How to set up Mailchimp integration with CareHQ
CareHQ supports integration with the Mailchimp platform, allowing for multiple audiences to be automatically synced with selected sources of contact data on CareHQ and targeted for email marketing purposes.
This article covers the sources of contact information which can be synced with Mailchimp and how to locate the details required, if you would like us to add Mailchimp integration to your CareHQ account.
We can set up Mailchimp integration for your CareHQ account on your behalf, so please contact support if you would like to go ahead. You simply need to provide the required details from your Mailchimp account, so if you can supply these along with your setup request we will be able to assist more quickly. Continue reading below to learn how to generate the necessary API key and locate your audience IDs within Mailchimp.
CareHQ contact types that can be synced
Several different contact types can be synced from CareHQ to relevant audiences within Mailchimp:
- Care enquiries
- Resident key contacts
- Location contacts
- Location contact people
Contact detail tags
Each contact type includes a number of relevant tags which help to categorise and give context to the related contact information, for example a care enquiry will be tagged with enquiry stage, care type, funding type etc.
This article assumes that you have a Mailchimp account already set up and you are the account owner. It is recommended that you have a reasonable amount of experience using Mailchimp in order to make the most of the integration with your CareHQ account.
How to find the necessary details within your Mailchimp account
To set up Mailchimp integration with your CareHQ account, we require:
- An API key (for the web, rather than mobile SDK) for your Mailchimp account.
- An audience ID, and the name/purpose, for each audience that you wish to be integrated with CareHQ.
Generating your API key in Mailchimp for use with CareHQ
To set up your web API key within Mailchimp, follow the steps below:
- Log into your Mailchimp account and select your account icon from the top right of the page, then select Account & billing.
- From the tabs across the top of the page, select Extras, then API keys.
- Scroll down to the Your API keys section and select Create A Key.
Mailchimp API keys are not accessible after creation, so even if you already had an unused API key it would still be necessary to create a new one for use with CareHQ.
- Enter a descriptive API Key Name and then select Generate Key.
- As the next step advises, copy the new API key and save it somewhere secure, to be sent to CareHQ, as you will not be able to view the full API key again after creation.
- Only when you have copied and safely saved the key, select Done.
Locating a Mailchimp audience ID
To find the ID of an audience within your Mailchimp account, follow the steps below:
- Log into your Mailchimp account and select Audience from the main navigation menu on the left.
- Near the top of the page, just to the right of Contacts, select the intended audience from the drop-down menu.
- Towards the top right of the page, to the left of the Add contacts button, select the three dots (...) and then select Audience settings.
- The Audience ID will be displayed halfway down this page - copy the ID to be provided to CareHQ along with its name/intended purpose.
API keys and related details should not be sent over unencrypted channels such as email. We recommend using a service such as One Time Secret to create a link to the API key and audience IDs, and then sending the link to the CareHQ support team (support@carehq.co.uk).
Sending the important Mailchimp details to CareHQ
Once you have copied the API key and audience ID(s) you wish to use for the integration, please send these details to the CareHQ support team.
Include a name/purpose for each audience ID so that we know what contact type should be synced with the audience.
Please see the Good to Know box above for the most secure method to send the details.