When gift data is added to the Gift and Contact Import tool, Virtuous 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.
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 API.
In some cases, Virtuous 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 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.
These gifts need to be reviewed and matched to the correct Contacts in order to be imported.
Update Needed gifts require some sort of action before they can be imported. Either there is some new Contact data included with a transaction, or there is an error that needs to be addressed in order to import a particular gift.
Contact data updates may include changes to addresses, contact methods, names, or even adding new Individuals. In cases where a transaction is matched to a Contact, but Virtuous identifies the donor as a new Individual, you’ll be prompted to add the Individual. If a new address is identified, then you’ll be given the option to add it to the matched Contact, add it and make it the new Primary address, or ignore the update altogether. You’ll see the same options when a new email address or phone number is found; just click on the question mark icon to select an option. Additionally, if Virtuous attempts to match a gift with a Contact's recurring gift, you will be prompted to review or delete this information.
Errors, though, must be addressed in order to complete your import. These may be caused by a number of factors including importing a gift with an invalid, or inactive, project code. In a case like this, you will see the Project field shaded in red, with an error message indicating the specific issue. In the cases on an invalid Project — or Segment, Media Outlet, or Premium — you will need to delete the value, and provide a new one if possible, and then save and continue.
Any gift in this page will need to be reviewed and addressed in order to be imported.
The third category, Ready for Import, means exactly what it says. Gifts in this category are ready to be imported as is. As gifts in the previous two pages are corrected, they will 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 Gits & Gift Processing in the Virtuous Academy.