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Using the Data Importer

Updated

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 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! 

Order of Operations for using the Data Importer:

  1. Prep file
  2. Create file configuration
  3. Upload Test File
  4. Import!
  5. Send Updated Files on a regular basis

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. The first time you use the data importer, there will be a few extra steps in the process as you map your file structure to GiveCampus. These steps should only need to be completed initially and anytime you might want to adjust the file mapping configurations. Before you learn more about the importer below, please read this GiveCampus University article about preparing your files!

Did you do that?! Okay, great! Below are steps, best practices and frequently asked questions for using the Data Importer!

Step 1: Navigate to the Data Importer & Set Constituent ID Settings

  • Head to your ‘School Dashboard’ and click on "Data Import"
  • Click on the ‘Data Management’ Tab to set your Constituent Identifier Settings (how many characters should be present for each ID)

Step 2: Complete the file-level information

  • Navigate to the File Configuration Tab and hit the button that says "Add New CSV Configuration"
  • File Name: 
    • This is what your file should be named for the first full import as well as update files going forward
    • Date stamps are not required in file names and if a date is entered, will appear as asterisks in the file configuration
    • File names are case sensitive
    • We recommend keeping it simple like: ‘Gift’ and ‘Constituent’ for your two file names.
  • File Encoding
    • Note: Most files will export in UTF-8, which is the recommended setting because it offers support for the widest range of characters. This may be a file export setting in your CRM.
  • Note the column in your CSV file that represents your constituent identifiers.

Step 3: Column Mapping

Once you've filled in all the file-level fields, move onto the Column Mapping section. Click on the relevant data type you'd like to map column for – constituent or gift.

Pro-Tip: We recommend sending two different files - one for constituents and one for gifts. However, you can send one file and include column mappings for both constituents and gifts in one file. For more best practices on setting up your file, click here!

  • For each data type, type in the column names from your .CSV file in the text box beside the relevant GiveCampus field. 
  • Continue this process for as many columns as you've included in your file! 
  • You can use a column in your file for more than one GiveCampus field. Enter the name of the column in as many GiveCampus fields as is relevant.

Step 3a: Leveraging Data Transformations Data transformations allows you to send along a field in one way, and GiveCampus will adjust how that data is treated and utilized. Here are a few examples: 

  • Gift Date to Fiscal Year Data Transformation: Instead of requiring you to load in a separate column in their files that notes the fiscal year of the gift, you can simply include the date of the gift and use the data transformation to convert the date into a fiscal year
  • Replace: The ‘Replace’ transformation allows you to send data in one format, and have the system automatically adjust how that data sends through to GiveCampus. For example, if you have Class year’s in your database as A’22, you can use the transformation to replace A’ with ‘20’ so those class year’s fill into GiveCampus as 2022. 

Step 3b: Defining Unique Fields: Unique field(s) are the field(s) that will make a data object unique and deduplicate future imports based on that field.  

  • Most often, this will be the Transaction ID. So, when a school reimports the data, GiveCampus will know that it is the same gift as opposed to a new one.
  • Schools may also choose to couple unique fields together, meaning two fields need to be the same for the system to count them as the same.
    • An example could be Transaction ID and Gift Type. Schools may have a Recurring Gift Pledge and the Cash actually have the same Transaction ID. So, pairing these two fields together to make up a paired unique field will allow Transaction 123 Pledge and Transaction 123 Cash to be treated distinctly.
  • In the event that unique fields match, data for the remaining fields will be overwritten
    • For example, if you upload a constituent file containing address information with a Constituent ID as the unique field, previous address information will be overwritten by new address information.  

Step 3c: Adding Additional Gifts or Designations When setting up your gift file, you have options to add additional designations to a gift and/or add additional gifts. Which option is right will depend on how the school treats their data — and it could be both! 

  • Add Additional Designations:
    • Add additional designations when you want to send one row per gift (Transaction ID). That gift could have one or multiple designations.
    • Adding additional designations will be used when there are multiple funds for a gift that are all associated with the same Transaction ID.
    • We expect this to be the most common, and easiest scenario for schools.
  • Add Additional Gifts:
    • This will be used when schools want to send one row per constituent.
    • Adding additional gifts will allow schools to have multiple transaction columns for a single constituent.
    • There could still be additional designations associated with each additional gift.
    • Pro Tip: If using the “Add Additional Gifts” you will need to add as many “Additional Gifts” as is the maximum number of gifts on a constituent record. Any gifts not included in update files will be removed, so if you only send 5 Additional Gifts column sets and a constituent has 6 gifts, one gift will not be included.

