ICA · GCF · CashMatters: the Zoho apps we will work on and the features you need to know

What we use it for

Organisations (Accounts), People (Contacts), two custom modules (Affiliations, Committees), two Deals pipelines (GCF Partnerships, Membership), one custom view per client folder, an approval process for Hub applications, and data import.

Features to learn

• Renaming modules; creating custom modules; lookup fields and related lists
• Field types: picklist, multi-select picklist, lookup, unique field; field dependency (map dependency)
• Layout rules (show/require fields based on another field)
• Custom views and their filter options
• Pipelines and stages in Deals; stage–probability mapping
• Workflow rules (on create/edit, on field update, time-based, scheduled), and custom functions called from workflows
• Approval processes
• Import wizard: importing related records, matching on a unique field (upsert), duplicate check
• Roles, profiles, sharing rules; the Sandbox
• GDPR compliance settings and consent fields

Questions to answer

• Can a custom view on Contacts filter by values in a related custom module (Affiliations)? We expect no, which is why we plan to copy tags onto the Contact. Confirm it.
• Can a multi-select picklist be used as a view filter with "contains"? How many values can it hold?
• How many custom modules, custom fields per module and workflow rules does the Zoho One CRM edition allow?
• Can the import wizard upsert Affiliations on a unique field and link them to existing Contacts by email?
• Does Sandbox come with the Zoho One edition, and how do you deploy changes from it?
• How many custom-function executions per day are allowed?

What we use it for

Adding staff users, giving each user access to the right apps, security policy (MFA, password rules), the org's custom domain, and checking which data centre the account is on.

Features to learn

• User management; groups/departments; assigning apps per user or group
• Security policies: MFA enforcement, password policy, session limits
• Domain verification
• Zoho One editions: All-Employee vs Flexible user pricing, and what each includes

Questions to answer

• Which of our 15 apps are included in every Zoho One plan, and which have limits that differ by plan?
• How do you tell which data centre (EU, US, IN…) an org is on? The client is likely EU-based (GDPR).
• Are external users (Connect Hub members, Backstage attendees) counted as Zoho One users? We expect not — confirm.

What we use it for

The full GCF 2026 event: public event website, ticket classes per attendee type (delegate, speaker, partner, media, central bank, civil society), paid registration, agenda with tracks, speaker and sponsor profiles, add-to-calendar, online sessions, gallery, and the transactional emails (confirmation, payment reminder, final reminders). It must be clonable for GCF 2028.

Features to learn

• Creating an event and its website; themes and pages
• Ticket classes, pricing, discount codes, complimentary tickets
• Registration form and custom fields
• Payment gateway integration; ticketing fees
• Agenda, tracks, sessions; speakers; sponsors and sponsor tiers
• Attendee "my agenda" and add-to-calendar
• Built-in email notifications and reminders
• Event cloning / templates
• The native CRM integration

Questions to answer

• Which payment gateways does Backstage support, in which currencies? Is there a per-ticket fee on top of the gateway fee?
• What does the Backstage plan inside Zoho One include: attendee limit, number of events, paid ticketing allowed?
• What does the native CRM integration push — to Leads or to Contacts? Does it include ticket class and payment status? Can it avoid duplicates by email?
• Can Backstage send a webhook on a new registration and on payment? Which fields are in it?
• Can an unpaid registration exist (pay-later / invoice), and does it trigger a reminder?
• When an event is cloned, what carries over: tickets, forms, emails, website pages, sponsors?
• Can registration pages be public (no login) while the event is linked from the Hub?

What we use it for

The Hub / membership application form ("I am a member", interests: Cash Promotion, Global Currency Forum, Sustainability), the speaker asset form (headshot, topic, bio), the partner asset form (logo, description), and a visa-letter request form.

Features to learn

• Field types, file upload, conditional logic, themes
• Prefilling fields through URL parameters
• The native CRM integration: field mapping, create vs update
• Notifications, reCAPTCHA / spam protection, embedding a form

Questions to answer

• Can the native CRM integration update an existing Contact matched by email instead of creating a duplicate?
• What are the file upload size and storage limits? Where do the uploaded files end up in CRM?
• Can a hidden field be prefilled from the URL (e.g. ?email=)?

What we use it for

Four or five integrations: application form → CRM contact; Backstage registration → CRM affiliation; asset form → CRM + files; overdue assets → Projects task; booking → CRM activity. Possibly CRM approval → invite to Connect.

Features to learn

• Triggers vs actions; app connections
• Webhook triggers
• Decision branches, "fetch/search record" actions, create-or-update patterns
• Custom functions inside Flow; lookup tables / variables
• Flow history and error handling; re-running failed executions

Questions to answer

• Which triggers exist for Backstage, Forms, Bookings and Connect? Which actions exist for Connect (invite user, add to group) and Projects (create task)?
• Can Flow create or update a record in a CRM custom module (Affiliations)?
• What is the task/execution limit per month on the Zoho One edition?

What we use it for

Shared folders ("chambers") for social logins, payment gateway, domains and DNS, event vendors, and Zoho admin. Access is by role, so a staff change never forces password resets.

Features to learn

• Chambers / folders, sharing with users and groups, access levels
• Master password and recovery; browser extension

Questions to answer

• Can a password be shared so the user can use it without seeing it?
• What happens to shared passwords when a user is removed?

