Data Importer - Preparing Your Files – GiveCampus University

* As of February 2nd we’ve launched Guided Import—a new AI-powered experience designed to take the guesswork (and the frustration) out of data mapping. We recommend you start your data import journey there! For ongoing imports and advanced use cases, our Manual Field Mapping option remains available.

The GiveCampus Data Importer helps you bring constituent and gift information from your CRM into GiveCampus, unlocking powerful features like:

Donor status tracking (first-time donors, lapsed donors, etc.)
Matches and challenges for first-time donors
Smart Appeals for anniversary giving
Benchmarking and goal tracking
GC Wealth Analytics
Mass texting and personalized outreach
Mapping constituent IDs into donation reports for easier reconciliation

Step 1: Decide What Data to Import

Before you think about file structure, determine:

Which constituents? We recommend all active alumni, donors, parents, prospects, and key contacts — not just recent donors.
Gift history depth: Send complete giving history, not just recent years, for the most accurate donor status tracking. Some features require five years of transaction history.
Soft credits: Decide if you want them included (GiveCampus treats them the same as hard credits today).
Gift type usage: Agree on which gift types should “count” toward donor status for reporting and matches/challenges.

Step 2: Choose Your File Structure

The Data Importer can handle a variety of formats, but the quickest and simplest setup is:

Constituent File – one row per constituent, with a unique Constituent ID
Gift File – one row per gift, linked to the Constituent File by the Constituent ID

If you have more complex data, you can upload separate files for each data type, with one row per item and the Constituent ID field linking it back to the right constituent. Examples include:

Gifts - gift transactions with a unique Transaction ID
Solicit Codes - used to remove constituents from Email or Texting segments
Affiliations - used for custom affiliation mappings
Addresses
Degrees
Custom Fields

If you only need one value per constituent for some of these items (for example, a single solicit code, last gift details, or a primary address), you can simply include those as additional columns in the Constituent File instead of creating a separate file.

Step 3: Request the Files from Advancement Services / Operations

You can share this request with your advancement services or database team:

Request: Please export two CSV files from our CRM for GiveCampus.

File 1 – Constituents: All active records, including unique Constituent ID, name, class year (if applicable), primary contact information, mailing address, and affiliations. Please do not filter out constituents without gifts — they’re important for first-time donor tracking.

File 2 – Gifts: Complete giving history for all included constituents, with Gift ID, Gift Date, Amount, Gift Type, and linked Constituent ID.

Column headers can match our CRM; they don’t need to follow a GiveCampus naming standard.

If you already have an existing report or query with these required fields but additional data, we can use that. Additional columns are ignored on import. Column order does not matter.

Alternatively, you can use the templates provided in the Unlocking the Basics article.

Step 4: Check and Prepare Your Files

Confirm IDs match: The Constituent ID in the gift file must exactly match the Constituent ID in the constituent file.
No need to rename headers: The Importer lets you map your headers to GiveCampus fields.
Extra columns are fine: They’ll be ignored if not mapped.
Column order does not matter:
File format: CSV is required (UTF-8 standard recommend)

Step 5: Set Up the Import

Once you have your files ready, it's time to follow the the Step-by-Step Mapping & Import Guide.

FAQ

FAQ on File Preparation

Do I need specific column headers in my file?
No. You can map your file’s column headers to GiveCampus fields during setup—no need to match a GiveCampus “standard.”

Can my file include more columns than I’ve mapped?
Yes. Extra, unmapped columns are fine; they’ll simply be ignored.

Does column order matter?
No. Columns can be in any order on the file.

Do I need to send every field?
No. Send only the data you have or want to use. Review the recommended and required fields for each GiveCampus feature you plan to use.

Should I send the data in one file or two?
We recommend one file per data type—typically one Constituent file (one row per person) and one Gift file (one row per gift). If preferred, you can combine data into one file with multiple gift columns, but setup will take longer.

How much data should I include?
We recommend all constituents and their full giving history. Decide whether to include soft credit gifts (these are not treated differently from hard credits in GiveCampus). You can use the “Gift Type” field to control which gifts count toward donor status.

If a constituent has never given, should they be in the constituent or gift files?
Yes in the constituent file. No in the gift file. If a constituent is created in GiveCampus but has no gift history, they will be labeled a “Never Donor” and will be eligible for First-Time Donor Matches & Challenges once they make a gift.