Why can't I seem to import data into Donor Management?
There are two common reasons that you may not be able to export data from Donor Management - either the records you wanted to export haven't been selected, or your admin role doesn't have the permissions to access the exporting tool.
Records Haven't Been Selected
In order to export data, you'll need to select all of the records you'd like to include in that export. If the "Export" option is grayed out when you select "Bulk Actions," it means that there is no data selected.
Admin Role Doesn't Have Correct Permissions
Only "Supervisor"-level or "Staff"-level admins in Donor Management have access to import data into the platform - so you may want to check your "admin" role (or have someone with "supervisor"-level access check for you!
You can check your admin role by clicking on your name in the bottom-left corner of Donor Management, and selecting "Profile."
Once the page re-loads, your role will appear under your name on your profile. If it says "Viewer," "Recorder," "Accountant," or "Staff-Limited," you won't be able to import files, and you'll need to work with one of your "Supervisor" or "Staff" colleagues to import that information into Donor Management (or upgrade your permissions).
Unfortunately, our Support team is unable to change roles for an admin, as we don't have a way to verify what level of access you may need. You'll need to ask someone at your organization with Supervisor-level access to edit your access level to the system, if any changes need to be made.
What if my file contains contact types other than individuals such as businesses?
You have the ability within the import process to select whether you're importing in "individual" contact records or "organization" contact records.
What happens if my data is not imported as expected? Can I delete them later?
Yes - in the worst-case scenario, our Support team can assist with deleting multiple (or all) data records at once.
Please note that if a contact record has prior activity, such as a previous donation history made through our platform, it may not be possible to delete that record.
Do I have to split full names and addresses into separate column, such as "First Name" and "Last Name"?
No, that's not necessary! Our importing tool will automatically split information in the "Full Name" and "Full Address" fields into the corresponding components of those fields into separate columns. (In other words, a full name would be split into "First Name" and "Last Name" fields - while still retaining the "Full Name" field.)
Are any fields required for import?
Each contact record needs to have a first name (or, if no first name is available, an email address needs to be listed in the “first name” field.)
While it isn’t required, we also recommend having an email or physical address for each contact record as well, to make sure that you have a way to communicate with this individual later on.
Each donation record needs to have some way to be associated with a contact record – in most cases, this is by the donor’s email address, but some organizations instead use a field like internal ID to make that association.
Donation records also need to include the exact date of the donation (MM/DD/YYYY), the amount, and the payment method used to make the transaction. If you don’t know the date of a donation, you can always enter it as January 1st of the current year.
For more information on required and recommended fields, click here. If you'd prefer to see a list of all available import fields, click here.
What happens if my file contains duplicate contact records?
Our importing tool will automatically merge contact records when certain information matches (such as email addresses, or both full name and full address).
Donor Management will also flag certain similar contacts as "potential duplicates," which you can review and confirm if they are true duplicates - or two separate records.
You can learn more about merging duplicates here.
How do I put people into a household?
We have a helpful guide on adding and managing households that you can review here!
Can I import custom fields?
Yes! You can learn more on how to do so here.
Can I import contacts into groups?
You can! You'll want to create the group in Donor Management, under the "Contacts" tab, if the group doesn't already exist.
Once the group exists, you can create a column in your data file that has a header that matches the group's name. You can then put an "X" in the fields in that column to indicate which contact records should be added to that group, and then import the data as planned.
For more information on this process, click here.
Are addresses automatically abbreviated when imported into my system?
Yes, street names are automatically abbreviated once they've been uploaded to Donor Management - even if they are fully spelled out in your data file.
This small change helps ensure that all mailing address addresses are accurate and match up to USPS records - which can help reduce duplicates and help increase deliverability of your mail communications.
What else do you want to do?
Not what you're looking for?
Go back to the Feature Overview.