Step 4: SAVE Your Configuration and Test

  • Once you've entered all of the fields, click on "Save File Configuration". If all required fields are provided, you'll automatically be taken to the Test Upload page for this file configuration.
  • On the Test File Import page, select your test file using the "Choose File" button and then click "Import File(s)". Note: Test files should be exact replicas of full files, but contain less than 100 rows. These test files process within a minute and ensure your file configuration is set up properly.
  • Once the test file processes, you'll automatically be directed to a results page. If there are errors, you'll see them in the "Errors" section and have the option to upload a new test file or edit your file configuration. 
  • If there are no errors, you'll see the option to open the file configuration or enable the configuration and import full files. 

Step 5: Import Files

Once you select "Enable Configuration and Import Files", you'll automatically be directed to the "Import Files" page where you can select the file using the "Choose File" button and then click "Import File(s)”

Step 6: Celebrate and Status Check

Wahoo! You did it! Once you’ve clicked to import your full file, the files will begin to process. To check on the status of the file import, click on "Imported Files" link in the left navigation bar. You'll be able to see all previously uploaded files and their upload status. Click on the link in the Status column for that file import, to see more statistics.
  • On the File Import Statistics page you'll be able to understand how many pieces of data were added/updated as well as if there were any errors with the import
  • If you are importing solicit codes (do not email, do not text, etc) via the data importer, You will need to go to School Dashboard>Settings>General Settings to map what each of these restrictions applies to.  In the example below, those with a "Do not call" code would be unable to receive texts, and those with a "Do not email" would not receive Smart Appeals or email via GC Outreach.

FAQs for Using the Data Importer

  • How often will my school need to configure their files:
    Just once! Then, it will be optional for you to make adjustments going forward
  • How often should we send files:
    At this stage, we’d recommend schools update files weekly, or as often is reasonable. 
  • Should we send full file sets each time? Or just new gift / constituent data?
    When generating these files, you'll want them to be full files - meaning the same pool of constituents (and their gifts) as in the initial upload, but with any updated information or new gifts. The School-level Data Ingestion mechanism will automatically look for the new information and update the constituent's data.
    The gold standard and recommendation is to import this data daily. Doing so will ensure the most accurate experience for features that utilize this data. In the near future we will be adding an additional import option - SFTP - in the near future, which would streamline this process. 
  • How many different configurations should I have?
    This is going to be unique to each organization and is going to depend on a number of factors (how nuanced you want your data in GiveCampus, how things are stored in your CRM, etc).  Having constituent info and gifts set up in separate files is a great starting point, but if you have more specific questions, reach out to your partner success manager or hop on one of our Data Importer Office Hours sessions!
  • How do I make changes to a constituent record? Updating a record is as easy as uploading a new file!  Those with a new constituent ID will be added in, those with an existing constituent ID will have all relevant fields updated (based on the unique field rules outlined above.
  • How do I delete a constituent? In the event you need to delete a constituent (or list of constituents), just send a .csv with the list of Constituent IDs to be deleted to support@givecampus.com.  We'll take it from there!
  • How does data imported using the School-level Data Importer (SLDI) interact with data imported via the Volunteer Management System (VMS)?
    If you are importing data via the VMS and not using the SLDI, GiveCampus will backfill constituent and gift data into the school-level data to power donor status calculations and constituent ID matching.
    If you are importing data via the VMS and the SLDI, GiveCampus will use SLDI data as the source of truth for donor status calculations and constituent ID matching. VMS data will not be used to determine donor status or match constituent IDs. Therefore, we recommend importing constituent data and transaction-level gift data in both the VMS and SLDI to ensure constituent IDs are appropriately matched and donor status remains up to date.

Glossary

  • File Configuration - the settings within GiveCampus that map the files you export from your CRM to the fields within GiveCampus
  • File Import - represents a file that has been uploaded to the school-level data ingestion feature
  • Transformation - an option within the File Configuration settings that allow you to automatically apply adjustments to your data within the GiveCampus data ingestion process, removing the need for manual file adjustments after exporting from your CRM. Here are some common uses of data transformations: 
    • Date to Fiscal Year: If ‘fiscal year’ of a gift is not a field you have readily available within your database, no problem! Use the data transformation to transform a date into a fiscal year instead of including ‘Fiscal Year
    • Replace: The ‘Replace’ transformation allows you to send data in one format, and have the system automatically adjust how that data sends through to GiveCampus. For example, if you have gift year in your database as ’22, you can use the transformation to replace the apostrophe with ‘20’ so those class year’s fill into GiveCampus as 2022. 
  • Unique Field - the field(s) that will make this data object unique (e.g. if you select transaction ID then GiveCampus will deduplicate your gift data automatically based on this field).

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