If you manage multiple Raise More accounts -- for example, a state party account and individual campaign accounts -- you may need to transfer contacts from one account to another. This guide covers how to do that cleanly, what to expect from the process, and how to avoid creating duplicate records.
How Raise More Prevents Duplicates During Import
When you import contacts, Raise More automatically checks each incoming record against your existing contacts to find matches. Understanding how this works will help you set up cleaner transfers.
The system matches on these fields, in priority order:
Email address -- the strongest and most reliable match. If an incoming contact shares an email address with an existing contact, they'll be recognized as the same person.
Phone number + name -- a strong match when both fields are present.
Normalized full name -- used only as a last resort, and only when the incoming record has no email address, no phone number, and no ZIP code. First and last name are compared after stripping special characters and lowercasing (e.g., "O'Brien" becomes "obrien"). This works well for uncommon names but can produce false matches for common names like "John Smith."
If none of these match, a new contact is created.
The key takeaway: email addresses and phone numbers are what make matching reliable. Name-only matching is used only as a last resort, and only when the incoming record has no email, no phone number, and no ZIP code. Contacts that rely on name-only matching are far more likely to produce duplicates or false matches.
For a deeper look at how Raise More detects and manages duplicates, see How do I merge duplicate contacts?
What Happens When a Match Is Found
When an imported contact matches an existing record, the system merges the two together. It does not skip the record or create a duplicate. Here's how each field type is handled:
Name, employer, occupation, bio: The imported value overwrites the existing value -- but only if the import actually has data in that field. Blank or empty fields in your import file will not erase existing data.
Email addresses: Appended. If the existing contact has john@gmail.com and your import includes john@work.com, both emails will be preserved on the contact. Duplicates of the same email are skipped.
Phone numbers: Appended, same behavior as emails. New phone numbers are added alongside existing ones.
Addresses: Appended. New addresses are added if they don't already exist on the contact.
Tags: Appended. New tags are added; duplicate tags are skipped.
Custom fields: Overwritten if the import has a value. Blank import fields will not erase existing custom field values.
Ask amount: Overwritten if the imported amount is different from the existing one.
In short: importing into an account that already has data is safe. Existing information is preserved, and new information is added.
Step 1: Prepare Your Export from the Source Account
Before exporting, think about which contacts you actually need to transfer. We strongly recommend exporting a filtered saved list rather than your entire database. Specifically, filter your list to contacts who have at least one email address or phone number on file.
Why? Contacts with no email and no phone can only be matched by name. If you import 50 "John Smith" records with no email or phone, the system has no reliable way to tell them apart from any "John Smith" already in the destination account. This is the most common source of duplicates.
To export:
Create or select a saved list with the filters you need.
Navigate to Import & Export > Export.
Select your list and export it. You'll receive a CSV via email.
The People export includes 70+ fields per contact: names, up to 5 email addresses, up to 5 phone numbers, up to 5 addresses, tags, custom fields, employer/occupation, bio, donor research, ask amounts, donation totals, and interaction history (up to 1,000 entries per contact).
For full export instructions, see How do I export contacts, donations, and activity logs?
What's NOT in a People Export
A People export includes donation totals (largest donation, total donated, number of donations) but does not include individual donation records. If you need to transfer individual donation records (amounts, dates, payment methods), you must run a separate Donations export and import that separately.
Step 2: Import into the Destination Account
Log into your destination account.
Navigate to Import & Export > Import and select Prospects.
Upload the CSV file from your export.
Pay close attention to the field mapping step. Make sure email and phone number columns are correctly mapped -- these are the fields that prevent duplicates. If they're not mapped, the system can only match on name, which is much less reliable.
Walk through the validation step to fix any flagged issues, then complete the import.
For full import instructions, see How do I import contacts, donors, or pledges?
Keeping Accounts in Sync Over Time
If your source account is frequently updated (new contacts, updated phone numbers, new donation data), you can periodically re-export and re-import to keep your campaign accounts current.
Re-importing is safe. When you import the same contacts again:
Contacts with matching email addresses or phone numbers will be recognized and merged -- not duplicated.
Any new information (updated phone numbers, new addresses, new tags) will be added to existing records.
Blank fields in the import will not erase existing data.
New contacts (those without a match) will be created as new records.
Tips for ongoing sync:
Use the same saved list each time for consistency.
If you've updated contacts in the source account since the last transfer, re-export with the latest data before importing.
Run a separate Donations export/import if you need individual donation records to transfer -- donation totals in the People export are view-only summary fields and won't create donation records in the destination account.
Edge Cases to Be Aware Of
Same person, different email in each account. If a contact already exists in the destination with john@gmail.com, and your import has the same person with john@work.com, the system will not automatically match them -- even if the name is identical. This is by design: when both records have email addresses, the system prioritizes email matching to avoid false merges. The result is a new record, which you can then merge manually from the Merge Duplicates page. To prevent this, make sure the export from your source account includes all email addresses on file, so at least one email will match.
Common names without email or phone. Contacts with common names (e.g., "David Johnson") and no email or phone number are the highest risk for false matches or unwanted duplicates. When possible, add at least one email or phone to these contacts before transferring them.
Importing the same file twice. This is safe. The system will recognize the contacts on the second import and merge rather than duplicate. No special steps are needed.
Contacts with multiple emails or phones. All emails and phone numbers are exported (up to 5 of each). During import, all of them are checked for matches, so the more contact information you have, the more reliably the system can match.
After Import: Review and Merge Duplicates
Even with careful preparation, some duplicates may appear -- especially for contacts matched only by name. After every import:
Navigate to Contacts > Merge Duplicates in your destination account.
Review flagged pairs. The system shows why each pair was flagged (same email, same phone, similar name, etc.).
For each pair, you can:
Merge the records if they're the same person. All contact information, tags, and interaction history are combined into a single profile. Nothing is lost.
Mark as Not Duplicate if they're different people. They won't be flagged again.
For details on the merge process, see How do I merge duplicate contacts without losing past interaction data?
Quick Reference: Dos and Don'ts
Do:
Export a filtered list of contacts that have at least one email address or phone number
Double-check field mapping during import, especially for email and phone columns
Review the Merge Duplicates page after each import
Run separate exports for contacts and donations if you need both
Re-import periodically to keep accounts in sync -- it's safe
Don't:
Export your entire database unfiltered -- contacts without email or phone are likely to create duplicates
Assume donation records transfer with a People export -- only summary totals are included
Skip the field mapping step -- unmapped email/phone fields mean weaker matching