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Tools

Donations and Pledges Import Tool

If you use a third-party service, you may receive a CSV file of your donations or pledges. Now you can import those items to track them in MinistryPlatform to save you time and improve accuracy.

Note: This tool does not create Donor records, Campaigns, or Programs.
Note: This tool is not available on mobile.

Use the Donations and Pledges Import tool to import a CSV file of pledges or donations into MinistryPlatform, map those file fields to existing records in the Platform, and save and reuse that mapping as a template for future imports.

With the Donations and Pledges Import tool, you can:
  • Specify whether you import pledges or donations.
  • Select the appropriate Congregation or Parish.
  • Create a new import template or use an existing one.
  • Create a new Batch or select an existing Batch.
  • Specify how to match Programs and Donor records.
  • Review what you import before you create any records.

Import Pledges and Donations

Use the Donations and Pledges Import tool to import a file of pledges or donations into MinistryPlatform, map file fields to existing MinistryPlatform records, and save and reuse that mapping as a template for future imports.

  • The file you want to import must be a CSV file, and it must have column headers.

If you use a third-party service, you may receive a CSV file of your donations or pledges. Now you can import those items to track them in MinistryPlatform to save you time and accuracy.

  1. In the Advanced Menu, go to Stewardship > Pledges or Stewardship > Donations.
  2. Click Tools and select Donations and Pledges Import.
  3. Make your selections.
    1. Under Import Type, select whether you're importing Pledges or Donations.
    2. Optional: Select the Congregation or Parish you're importing the contributions to.
    3. Either select the Import Template from the drop-down list, or create a new import template when you upload this import file.
    4. If you import Donations, select the Batch Type. You can select a pre-existing Batch from the Batches drop-down list.
    5. If you import Donations, click the calendar icon to select the Donation Date.
    6. Click Select File to choose the file you want to import. It must be a CSV file.
    7. If you import Donations: Select the program for the donations from the Program ID, Program Name, or Account Number.
    8. If you import Pledges: Select the active Campaign from the drop-down list.
    9. Use the drop-down list to select the field you want to match the Donor Record to.
  4. Click Next.
  5. Map your import field fields to the field you want it to match in MinistryPlatform and set any default values, if applicable.
    • If you selected an Import Template, the fields defined in that template display here for you to review. You can edit these mappings. Any changes you make here do NOT overwrite the existing fields in the Import Template.
    • If you selected to create a new Import Template, you must map the import file columns to the fields you want them to match in MinistryPlatform.
  6. Click Next.
    The tool analyzes your data and attempts to match fields accordingly. If it can't match any records, MinistryPlatform displays an error message with the number of rows that it can't import.
  7. Review your results and click Finish.
    When all your fields match, a success message displays at the top of the tool that reads "All records were created successfully".
  8. Click Close to close the tool.

If you imported Pledges, the tool creates a Pledge record for each row in the import file. Your imported pledges display on the Pledges screen.

If you imported Donations, the tool creates a Donation record for each row in the import file. It also creates and associates a Donation Distribution record for each Donation. This includes the gift amount, the Program it's associated with, and the Donation Source, if applicable. Your imported donations display in Batches, and you need to finalize that Batch.

If you imported Donations and selected to create a new Batch record, the following occurs:
  • The Batch automatically associates with the Congregation/Parish you selected.
  • The Setup Date for this Batch automatically sets to the Donation Date you selected.
  • The Batch Entry Type for this Batch automatically sets to "Third-Party Import".
  • The tool automatically calculates the Batch Total and Item Count and displays them on the Batch record based on the Donation records you imported.

If you selected to create a new Import Template, this template automatically associates with the Congregation/Parish you selected.

Import File Fields

A reference sheet of the selections you can make and what they mean when you use the Donations and Pledges Import Tool.

Fields vary depending on the Import Type you select.

Import Type
This determines whether you're importing Donations or Pledges. This field defaults based on the Page from which you launch the tool. For example, if you launch the tool from the Pledges page, the tool defaults this field to select Pledges.
Congregation/Parish
This drop-down list only displays active Congregations/Parishes, or those without an end date on a past date. Also, this field only displays Congregations/Parishes that the individual using the tool has access to, based on their permissions granted in the Global Filter.
This field:
  • Filters the Import Templates, Batches, and Pledge Campaigns drop-down lists.
    • These drop-down lists only display items associated with the Congregation/Parish you selected OR items that aren't associated with any specific Congregation/Parish.
  • Limits the Donors and Programs you can match in the import process.
    • You can only match Donors associated with Contacts that are members of a Household or Family assigned to the Congregation/Parish you selected.
    • You can only match Programs assigned to the Congregation/Parish you selected or the "church-wide" Congregation/Parish, if there is one.
Template
Select an existing template from the drop-down list or create a new template. If you create a new template, you must use a unique name that you haven't already used for any previous Import Template associated with the Congregation/Parish you selected.
Import Templates
This drop-down list houses templates that you used during previous imports. You can select one of these templates for the file you're about to import.

