Exporting Historic Data from Classy

A guide to help you get your full donation history to import to Donor Management.

Updated over a week ago

The Data Imports team strongly recommends that you export or download all data from your former donor management system, whether or not you ultimately decide to send your files to the team for assistance in the importing process. This allows you to have a complete archive of your former system, in the event that a field is overlooked during the import process.

There are currently two ways to export from Classy: through the normal Legacy product ("reports" function) or through "Classy Manager." We've included instructions for each below.

Classy Manager

Open Classy Manager 

You can access the "Reports" tab directly through your Classy Manager. From the classic dashboard, you would simply click on the avatar in the top right of the screen and select the "Try the new Classy Manager."

Once you have the manager open, select the "Reports" tab. 

Choose the "Base" Report to Further Customize

Each of the general reports listed in the "Reports" section corresponds to a particular type of record in your Classy dashboard. This means that not every report will have the same fields available to you. 

For our purposes, you will be focusing on the "Transactions" report to get all donors and donations out of your system.

Add Columns to your Report

After selecting the "Transactions" report, you can then select "Columns" to choose the information you would like to see in the report. You can use the "Search" bar here to find fields that you know by name or click on the available groupings to find the field your looking to add. 

Here are the fields that our team recommends exporting:

  • Date

  • Gift Amount

  • Campaign/Event Name

  • Designation Name

  • Comment

  • Payment Type

  • Description

  • Anonymous

  • Opt In

  • Billing First

  • Billing Last

  • Billing Address

  • Billing Address 2

  • Billing City

  • Billing State

  • Billing Zip

  • Billing Country

  • Phone

  • Email

  • Dedication Type

  • Dedication Name

This will list each donation into one "row" of your file - meaning that you may see one donor multiple times, with each row representing one gift or donation.

Add Filters to your Report

No matter what fields you choose to add to your report, you can filter by any criteria you need using the filters.

All you need to enter is the "property" (what you want to filter by), "operator" (greater than, equal to, etc...), and "value." You can give this a try using the transaction date, but you are not required to filter using the Transactions report.

Save your Report

After adding the columns you need, you should review using the "display" function. You can then use the "Save" option on the top right to store the report in your Classy dashboard. 

We recommend naming it something obvious like "Bonterra Full Export."

Export your Report

On the top right near the "Save" button, you will see the option to export your report. You will want to export the document as a .CSV or Excel (.XLSX) file, to ensure our Imports Team and Donor Management can recognize and use the file successfully.

Classy Legacy 

Select the "Reports" Tab

Once you're logged in to Classy, click on the "Reports" tab on the right side of the list.

Select the Report's Time Frame

You should see that "All Time" is then selected as your "time frame." You can leave this field as-is for the purposes of your export.

Select your Columns or Fields for Export

Next, click the "Columns" button on the left, just above where it lists your transactions. This will allow you to choose which fields should be pulled into the report.

Here are the fields that our team recommends exporting:

  • Date

  • Gift Amount

  • Campaign/Event Name

  • Designation Name

  • Comment

  • Payment Type

  • Description

  • Anonymous

  • Opt In

  • Billing First

  • Billing Last

  • Billing Address

  • Billing Address 2

  • Billing City

  • Billing State

  • Billing Zip

  • Billing Country

  • Phone

  • Email

  • Dedication Type

  • Dedication Name

You can include additional fields as needed, but remember that you only want to bring over what is most important for your organization's fundraising and reporting.

Export your Report

After selecting all of the columns or fields you want, you should then refresh the preview, so you can see all of the columns included in the export you are building.

If you're satisfied with what you see, you can then click on the "Export" button in the top-right corner to export a .CSV or .XLSX file.

Did this answer your question?