Before you start
Check your spreadsheet
Check that your spreadsheet meets the following requirements:
- The spreadsheet file must be .xls, .xlsx, .csv, or .xml format.
- The file size cannot be greater than 50MB.
- It should be a single spreadsheet, with only one tab.
- The spreadsheet cannot contain more than 15,000 contacts (rows).
Check your data
Check that the data in your spreadsheet meets the following requirements:
- The top row in your spreadsheet should be column headers.
- An Email column is required. Each contact is identified by email address.
- To import members, include a Membership level column and provide the level for each contact that is a member. Records without a value in the Membership level column will be imported as non-member contacts.
- All dates must be in a supported format and must not include the time.
A quick note about database field labels
The title you use in each column header on your spreadsheet will become the Field label for that Contact field in your database.
Column headers and field labels are case-sensitive, so capitalization does matter and should be consistent.
If you are importing a spreadsheet to fill data for contact fields that already exist in your database, select those field names during the import process.
Want to dive deeper? Check out these articles: Database field settings and Importing members and contacts
Step 1: Upload the file
1. Navigate to Contacts > Import.
2. Click Choose file and select the spreadsheet to upload from your files.
3. Click Upload. Verify that you have included column headers in the first row and click Next.
Step 2: Map column headers to database fields
After your file has uploaded, it's time to map the data.
1. Click the Import box for each column header that you want added to your database.
Note: If a column header is not marked Import, the data in that column will not be imported.
2. Next, view the dropdown menu selections for Map to. Check for any existing database field labels that represent the same data as your column header. If a similar field exists in the database, select it.
For example, if you are importing Email Addresses, map the data to the existing database field named Email. If you are importing Phone Numbers, map the data to Phone.
If a similar field does not exist in the database, the system will create a new one using the spreadsheet column header as the Field name.
3. For any new database fields, select the Field type.
Note: If you are able to map your spreadsheet column header to an existing database field, then you won't need to select a Field type.
Important note: The Field type is difficult to change later, so be sure you select the correct one. The majority of fields are typically of type Text.
For details, see our full list of Field types.
4. When you have finished mapping all of your column headers to database fields, select Next at the top of the screen.
5. Verify any missing membership levels, then select Start import.
After the import
After an import, you can view the import details. If there were any errors with the import, they will appear next to the word Problems under Import results on the Import details screen.
Pro Tip: When you add new members through an import, they aren't automatically emailed their new login credentials. Send a welcome email with login credentials using a welcome email template.
Want to dive deeper into email templates? View our Email templates article.
Want to learn more about importing? Check out our in-depth article, Importing members and contacts.