This drop-down list only displays templates associated with the Congregation/Parish you selected OR templates that aren't associated with any specific Congregation/Parish.

Batch Type
Only used when you import Donations. This is where the Donations will display when you import them. Select an existing Batch from the drop-down list or create a new Batch. If you create a new Batch, you must use a unique name for the Batch that you haven't already used for an existing Batch associated with the Congregation/Parish you selected. The Batch Setup Date must also match the date you select for the Donation Date.

This drop-down list only displays Batches associated with the Congregation/Parish you selected OR Batches that aren't associated with any specific Congregation/Parish.

Donation Date
Only used when you import Donations. You must assign a Donation Date to all new Donation records you create during the import process. If you create a new Batch, this date defines the Setup Date for the new Batch.

If you selected an existing Batch, the Donation Date automatically matches the Setup Date for that Batch. You can still change the Donation Date, and this won't change the existing Batch's Setup Date.

File
Click this field to launch your file explorer and select the file you want to import. The file must be a CSV file, each column must have a header even if you don't use those columns, and the file must have no more than 1,024 records.
Match Programs To
Use this field to decide whether you want to match Programs to the Program ID, Program Name, or Account Number. To successfully match this information, the data in the file must match the corresponding value for Programs assigned to the Congregation/Parish you selected or the "church-wide" Congregation/Parish, if applicable.
Pledge Campaign
Only used when you import Pledges. Use this field to assign a Pledge Campaign for all the new Pledge records you create when you import these Pledges. This drop-down list only displays active Pledge Campaigns, or those without an end date on a past date.

This drop-down list only displays Pledge Campaigns associated with the Congregation/Parish you selected OR Pledge Campaigns that aren't associated with any specific Congregation/Parish.

Match Donor Record To
Use this field to decide whether to match Donor Records to the First and Last Names, Envelope Number, or Donor Code.

If you match the Donor Record to the First and Last Names, the tool compares two separate columns from the import file to First_Name/Nickname AND Last_Name, respectively.

Note: To successfully match data, the data in the file must exactly match the corresponding value for Donors assigned to the Congregation/Parish you selected.
  • To match by First Name and Last Name, there must be only one unique Donor that matches the First_Name/Nickname AND Last_Name.
  • If you match through Envelope Number or Donor Code and the tool finds multiple Donors that match those fields, it assigns the new Donation or Pledge to the Donor with the lowest Donor_ID.

Donation Fields

Enter information into the following fields when you use the Donations and Pledges Import Tool to import Donations.

First Name Last Name, Envelope Number, or Donor Code
What you enter here is based off what you selected for Match Donor Record To on the Choose Import File screen.
Program ID, Program Name, or Account Number
What you enter here is based off what you selected for Match Programs To on the Choose Import File screen.
Donation Distribution Amount
Payment Type
In addition to mapping a column from the import file to this field, you can select a default for this field. If you select a default, the tool automatically assigns this default value to any records in the import file where there isn't a Payment Type listed.
Item Number
Source Code
This field corresponds to the Donation Source field. In addition to (or instead of) mapping a column from the import file to this field, you can select a default for this field. If you select a default, the tool automatically assigns this default value to any records in the import file where there isn't a Source Code listed OR to ALL records in the file, if you didn't map a column from the file to this field.

Pledges Fields

Enter information into the following fields when you use the Donations and Pledges Import Tool to import Pledges.

First Name Last Name, Envelope Number, or Donor Code
What you enter here is based off what you selected for Match Donor Record To on the Choose Import File Screen.
Total Pledge Amount
First Installment Date
Installments Planned
Installments Per Year
Parish Credited
This field only displays if the Pledge Campaign you selected on the Choose Import File screen has Credit Parishes set to Yes.

Download Errors

What to do if you receive an error message stating that you can't import some files when you use the Donations and Pledges Import Tool.

If the Donations and Pledges Import Tool can't match or validate some records from the import file, you'll see an error message display at the top of the screen. This error message indicates the number of records that the tool couldn't import.
Note: You may not be able to resolve all errors this way. For example, if multiple Donors match the First Name and Last Name on a particular row in the import file. For these errors, you must edit the original import file, remove the rows with errors, and restart the import process with the edited file.
  1. On the Start Import screen, click Download .csv of errors.
    A CSV file containing only the rows that contain errors from the original import file.
  2. Open this download file and review why the tool couldn't import these rows.
  3. Edit the file accordingly to resolve the indicated issues.
  4. Save the file.
  5. Click + Import from .csv and select the file with your changes.
  6. Click Finish.
Both the original import file and the reimport file with corrected rows import into MinistryPlatform.
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Last updated: July 12, 2024