Preparing Files for the School Level Data Importer

GiveCampus is excited to be unlocking more visibility, analysis, and actionable insights into your fundraising. By coupling great data with great technology, our aim is to help power your fundraising in more efficient, streamlined, and targeted ways. The Data Importer will allow you to send more data to GiveCampus. The Data Importer feeds into other parts of the GiveCampus platform -- like GC Wealth or mapping your constituent IDs to be included in donation reports. It also powers functionality like donor status calculations, SmartAppeals for Anniversary Donors, matches and challenges for first time donors, benchmarking and goal tracking, mass texting, and more! 

As you prepare to use the Data Importer for the first time, you’ll need to first prepare a file to send to GiveCampus on a regular basis! Our goal is to require as little manual work on your files as possible, and leverage the importer to transform that data within GiveCampus. Learn more about that in this GiveCampus University article about the Data Importer! 

Below are some best practices, requirements, and frequently asked questions when preparing your first file. 

Preparing Files: 

View recommended and required fields necessary for data-powered GiveCampus solution.

The recommended structure is one file per data type. In this recommended format, there would be one file for constituents and one file for gifts, where each row = 1 item; 1 constituent per row in constituent file and 1 gift per row in the gift file.

If you need to send one row per constituent and then have multiple sets of gift columns, that is also supported - it just takes a bit longer to set up, but is doable if that’s your preferred format! 

We recommend sending along two different files and fields: *Note: The column headers for these fields does not need to match what is listed below! The data importer will help you map whatever columns / column headers you include to the appropriate fields within GiveCampus. 

FAQ about File Set Up: 

• Do I need to have certain column headers in my file?
  You'll be able to map the column headers from your file to the fields in GiveCampus, so if you already have a file that fits these data fields, then you can just use that. No need to match header names to a GiveCampus "standard". 
  
  
• Can my file include more columns than I’ve mapped?
  Yes. You can include additional, unmapped columns in the files that you upload. If the column is not mapped, it will be ignored when uploaded.
• Do I need to send every field? 
  No! If you don't have certain data or don't want to send certain data fields, you can just skip those fields. Be sure to view the recommended and required fields for each piece of the GiveCampus platform.
• Can I map more columns in addition to what is recommended or included in the importer set up?
  Not at the moment. But if you have ideas for other fields and how they might inform your work, please let us know.
• Should I send the data in one file or two?
  The recommended structure is one file per data type.  In this recommended format, there would be one file for constituents and one file for gifts, where each row = 1 item (1 constituent per row in constituent file and 1 gift per row in the constituent file). If you need to send one row per constituent and then have multiple sets of gift columns, that is also supported - it just takes a bit longer to set up, but is absolutely doable.
  
  
• How much data should I include in the files?
  We would recommend sending across all individual constituents and their entire giving history.
  Note: We do not currently have any different support for soft credits gifts, so you'll want to determine if you'd like to include soft credit gifts or not, recognizing this current limitation of the solution. You will have the ability to use the values in the “Gift Type” field to determine what should count a constituent as a "donor" within the various data-powered capabilities such as donor status.
  
  
• If a constituent has never made a gift, should they have a record in the gift file?
  It is expected that some constituents may not have any data within the gift file. Once your data is uploaded, there is an option to configure your "Donor Status Definitions". One of those definition options is "Has No Gift On Record", which would typically be a "Never Donor" or "Future Donors". So these constituents without a gift on record would fall into that Donor Status definition. These constituents who do not have a gift on record would also be picked up by the recently released "First Time Donor Matches & Challenges". If a campaign has one of these matches/challenges, these constituents who have been uploaded, but do not have any gifts, would automatically apply as donors towards a First Time Donors match/challenge when they make a gift on a campaign.