When Gift data is added to the Gift and Contact Import tool, Virtuous CRM+ will look at all of the data provided with each transaction and attempt to match each Gift with the correct Contact record. These transactions will then be sorted into three different categories: Match Needed, Update Needed, or Ready for Import, which you’ll see listed at the bottom of the screen once you’ve begun your new Import.
How are Contacts Matched to the Correct Record?
The Gift and Contact Import Tool uses AI-powered Quick Search technology to find and match the correct Contact records with the new Gift. Rather than using rigid hard-coded rules, the Quick Search evaluates potential Contact matches in order of confidence: exact matches first, then fuzzy matches (handling minor variations like a misspelled name or minor address standardization issue), then partial matches.
Each potential match receives a confidence score based on weighted criteria and is sorted into one of the three Import buckets. A single high-confidence Contact match will automatically move into the Ready for Import category if there are no changes to the existing data. If the high-confidence record has new data, the Gift will move to the Update Needed category for you to review. If there are multiple high-confidence Contact records, the Quick Search uses AI to select a best match as a tie-breaker. If the system cannot confidently distinguish a potential match, the Gift will move to Match Needed for manual review.
Match Needed
Match Needed Gifts are those that could not be definitively matched to an existing Contact record. When manually entering Gifts, transactions will not be sorted into the Match Needed category--Transactions will only be identified as needing a match when importing via an uploaded CSV file, or when Gift data is posted from Virtuous Giving or any giving integration that uses the Virtuous CRM+ API.
In some cases, Virtuous CRM+ may identify a possible match, or multiple possible matches, and display them on the right side of the screen. Scroll to review these matches, and then either click to select the correct matching Contact, or use the quick key command to select the first matching record in the list.
There will also be cases where a match cannot be found, typically when a new donor gives their first Gift. When this happens, you’ll see that Virtuous CRM+ automatically begins to create a new record, using all of the data provided with a transaction to begin creating a new Contact. Just click to create the new records, or use the quick key command to instantly create the new Contact and select them as a match.
Bulk Create New Contacts
When there is an import with many new donors sorted into the Match Needed tab, you have the option to bulk create the new Contact records rather than clicking into each record to manually create each one. Enabling bulk creation gives users the ability to create many Contacts in the Import Tool at once when there are no matches found. However, if there is any matching piece of data, a new Contact will not be created–it will instead be flagged for review to manually make a match. If this feature is disabled, new Contacts can only be created one at a time in the Import Tool.
To enable the bulk create feature, navigate to Settings from the main navigation. Then, select Organization Settings.
Find and select the checkbox for Enable Ability to Create New Contacts With No Match On Import.
For more information on enabling this organization setting, click here to learn more.
Once enabled, a banner will appear at the top of the Match Needed tab with the action to Create New Contacts in bulk.
Select this action and confirm Create Contacts to begin creating the records of all unmatched Contacts.
While the bulk creation is processing, you are still able to review Contacts sorted into the other tabs of your Import.
If you have chosen to not enable the bulk create Organization Setting, you’ll be required to click into each record to create the new Contact, as shown above.
Update Needed
Update Needed Gifts require some sort of action before they can be imported. This typically involves reviewing data conflicts or addressing errors that prevent import.
Virtuous CRM+ automatically accepts many common updates, reducing the number of transactions that require manual review. When importing name details like titles, middle names, or suffixes, the tool will parse and auto-accept these values if the corresponding fields are empty. Similarly, when a new Individual is identified on a Contact that has no other Individuals outside of the Primary, or when a new address is provided for a Contact with no existing addresses, these updates are automatically accepted and moved to Ready for Import.
However, you may still need to review certain updates, such as when conflicting data is found (for example, a different address when one already exists on file). You'll be prompted to review these cases with an orange box and select the appropriate action to update the record or ignore these updates.
Errors are also flagged in the Update Needed tab and must be addressed in order to complete your import. These may be caused by factors including importing a Gift with an invalid or inactive Project code. In cases like this, you will see the affected field shaded in red with an error message indicating the specific issue. For invalid Projects, Segments, Media Outlets, or Premiums, delete the value and provide a new one if possible, then save and continue.
Any Gift in this category will need to be reviewed and addressed in order to be imported.
Ready for Import
The third category, Ready for Import, contains Gifts that require no additional review or action. Gifts in this category are ready to be imported as is. Because the Import Tool uses an enhanced auto-accept functionality, transactions will automatically land in this category if all data is matched with the record or the new Contact details that don't conflict with existing data, like addresses or Titles.
As Gifts in the previous two categories are reviewed and corrected, they will automatically move to this Ready for Import page. Once you've reviewed and corrected all Gifts in the import, you will then be able to complete your Gift Import.
For a deeper dive into these three categories, check out our course on Gifts & Gift Processing in the Virtuous Academy.
Name Parsing and Auto-Accept Rules
When you import Contact data into Virtuous CRM+, the system intelligently parses and auto-accepts certain name and address components to reduce duplicates and keep your data clean. Below is a breakdown of how name fields, new Individuals, and address data are handled automatically during import:
Automatic Name Parsing & Acceptance:
- Titles are split and auto-accepted (e.g., "Dr. John Smith" → Title: "Dr.")
- Multiple Titles are split (e.g., "Rev. Dr. John Smith" → Title: "Rev.", Secondary Title: "Dr.")
- Middle Names are parsed from First Name when formatted inline (e.g., "John P Smith" → Middle Name: "P")
- Suffixes are auto-detected from Last Name (e.g., "John Smith Sr." → Suffix: "Sr.")
- Spouse Names: If First Name includes a conjunction (e.g., "John & Jane Smith"), names will be split accordingly
Fields Auto-Accepted If Empty:
When a record's field is blank, the Import Tool will auto-accept a new value for:
- Title
- Secondary Title
- Middle Name
- Pre-Marriage Name
- Suffix
- Nickname
Automatic Individual and Address Acceptance:
- New Individuals are auto-accepted if the Contact has no existing Individuals
- New Addresses are accepted if no addresses currently exist
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Address Line 2 is accepted if it's empty on the existing record