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What is a Subgroup?

A Subgroup is a filtered view of a Main Group. It is not a copy — it is a live, rule-based subset that updates automatically when the underlying Main Group changes.

Use Subgroups when you want to invite, communicate with, or report on only part of a larger Group.

How Subgroups work

A Subgroup is defined by Rules that compare values in the Main Group:

  • Type equals Volunteer
  • Location equals Los Angeles
  • Membership Level equals Gold

Anyone in the Main Group who matches the rules automatically appears in the Subgroup. If someone's data changes (or someone new joins the Main Group), Subgroup membership recalculates.

A simple example

Imagine a Main Group called All Members with custom fields for Type and Location.

You might create two Subgroups:

  • Volunteers — rule: Type equals Volunteer
  • LA Members — rule: Location equals Los Angeles

If a member's Type changes from Volunteer to Member, they leave the Volunteers Subgroup automatically.

Rule Sets: AND and OR logic

Rules are organized into Rule Sets:

  • Rules inside the same Rule Set combine with AND
  • Multiple Rule Sets combine with OR
You want Rule structure
LA volunteers only One Rule Set: Type = Volunteer AND Location = Los Angeles
Either LA members or any Speakers Rule Set A: Location = Los Angeles OR Rule Set B: Type = Speaker

What you can do with Subgroups

  • Assign to Activities so only matching people see them
  • Send targeted emails to a specific segment
  • Filter views in Track to focus reporting on one segment
  • Customize column sets for Subgroup-specific reports

Important behaviors

  • Subgroups always derive from a single Main Group — you cannot mix Main Groups in one Subgroup
  • A person can appear in many Subgroups at once
  • You cannot delete a person from a Subgroup directly — open the Main Group and delete or update them there
  • When the underlying field changes, Subgroup membership recalculates automatically

A note on terminology

Subgroups were originally called Segmented Lists when they were introduced in May 2018. They were renamed to Subgroups in February 2019 alongside the broader Lists → Groups+Sections rename. The functionality has been continuous.

See Also