Importing Overview
DonorDock's Import Tool allows you to bring data into DonorDock in bulk using spreadsheets. You can upload import files in CSV or Excel format, making imports useful for migrating data from another system, adding historical records, updating existing records, or making changes to many records at once.
If using Numbers on an Apple device, please convert the file to CSV or Excel before proceeding with the import.
Depending on the type of information you are importing, DonorDock offers several import options. Each import type is designed for a specific kind of data.
Import Types
Import Type | What It Does |
|---|---|
Contacts Import | Adds Contact records into DonorDock in bulk. It can also update existing Contact records when your spreadsheet includes information that identifies the records to update. |
Gifts Import | Adds both Contacts and Gifts into DonorDock. This is one of the most commonly used import types and is especially useful when migrating historical giving data from another system. |
Activities Import | Adds completed or incomplete activities to Contact records, including Emails, Letters, Phone Calls, Meetings, Tasks, Event Attendance, Volunteer Activities, Asks, and more. |
Notes Import | Adds notes to Contact records in bulk. |
Pledges Import | Adds pledges to DonorDock in bulk, including pledge amount, number of installments, installment frequency, start date, and other pledge details. |
Campaigns Import | Creates Campaign records in bulk, including campaign names, campaign types, goals, start dates, end dates, and other campaign-specific information. |
Funds Import | Creates Fund records in bulk, including fund names, account numbers, class names, fund types, descriptions, and other fund-specific information. |
Appeals Import | Creates Appeal records in bulk, including appeal names, appeal types, goals, dates, and other appeal-specific information. |
Tips for a Successful Import
Include identifying information for new Contacts
When adding new Contacts, at least one of the following fields must contain information:
Account Number
Company/Household Name
First Name
Last Name
If all four fields are blank for a row, DonorDock cannot create a Contact record, and the import tool will skip the row for having insufficient data.
For individual Contacts, we recommend including separate First Name and Last Name columns whenever possible. DonorDock uses these fields when creating the Contact's display name. If they are not included, the Contact may appear with (Unknown) as the display name.
Review your data before completing the import
During the Review step of an import, DonorDock highlights data that may contain errors.
Potential errors may include:
Invalid email addresses
Invalid website URLs
Missing required information such as Gift Date
This review page is fully editable, so you can click any highlighted cell and make edits to correct the error. After an import is completed, you can also scroll to the right side of the import results and review the Errors information for rows that could not be imported.
Confirm required Gift information
When importing Gifts, each Gift must include:
A valid Gift Date
A valid Gift Amount
Enough identifying Contact information to determine which donor the Gift belongs to
If the Gift Date or Gift Amount is missing, DonorDock will not create the Gift record for that row.
Remove merged cells from your spreadsheet
Import files should not contain merged cells. If an Excel spreadsheet contains merged cells, DonorDock will display an error indicating that the file cannot be imported. Unmerge the cells before uploading the spreadsheet again.
Use Donor ID or Account number when updating existing Contacts
When using an import to update Contacts that already exist in DonorDock, include the Donor ID column or Account number to ensure you are updating existing contact records.
To include Donor ID and/or Account Number when exporting Contact data from a DonorDock Report:
Run the report in question
Select Columns on the right
Search for and check Donor ID and/or Account Number
Click Apply
Export your data
You can then edit the exported spreadsheet and use it as a change file.
Exclude archived Contacts from change files
When exporting Contacts to create a change file, avoid including archived Contacts. When duplicate Contacts are merged in DonorDock, the remaining duplicate record is archived as a soft delete so its information is not immediately lost. An import will not search archived records, so you will risk creating new records instead of updating already archived records.
Undoing an Import
If an import does not produce the results you expected, you can undo imports completed within the past 7 days that added new records.
For example, you may decide to undo an import if:
Gifts were imported without the correct Appeal.
Information was mapped to the wrong field.
The spreadsheet included incorrect data.
You want to correct the source file and start again.
To undo an import:
Open the Settings Menu using the grid icon in the top-right corner of DonorDock.
Select Imports.
Locate the import you want to reverse.
Click the red UNDO button.
Undoing the import removes records and information that were created by that import, including applicable Contacts, Gifts, Badges, Campaigns, Appeals, Funds, Activities, Notes, and other imported data.
Imports with dependent records
An import may not be undoable if records created by that import are now being used by data added afterward.
For example, if you first import Contacts and then later complete a separate Gift Import using those records, you would need to undo the Gift Import first before you can undo the previous Contact import since the Gifts would have been attached to the Contacts afterward.
Updating Data Without Undoing an Import
Undoing an import is not always necessary.
If your original data was imported correctly and you simply need to add or update information, you can often use a change file instead. For example, you can use a change file to add information such as Badges, Marketing Lists, email addresses, or other Contact details without removing the records created by the original import. See Bulk Editing Records with Imports for instructions on preparing and importing a change file.