Understanding Common Import Fields

Get an overview of the fields that we use the most during a data migration to help as you prepare your own files for import.

Updated over a week ago

We've compiled a list of some of the most commonly used import fields that you might encounter while importing your data into Donor Management.

Please also note - there may be other fields in addition to the ones listed below that you come across throughout this process. The fields listed below may be the most commonly used, but they aren't the only fields available.

Looking for a downloadable version of this list? Click here!

Contact Fields:

  • Account ID (Contact ID): This field is used if your historic data includes a unique ID for each of your contact records. Our system will import this field is the “External ID.”

  • Contact Type: This field identifies the contact record as either an individual or an organization.

  • Full Name*: While the first name is a required field for a contact record, you’ll want to enter the donor’s full name when possible. Donor Management will break the name down into the corresponding parts (such as prefix, first name, last name, etc.) when this field is present.

  • Email: Email addresses can be used as a unique identifier in Donor Management, so each contact record will require a unique primary email address. While email addresses aren’t a required field, we strongly recommend including them when possible.

  • Receive Emails?: This field (listed as either “true” or “false”) indicates whether the contact’s primary email address can receive emails or has been unsubscribed from email communications.

  • Mobile Phone: This field is where you should list a contact’s mobile phone number, especially if you have texting features enabled in Donor Management. If a mobile phone number is listed in a different phone number field – or if a home phone is listed in the mobile phone field – then the texting features won’t work correctly for that contact.

  • Gender: This customizable field allows your donors to self-identify their gender, and can help you better understand the demographics of your constituents.

  • Date of Birth: This field allows you to track your contact’s birthdays, and send a birthday note when the time comes!

  • Home Phone: This field is where you can enter a contact’s home phone number – or a number that a contact uses as a home phone. (Please remember that any number placed in this field won’t be used in any texting features.)

  • Formal Greeting: This field is where you can enter the formal greeting that your contact wishes to be addressed as, and can be pulled into personalized communications in Donor Management. A formal greeting typically looks like “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” or “Mr. and Dr. Johnson.”

  • Informal Greeting: This field is where you can enter an informal greeting for your contact, and also can be pulled into personalized communications in Donor Management. An informal greeting typically looks like “Jane,” or “Tim and Larry.”

  • Household Name: This field is where you can enter a name that addresses an entire household, which can be particularly importing for creating mailing labels and sending direct mail communications. A household name can look like “The Jones household,” “The Lopez-Smiths,” or “The Andrews and Campbell family.”

  • Home Address: This field is where you can enter a contact’s home address; this field is also one of the ones used to automatically create households within Donor Management.

  • Head of Household: This field is where you can indicate which member of a household is the “head” of the household. Whatever is listed under a head of household’s “formal greeting,” “informal greeting,” and “household name” will then be applied to each member of that household.

  • Employer: This field is where you can list a contact’s employer, if relevant to their donor history.

  • Job Title: This field is where you can include a contact’s job title, if relevant to their donor history.

  • Work Email: This field allows you to store a secondary work email for a contact record.

  • Work Phone: This field allows you to store a secondary work number for possible future outreach; however, any number listed in this field will not have texting features enabled.

  • Work Address: This field allows you to store your contact’s work address; however, this field won’t be used when creating direct mail communications in Donor Management.

Donation Fields:

  • Donation Date*: This field is where you should enter a complete date of when the donation was made. If possible, we recommend putting the date in a YYYY/MM/DD format in this field.

  • Amount*: This field is where you should enter the amount of the donation.

  • Payment Method*: This field allows you to indicate how the contact paid for a donation (such as through cash, check, credit card, etc.). If you aren’t sure, you can enter “other” in this field.

  • Fair Market Value: This field allows you to indicate if there is a part of a donation that was made that isn’t considered tax-deductible. That way, your tax receipts and acknowledgements will be accurate for your donors and their own records.

  • Campaign: This field is where you can enter a name of a campaign that this donation should correspond to. If this field is left blank, the donation will be listed as “uncategorized.”

  • Designation: This field, sometimes called “fund” in other systems, is where you can enter where this donation should specifically be allocated to.

* Required Fields

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