Adding multiple constituents at once

Cameron Bellestri

We are looking for a way to upload an excel file of donors and volunteers from a holiday appeal all at once. Has anyone done that? Also, we would like to code them for future tracking purposes. Does anyone know the best way to do that? Thank you!

Dariel Dixon

@Cameron Bellestri You would need to import them in. I would state that you would want to verify that none of these constituents in the spreadsheet already have records in RE, as you would not want to create duplicates. I would consult the RE Import guide for assistance on how to set up your data file. RE doesn't currently import from Excel, so you would want to convert the file to a .csv first.

JoAnn Strommen

@Cameron Bellestri Welcome to the BB Community forums.

Import as @Dariel Dixon posted. Definitely look at the import guide and test with 2-3 records first to make sure all is mapped correctly. I would also suggest taking a training on import.

Another option is to use a plug-in like Import-o-Matic ($) or Importacular (free for importing basic bio info / $ for more). Both search for dups.

Cameron Bellestri

@JoAnn Strommen thank you so much!!

Cameron Bellestri

@Dariel Dixon Thank you so much! I am new and my searches weren't pulling up anything.

Alex Wong

@Cameron Bellestri
Assuming you already check if your file has exising constituent:

• create import file with the data field you have in your excel
• add a column for “Key indicator”, value of “I” for individual record or “O” for Organization record
  • if “O” then you need a organization name column instead of first name/last name column
• your org may dictates some field being required for constituent record (i.e. constituent code, addressee/salutation, etc), you need to make sure you have column for all required field
• generally don't provide Import ID column as some import guide would suggest, this can be automatically assigned by RE unless your org specifically wants the import ID to be some format
• if importing phone and email, you will need columns for Phone Type (label is phone type, but also indicative of email type), and this column needs to have value that correspond to your RE instance of an available Phone Type in the phone type table. Then have the Phone Number column (or email column)

In the import, you can map the column of your CSV file to the field in RE, so you don't really need the column name to be literaly something RE “likes”.

test a few records like JoAnn said and look at the error report for why import file (if it fail) and fix accordingly.

JoAnn Strommen

@Cameron Bellestri Guessing you found it as post asking where seems to be gone. But for others:

BB Support > Documentation > Raiser's Edge > Import which brings you to

Cameron Bellestri

@JoAnn Strommen I did, thank you! I thought I would delete it in hopes not to cause someone extra work. Thank you so much!

Christine Robertson

@Cameron Bellestri Lots of great import information below so I won't repeat that, but I do want to add a bit of advice about tracking these. If this was a traditional appeal, I would be sure to add an assigned appeal to all of the constituents who were asked and then add that same appeal to the gifts for those who gave. That's the best practice in RE and provides you with the best reporting in the long run.

Cameron Bellestri

@Christine Robertson thank you so much! I am very new and starting from scratch, this is very helpful and greatly appreciated. I am looking for ways to track!

Christine Robertson

@Cameron Bellestri You're welcome! This community is a great resource as you're getting started in RE NXT.

Austen Brown

@Cameron Bellestri - Welcome to BB Community forums! Second the great advice below and would just like to add if this is your first time importing and your org has a Learn Subscription it wouldn't hurt to take an import class through BBU first. That's how I learned, and it helped me to have a good foundational understanding before starting with this feature.

Cameron Bellestri

@Austen Brown thank you! Do you know the name of the course? I was looking and could not find anything. There are so many options that it is overwhelming.