.00,Pledge payment

We read the file on our servers. Columns that look like names, emails, phone numbers or addresses are removed as the file is read and never stored, and your original file is deleted once it's imported. Everything about the format, gift types and fixing problems: Uploading gift files.

Connect your CRM

If you use Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, Little Green Light, Neon CRM, Salesforce or Raiser's Edge NXT, you can pull gifts straight from it instead: choose Connect your CRM on the upload page. Later, Refresh from CRM brings a pyramid up to date in one click. See Connecting your CRM.

Your first gift pyramid, step by step

From the dashboard choose Build a gift pyramid (or New pyramid › Gift pyramid › Continue). A five-step guided setup walks you through it; Back and Next move between steps and nothing is lost.

1. What it is — a one-screen refresher on how gift pyramids work.
2. Goal — name the pyramid (“New warehouse”) and enter the goal. As you type, we show the size of your lead gift.
3. Giving history — optional. Pick an upload, upload one after the pyramid is built, or choose None for now. Then choose who counts as a prospect for a level.
4. Shape — start from the Standard capital campaign chart (recommended for a first pyramid), a chart Shaped by your giving, or your own spreadsheet.
5. Review — check the levels and create the pyramid.

The pyramid saves automatically. From there you can edit levels, try scenarios side by side, export to Excel, or print. See Gift pyramids.

Your first donor or True Pyramid

1. From the dashboard choose Build a donor pyramid or Build a True Pyramid (or New pyramid and pick one).
2. Name it, and pick a file you've already uploaded or Upload a new file.
3. Upload your gifts or connect your CRM, then review the columns and match your gift types to the six TruePyramids types.
4. The pyramid opens right away and fills in live as your gifts are counted — the tag reads Still counting until it's done. Counts and dollars only ever grow while it builds.

Tip: You don't have to wait on the page. If you leave before a build finishes, we email you when it's ready.

Invite your team

Everything in an organization is shared with its team. As the owner, open Settings › Team, enter a colleague's email and send the invitation. We email them a join link (and show it to you to copy, too); only someone signed in with that verified email can use it. Members can build and edit pyramids, upload files and connect CRMs; only the owner manages the team and deletes the whole workspace. Details: Team and invitations.

Getting around

Pyramids

Your dashboard: every pyramid and campaign, with New pyramid and New campaign.

Uploads

Every file and CRM pull with its status and the rows imported. Open one to review its columns and gift types and see any rows that were skipped.

Help

These pages. In the app, the small ? beside a heading opens the help for that exact section in a new tab, so you never lose your place.

Account menu (your initials, top right)

Switch organizations, create a New organization…, accept invitations, open Settings, and Sign out.

Free and Plus

Every pyramid, upload, CRM connection, export and teammate is free, with no limits on how many pyramids you build. The optional Plus plan adds the AI assistant, scheduled CRM sync and pyramid history for your whole team. See Plus plan and billing.

Questions

Is TruePyramids really free?

Yes. Building and exporting every kind of pyramid, uploading files, connecting CRMs and inviting your team are free. Plus is an optional paid plan for the AI assistant, scheduled sync and history. See Free and Plus.

Can I try it without uploading anything?

Yes. A gift pyramid only needs a goal: choose None for now at the giving history step. You'll get the full chart with prospects needed at each level; add your gift history any time to see the prospects you already have.

Do I need to upload donor names?

No — please don't. TruePyramids works from constituent IDs, dates, amounts and gift types. If your export includes names, emails, phone numbers or addresses, they're removed as the file is read and never stored. Use your CRM's constituent ID to look people up. See Data, privacy and deleting.

What should I export from my CRM?

One row per gift or payment, covering at least the last five years if you have them, with the five columns above. Most CRMs have a gift or transaction export. We recognize common column names (such as giftid for transactionid), and during review you choose what each column is used as. If your CRM is one we connect to, connecting is easier and keeps the pyramid up to date. See the columns a file needs.

How long does a build take?

The pyramid opens right away and fills in as gifts are counted, so you see numbers within moments; large files take longer to finish. You can leave the page — we'll email you when it's ready.

Which pyramid should I build first?

If you're planning or testing a campaign goal, a gift pyramid. If you want to understand your current donors, a donor pyramid. If you already know your donor pyramid and want to find who's ready for a bigger conversation, a True Pyramid. They're all built from the same upload, so you can build all three.

I signed in with the wrong account. What now?

Open the account menu and choose Sign out, then sign in with the other account. If the wrong account already created an organization you don't need, its owner can delete it from Settings › Data — see deleting everything.

My colleague already uses TruePyramids. How do I join their organization?

Ask the organization's owner to invite your email address from Settings › Team. When you sign in with that email, you'll be asked whether to join. See joining an organization.

Can I use TruePyramids for more than one organization?

Yes. Choose New organization… in the account menu; each one is a separate workspace with its own data and team. Switch between them from the same menu. See switching organizations.

Where do I get more help?

Every topic is listed on the help home, with search. In the app, the ? beside a heading opens the right page. Or email support@truepyramids.com.