Using Turf Groups

​

What are Turf Groups?

• Turf Group: A named collection of related territories (e.g., “Spring 2024 Canvass”, “Phone Bank Teams”)
• Turf List: An individual territory within a turf group, containing a specific set of contacts (e.g., “Team 01”, “Team 02”)
• Target Turf Size: The desired number of contacts per territory
• Geographic Clustering: Contacts are grouped based on their physical location to minimize travel distance

​

Prerequisites

​

Feature requirements

​

Permissions

• Create turf groups: Project administrators only
• View/edit turf groups: Users with turf group editing permissions can view turf groups and edit turf list properties

​

Data requirements

• Contacts must have valid geocoded addresses (latitude/longitude coordinates)
• Only contacts with location data can be included in turf groups

​

Accessing turf groups

1. Navigate to Maps (Shape Builder) from the main navigation
2. Look for the Turf Groups section in the left panel
3. This section appears below the “Contacts” search area and above “Shape Groups”

​

Creating turf groups

1. On the Maps page, use the search box at the top to find contacts
2. Enter your search criteria (e.g., type:person memberstatus:"Active")
3. Click Add search or press Enter
4. Your search results will appear as points on the map

1. After adding a search, locate the search result box in the left panel
2. Find the clustering icon button () next to the contacts/locations count
3. Click the clustering icon to open the “Make a turf group” dialog

• A descriptive name for the entire collection of territories
• Example: “Summer 2024 Canvass”, “Phone Bank Campaign”
• Must be unique within your project

• A short prefix that will be used to name individual territories
• The system automatically appends numbers (01, 02, 03, etc.)
• Example: If you enter “Team”, territories will be named “Team 01”, “Team 02”, etc.
• Must not conflict with existing list names

• Use the slider to set the desired number of contacts per territory
• The preview area shows how many turf lists will be created
• Must be greater than 0

Turf Group Name: Spring 2024 Field Campaign
Turf List Prefix: Field Team
Target Turf Size: 50

• A turf group named “Spring 2024 Field Campaign”
• 5 turf lists: “Field Team 01”, “Field Team 02”, “Field Team 03”, “Field Team 04”, “Field Team 05”
• Each list will contain approximately 50 geographically-clustered contacts

1. Review the preview message showing how lists will be distributed
2. Click Create
3. The system will process your request in the background

Processing Time: Turf group creation happens in the background. It may take several minutes depending on the number of contacts. The new turf group will appear in the Turf Groups panel when complete.

1. Location-Based: Contacts are grouped based on their geocoded addresses (latitude/longitude)
2. Equal Sizing: The algorithm attempts to create territories with similar numbers of contacts
3. Geographic Proximity: Contacts within each territory are geographically close to minimize travel
4. Automatic Calculation: The number of territories is calculated automatically based on total contacts divided by target turf size

​

Viewing turf groups

1. On the Maps page, turf groups appear in the Turf Groups section of the left panel
2. Each turf group shows as a collapsible panel with a chevron icon
3. Click the turf group name (or chevron) to expand and reveal the turf lists within

​

Viewing turf lists

• Color Indicator: A colored bar identifying this turf list on the map
• Contact Count: Number of contacts in this territory
• Name: The turf list name (e.g., “Team 01”)
• Toggle Buttons: Outline and marker toggle buttons

​

Displaying turf lists on the map

1. Expand the turf group to see its turf lists
2. Click the outline button (polygon icon) to show the geographic boundary
3. Click the markers button (circle icon) to show individual contact markers

1. Use the Toggle All Outlines or Toggle All Markers buttons in the turf group toolbar
2. The map will zoom to fit all displayed territories

​

Interacting with turf list outlines

• Turf list name and the turf group it belongs to
• Contact count for this territory
• Search results link: Opens a new tab showing all contacts in this turf list
• Driving directions link: Opens the routing page for contacts in this turf list
• Edit button: Modify the turf list name or move it to a different turf group
• Cancel button: Close the popup