What we use it for

Mailing lists synced from the CRM custom views (one per folder and per layer), topic preferences, a branded newsletter template, and three automated GCF journeys: Attendee (4 emails from Campaigns, 3 more from Backstage), Speaker (3), Partner (3). Speaker and partner follow-ups must stop as soon as their assets arrive.

Features to learn

• Sender domain authentication (SPF, DKIM); DMARC basics
• CRM sync: syncing a CRM view into a list; sync frequency; field mapping
• Topics and the subscriber preference page
• Templates, merge tags, footer and consent
• Workflows / autoresponders: entry trigger "added to list", waits, date-based steps, conditions, exit criteria
• UTM tracking on links; campaign reports

Questions to answer

• Can Campaigns sync from a CRM custom view? When a Contact leaves the view, are they removed from the list?
• What is the shortest sync interval? This decides how fast a journey starts after payment.
• Can a workflow exit a contact when a synced field changes (e.g. "Assets Received" = true)?
• Can a step be timed relative to a fixed date (event date − 56 days), or only relative to entry?
• What are the subscriber and sending limits in the Zoho One edition?

What we use it for

An external network for members only. Joining is by approval, and sign-in works with email, Google or LinkedIn. It has groups for each layer, committee, programme and member company. A company's SPOC (single point of contact) is admin of their own company group. Also: feed, articles, polls, files, chat, a custom menu, and links out to Backstage, Bookings, Forms and the newsletter archive.

Features to learn

• Internal vs external networks; branding and custom domain
• Invitations, join requests and moderation
• Groups: open, private, hidden; group admins and their permissions
• Custom profile fields
• Feed posts, articles/manuals, polls, files, events, chat
• Custom menu and pages; Meeting integration

Questions to answer — these carry the most risk

• How are external network members licensed? Price per member, and is any of it included in Zoho One? Most important question in this brief.
• Can external members sign in with Google and LinkedIn, not only email/password?
• Can a group admin (the SPOC) invite and remove members of their own group without being a network admin?
• Is there an API or Flow action to invite a user to the network and add them to groups? If yes, we can automate onboarding from CRM.
• What is the video upload size limit on posts? Can Meeting recordings be shared into a group?
• Can the network be on the client's own domain?

What we use it for

Video calls started from Hub groups and from Bookings appointments (committee calls, membership and partnership calls). Online GCF sessions run through Backstage.

Features to learn

• Meetings vs webinars; recording and storage; calendar integration
• How it plugs into Connect and Bookings

Questions to answer

• What is the participant limit on the Zoho One edition? Can external guests join without an account?
• Where are recordings stored, and for how long?

What we use it for

Two dashboards. Engagement by layer: people per layer; emails opened and clicked, event registrations and survey responses, each split by layer and programme. GCF 2026 registrations: registrations over time vs target, by ticket class and country, paid vs pending, partnership pipeline value.

Features to learn

• Connectors (CRM, Campaigns, Backstage, Survey) and their sync schedules
• Query tables (SQL joins across apps); formula columns
• Charts, pivot tables, dashboards, user filters; sharing a dashboard with users

Questions to answer

• Does a Backstage connector exist? Does the Campaigns connector expose recipient-level activity (who opened), or only campaign totals?
• Does the CRM connector bring in custom modules (Affiliations)?
• Can a query table join Campaigns activity to CRM Contacts by email?
• What are the row and sync-frequency limits on the Zoho One edition?

What we use it for

A "GCF edition" project template (venue, programme, speakers, partners, comms, registration, logistics, on-site, post-event, with milestones), a committee workspace template, and tasks created automatically when speakers or partners haven't sent their assets.

Features to learn

• Project templates, task lists, milestones, task statuses, portal users and roles
• Creating tasks from Flow

Questions to answer

• Do template dates shift relative to the project start date when a new project is created from the template?

What we use it for

Three brands (ICA, GCF, CashMatters) with their channels connected, a publishing calendar, an approval step before posts go out, saved hashtag sets, and the attendee social-share kit.

Features to learn

• Brands, channels, team roles, approval workflow, publishing calendar, link tracking

Questions to answer

• How many brands and channels are included in Zoho One?
• What permission does someone need on a LinkedIn company page to connect it?

What we use it for

Two services, Membership enquiry and Partnership call (30 min, online), with staff calendars synced to Google or Outlook. Each booking gets a Meeting link and is logged in CRM against the person.

Features to learn

• Workspaces, services, staff, availability, buffers, time zones
• Calendar sync; video-conferencing integration; CRM integration

Questions to answer

• Does the native CRM integration log the booking on an existing Contact, or create a Lead?

What we use it for

A tracking snippet on up to three websites (ICA, GCF, CashMatters). Goals for "registration started / completed" and "Hub application submitted", a funnel on the GCF registration path, and a heatmap on the GCF home page.

Features to learn

• Installing the snippet; goals; funnels; heatmaps; project per site
• Cookie consent / privacy settings

Questions to answer

• Can a goal fire on a page hosted on Backstage's domain (the registration page)? If not, what can we track instead?
• How does PageSense behave when a visitor declines cookies (EU)?

What we use it for

Post-event feedback survey for GCF 2026 (ratings, NPS, sessions, venue, "would attend 2028", open comment), with results in Analytics.

Features to learn

• Question types, NPS, distribution by email link, reports

Questions to answer

• Can responses be linked back to a CRM Contact by email?