The New Advanced Relationship Search: What You Need to Know

The new Advanced Search is a major upgrade, bringing more ways to search,  "AND/OR" connectors, saved column configurations, and automatically updated Smart Email Lists (based on saved searches). We think you're going to love it.

Making the most of these new capabilities means leaving a couple of things behind.

  • Saved searches from the classic search are built on older criteria that won't carry forward, so you'll need to recreate any you want to keep.
  • Dynamic custom attributes, which used the classic search under the hood, are being replaced by the more useful Smart Email List feature.

Here's what to expect during the transition:

  • March 18 through April 17: Dynamic attributes will continue to appear and update as usual in the classic search interface. They will not appear in the new Advanced Search.
  • April 17 and beyond: When the classic search is retired, dynamic attributes will no longer update and will be removed from your MonkeyPod.

Read on for what you need to know, and what to do before the classic search retires on April 17, 2026.

Recreate your existing saved searches

Saved searches from the classic search cannot be carried over to the new Advanced Search, so you'll need to recreate any you want to keep. Here's the easiest way to do that:

  1. Go to Relationships > Advanced Search. If you're taken to the new interface, select the option at the top of the page to run a classic search instead.

  2. Load a saved search using the Load a Saved Search button at the top of the page.

  3. Open a new browser window, and again go to Relationships > Advanced Search in your MonkeyPod. If you're in the classic search, use the prompt at the top of the page to switch to the new Advanced Search.
  4. With the windows side-by-side, use your classic search as a reference to recreate the search criteria in the new interface. When you're done, run the search and compare the results to confirm everything looks right.

  5. Save the new search using the Save This Search button in the search builder. Best to use a different name from the original search as both will remain in your Relationships menu until April 17, unless you manually delete the original one.

Dynamic Custom Attributes

The classic version of the Advanced Relationship Search included a feature called dynamic custom attributes, which let you save a search as a yes/no attribute that updated automatically to stay current. The new Advanced Search replaces this feature with a more powerful combination: saved searches with expanded criteria, and smart email lists that update automatically.

To find your dynamic custom attributes, choose Relationships > Custom Attributes from the main menu. If you have any\, they'll appear at the bottom of the list, highlighted in green.

For each dynamic attribute you want to preserve, recreate the underlying search criteria in the new Advanced Search and save it. From there, you can create a smart email list based on that saved search, and MonkeyPod will keep it current automatically.

For example, if you had a dynamic attribute that flagged supporters within 20 miles of your location, you would recreate that as a saved search in the new interface and then create a Smart Email List from it. You'd always have an up-to-date mailing list of nearby supporters without any manual effort. See How to Create Smart Email Lists Based on Saved Searches to learn more.

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