​

Editing turf lists

1. Click on the turf list outline on the map
2. Click the Edit button in the popup
3. You can change:
   • Name: The turf list name
   • Turf group: Move the turf list to a different turf group
4. Save your changes

​

Editing turf groups

1. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) in the turf group toolbar
2. You can change the turf group name
3. You can also delete the entire turf group (this removes all turf lists within it)

​

Using turf lists for searches

turflist="Team 01"

• Creating reports for specific territories
• Assigning work to team members
• Tracking progress by territory

​

Best practices

• Group Names: Use descriptive names that include timeframe or campaign
  • Good: “Fall 2024 GOTV”, “Q1 2025 Membership Drive”
  • Avoid: “Test”, “Group 1”
• List Prefixes: Keep prefixes short and meaningful
  • Good: “Team”, “Zone”, “District”
  • Avoid: “A Very Long Prefix That Makes Names Hard to Read”

• Outreach Method: Door-to-door canvassing may need smaller territories (25-50)
• Geography: Urban areas can support larger territories due to density
• Timeline: Longer campaigns can handle larger territories
• Team Capacity: Match territory size to your team’s capacity

1. Test First: Create a small test turf group to verify your settings
2. Review the Map: Check the geographic distribution after creation
3. Clean Data: Ensure contact addresses are accurate before clustering
4. Coordinate with Team: Discuss territory sizes with your field team

​

Reassigning Contacts Between Turf Lists

• The contact must already be assigned to a turf list
• You can only reassign contacts between turf lists within the same turf group

1. Display the turf list markers by clicking the markers button (circle icon) next to the turf list in the left panel
2. Click on a contact marker on the map to open the contact popup

3. Select the Turf Lists tab in the popup (if not already selected)
4. Locate the turf group in the table. You’ll see:
   • The turf group name in the left column
   • A dropdown showing the current turf list assignment in the right column
5. Select a new turf list from the dropdown menu
   • The dropdown shows all available turf lists within that turf group
6. The popup closes automatically and a message appears: “Reassigning turf list…”
7. Confirmation appears when complete: “Contact reassigned.”

1. Click the contact’s marker on the map
2. In the popup, find the turf group (e.g., “Spring 2024 Field Campaign”)
3. The dropdown shows “Team 03” as the current assignment
4. Select “Team 05” from the dropdown
5. The contact is now assigned to “Team 05”

• Balancing workloads: Move contacts between territories to even out team assignments
• Geographic adjustments: Reassign contacts that are easier to reach from a different territory
• Boundary corrections: Fix contacts that were assigned to a non-optimal territory by the clustering algorithm

​

Validation and error handling

1. Required fields: All three fields (group name, prefix, size) must be filled
2. Positive Size: Target turf size must be greater than 0
3. Unique Group Name: The turf group name cannot already exist
4. Unique Prefix: The generated list names cannot conflict with existing lists
5. Geocoded Contacts: At least some contacts in your search must have geocodes

​

Common errors

• Geocoded Addresses Only: Contacts without geocodes are excluded from turf groups
• Processing Time: Large turf groups (1000+ contacts) may take several minutes to process
• Name Conflicts: List names must be unique within the project

• Static Territories: Turf lists don’t automatically update when contacts are added or removed from the system — Data Quality: Territory accuracy depends on the quality of geocoded addresses

​

Troubleshooting

1. Is the Turf Groups feature enabled for your project?
2. Do you have the necessary permissions to view turf groups?
3. Are you on the Maps (Shape Builder) page?

1. Has the search finished loading? Wait for the contact count to appear.
2. Do you have permission to create turf groups? (Admin only)

1. Do contacts in your search have valid addresses?
2. Have addresses been geocoded?
3. Are you searching the correct entity type?

1. Break large searches into smaller geographic areas
2. Use more specific search criteria to reduce contact count
3. Contact your administrator if processing consistently fails