If you have a selection of new Contacts that need to be imported to Virtuous, have no fear, we have a process to get those imported efficiently!
Preparing Your Import File
To begin, download the Contact Import Template available in the Gift and Contact Import Tool. You can find this template on the left-hand side of the main Gift and Contact Import screen.
This file has all the headers preformatted to Virtuous standards to make importing as smooth as possible. Enter the appropriate information in the appropriate columns in the template.
Fields Required for Household Contacts
- Contact Type - "Household"
- (Custom Contact Types with the base type as Household are also valid entries)
- First Name
- Last Name
Formatting Tips for Household Contacts
- Contact Name is not a quired field. Virtuous will automatically populate the Contact Name field based on the Custom Contact Name Settings established in your Settings. To learn more about the formatting options, review this Support Article that covers the setting features in full detail.
- Email Address is the primary unique identifier in Virtuous. If available, it is always best to enter an Email Address to minimize duplicates.
- First Name and Last Name apply to the Primary Individual
- When including a Secondary Individual, the Secondary First Name and Secondary Last Name fields begin on column AG in the template.
Fields Required for Organization or Foundation Contacts
- Contact Type - "Organization" or "Foundation"
- (Custom Contact Types with the base type as Organization or Foundation are also valid entries)
- Contact Name
- First Name
- Last Name
Formatting Tips for Organization or Foundation Contacts
- First Name and Last Name are not always available for Organization/Foundation records. It's recommended to establish a Default First Name and a Default Last Name. Many organizations will use "Friend" as the First Name and "Of Organization Name" as the Last Name. This default entry can be standardized in your Custom Contact Name Settings to have it ignored when identifying potential duplicates.
- The Primary Individual on an Organization or Foundation record is typically the main person you interact with.
- The Secondary Individual fields begin in column AG in the template.
Example Import File
Note: This example file has columns I through U hidden and columns X through AF for ease of reference.
Importing Your File
Once your file is all wrapped up and ready to import, it's time to hop into Virtuous and upload the file. In the Gift and Contact Import Tool, select the blue plus button in the top-right corner of the page. In the pop-out window, toggle the drop-down box "Import Type" field from "Gift Import" to "Contact Import". Select the "Import File" box and select the appropriate file to be uploaded from your computer. Select "Save Import" and the file will begin processing.
Input Required
Depending on how your final file is formatted Virtuous may throw a few flags up for review to ensure clean usable data is being imported. If your import reflects the Status as "Input Required", select the hyperlinked phrase. This will take you to a page where any fields needing attention will be highlighted.
*To avoid additional input needed, do not modify any of the headers in the Virtuous provided template*
If you notice there has been a formatting error while preparing your file, you can always delete the import altogether and re-upload the revised file. Simply click the trash can icon to the right of the specific import to be deleted.
Match Needed
Just as with a Gift Import, Virtuous may have potential duplicates that need to be addressed. To review these possible duplicates, check through all the Contact Records that have been dropped into "Match Needed".
Update Needed
If an existing Contact is matched with a Contact being imported there may be some data that needs to be updated on the existing Contact. In the "Update Needed" tab, all records with potential updates will be presented for review. You can expect updates such as Address, Email Address, or Last Name to be flagged for attention.
Ready For Import
Just as the section is titled, all of the Contact Records in this bucket are ready to go and require no additional attention.
Once all records have been tended to and dropped into the "Ready for Import" bucket, then you can select the "Import" button in the top-right corner to begin the final import. Once the file import has been completed you will receive an in-app notification as well as an email notification.