Data Importer - Maintaining Your Data

📇 Constituent Records

1. Not Automatically Deleted
   • Removing a constituent from your data file does not delete them in GiveCampus.
2. Deleted Missing Attributes for Mapped Fields
   • If you import attributes like Preferred First Name and later leave those columns blank, GiveCampus will erase that data from the records.
3. How to Delete Entire Constituent Records
   • Upload a file specifically to delete those constituents under Data Import > Data Management.

📁 Non-Constituent Records (Addresses, Affiliations)

1. Full File Overwrites
   When you upload a constituent data file, any missing or blank fields in your file will overwrite and delete existing data in those fields within the constituent records. This is intentional and by design.
   • Removed from file → Deleted from GC
   • Updated in file → Updated in GC
   • New in file → Created in GC
2. Important: Always include all current data you want to maintain in each file to avoid accidental deletion.

💵 Gift History

1. By default, gift files are imported as "changes only" meaning you only need to import new gifts or updates to existing gifts. Gifts missing from the imported file will not be deleted.
2. Deleting gifts: You have the option to import a full file where gifts not included in subsequent imports will be deleted.

Examples

• If you include only the email addresses of your constituents and not the other contact information, the constituent will be maintained, but only email addresses will be maintained in constituent records. The other contact information will be deleted.
• Let’s say you previously had a phone number for a constituent, but you discovered it’s no longer valid and removed it from your source data. If the phone field is blank in your next upload, the system will remove that number from the record—preventing future texts to a bad number.
• If you update one column but leave another blank, we'll consider the blank data as deleted.

Original import:

Subsequent import:

FAQ's

Q: Are there any safety measures in place to ensure mass data isn't accidentally deleted?

A: Yes, we only run deletion if the file received is at least 50% of the size of the largest file we've received for a given data type. For example, if 1,000 interactions are sent in a file, then 20 interactions in a subsequent file, we will not remove the other 980 interactions because it does not pass this check.

Q: Can I send the same data type in multiple separate import configurations?

A: No, you should have one import configuration per data type. For example, you should only have one constituent configuration. Instead of creating new configurations each time you want to make changes, we recommend making updates to your existing configurations.

Q: What happens in terms of de-duplication between imported and online gifts?

A: The system dedupes between imported gift records (from the Data Importer) and gift records from GiveCampus’ online giving based data on gift date, amount, and constituent⁠ to ensure gifts aren't counted multiple times.

Q: Can I export of list of constituents in the system?

A: Since each upload should be a full set of constituent data, the constituents in GiveCampus should match an export from your CRM. If you need an export out of GiveCampus, please contact the GiveCampus support team.

Troubleshooting Data Import Issues

When Data Gets Overwritten Accidentally

If you've accidentally overwritten data during an import, follow these steps:

Step 1: Identify What Was Overwritten

• Review the data in your recent import file.
• Check which fields were mapped in your import configuration.
• Any mapped field left blank in your file was cleared in GiveCampus.

Step 2: Understand the Scope

• The Data Importer uses a full file overwrite method for mapped fields.
• Blank values in mapped fields are intentionally treated as deletions to keep your records synchronized with your source data.

Step 3: Recovery Options

• Re-import with Complete Data: Prepare and upload a new file that includes all the data you want to maintain.

Preventing Future Overwrites

Always Include Complete Data:

• Upload files that contain every field you want to retain.
• Do not leave mapped fields blank unless you intend for that data to be cleared.
• Confirm your import configuration before each upload to ensure the correct fields are included.

Best Practices:

• Test imports using a small data set before running a full update.
• Keep backup exports of your data before performing major imports.