Import Utility: Importing Donations Part I - Overview

Import Utility: Importing Donations Part I - Overview

1. Importing Donations into the CRM is done in one of two ways: either by arranging the data to be imported in a spreadsheet and then using our Import Utility to self-import or by arranging the data in a spreadsheet and sending us the data to import ("migrate") for you.
2. Donations can also be entered in bulk using the Batch Gift Entry function inside the CRM. Using the Batch Gift Entry function may be faster and easier than importing the donations as scrubbing the data in the spreadsheet can be time consuming (and might be easier to correct "on the fly" as you enter donations into the Batch Gift Entry screen). See our tutorials on using the Batch Gift Entry function in the support library.
3. It is STRONGLY recommended that you review the Donation-related tutorials in the support library prior to importing gifts. It is particularly important for you to be familiar with the Fund, Program, and Campaign fields and what they track prior to importing donations. These fields MUST be configured in the CRM prior to the import (you cannot create Funds, Programs, Event Names, or Campaigns "on the fly" as part of the import) and it's import you understand what these fields are meant to track before creating funds, programs, and campaigns. Please see this tutorial in particular about the difference between Funds and Chart of Accounts/General Ledger codes. See also our tutorials on configuring and entering donations in the support library.
4. Please make sure, also, that you understand that the CRM uses cash-accrual accounting principles for donations; as such, only paid donations can be recorded via the import utility (payment amount, mode, and date are required fields in the import utility for donations). Any unpaid donations are considered pledges. You cannot import pledges yourself; contact Fundly Support (support@fundly.com) to have us migrate pledges for you.*
5. You cannot import recurring donations yourself; contact Fundly Support to have us import recurring donations for you.*
6. You can self-import both cash and in-kind donations, including:
   • Donor First and Last Name (if individual) or Donor Organization Name (if organization)
   • Donor Email Address
   • Contact Phone Number
   • Donor Mailing Address
   • If the donor wishes to remain anonymous
   • Gift Fund (see our tutorial on Funds vs Chart of Accounts)
   • Gift Type (Gift or In-Kind)
   • Gift Source
   • Gift Date
   • Gift Amount
   • Mode of Payment
   • Date of Payment
   • Payment Reference Number
   • Gift Memo
   • In-Kind Gift Amount/Value
   • In-Kind Gift Description
   • Soft Credit Donor First and Last Name
   • Soft Credit Donor Email Address
   • Soft Credit Donor Address
   • Tribute Type (for tribute gifts)
   • Tributee First, Middle, and Last Name
   • Create Contact Record for Tributee
   • Gift Program designation
   • Gift Campaign designation
   • Gift Event designation
   • Solicited By First and Last Name
   • Solicited By Email Address
7. To learn more about any of the above fields, please see the Add Gift and Fundraising Configuration tutorials in the Fundraising section of the support library.
8. Gifts Additional Information / Custom Data Set information cannot be imported via the Import Utility - contact Fundly Support Migration Services to have us import such data for you.* See the Import Utility Limitations tutorial for a list of all data that cannot be imported via the Import Utility.
9. Donor information beyond name, email address, and address cannot be imported via the Gifts/Donations Import. Instead, you would need to do two separate imports - one for contacts with the additional information (spouse/partner, birth date, gender, etc.) and then a second for the donation information.
10. You CANNOT use the import utility to update existing donation records. Re-importing the same donations will create duplicate donation records. Only contacts can be updated via the import utility. If you need to batch update donation records (such as update the Fund tied to donations) our technical team can do that for you, but it is a chargeable service. Send us the list of donations (donation date, amount, and donor name) along with the information on what you want to update and we will provide a quote for bulk updating the donations.
11. Broadly speaking, importing data is a three step process: a) organize and prepare your spreadsheet of data, b) create the import batch including linking the fields in your spreadsheet to the correct fields in CRM, and c) reviewing the data once it imports and correct any mistakes.
12. To get started importing donations, proceed to the Import Utility: Importing Donations Part II - Preparing Your Data Tutorial.

*Manual migrations are a chargeable service.