Learn how to import data from spreadsheets (csv files) using GoodCRM's data import tool.
Preparing your data
Before uploading your data, you will first need to organise it into CSV files. A CSV file is a single sheet of a spreadsheet. All spreadsheet applications including Excel and Google Sheets export data to CSV format.
You can only upload one type of data at a time, so you will need separate sheets for your People, Organisations, Events etc. It is possible to connect and tag data upon upload (see the Cheatsheet for more details).
Your data should have a Header Row with your column names.
Your should also have Custom Fields set up in advance to match the columns in your spreadsheet.
TIP: Try to use similar names for your spreadsheet columns as you have used for your custom fields, this will help GoodCRM match your data for you.
Uploading your data
Navigate to the Data Import Tool from the Tools & Settings area to begin uploading data.
1. Choose Tools & Settings from the top-right menu
2. Navigate to the Data Import Tool
3. Choose the type of data you are uploading, browse to the file you wish to upload. Then click Upload.
4. Set your import options on the mapping screen
The first row holds column names
If the first row in your spreadsheet contains column names, the first box should be checked automatically. If not, check it. Conversely, if your upload does not have a column row, ensure the box is unchecked or you first row of data will not import.
Ignore duplicates (based on email address)
If this setting is checked, the import will skip any rows which contain an email address the CRM recognises. This setting is only present when uploading People and Donations.
5. Map the columns in your spreadsheet to the Custom Fields in your CRM
Use the drop down menus on the left hand side to match your GoodCRM custom fields to your uploaded columns. If you have included a header row, GoodCRM will attempt to match the fields for you, but it won’t always get this right, so please check!
Click Continue to complete the import process.
6. Check your upload confirmation
Following upload, the tool will confirm the number of records Added, Uploaded and any duplicates found (if you check the skip duplicates option).
⚠️ Make sure to delete any blank rows from the bottom of your spreadsheet before importing, to avoid creating blank records.
Importing Donations
You can import a spreadsheet to add historical Donations to your CRM. When importing Donations, you will need to specify details about the Person who made the donation. The template at the bottom of this page will help format your data.
To import Donations, navigate to the Data Import tool and select 'Donations' from the dropdown.
Tick Ignore duplicates to link donations to existing People in your CRM (otherwise, a new profile will be created for this person). If there is no existing person (based on email address) a new profile will be created.
There are some required fields when importing donations:
Campaign ID (this is the ID of your GoodCRM campaign - you will need to configure your campaigns first)
Donation amount (eg. 10, 100, 500)
Donation made date (in the format YYYY-MM-DD)
Donation Payment method (eg. cash, cheque or BACS)
Other fields you may wish to include:
Gift Aid declaration signed (1 for yes, 0 for no)
House number or name (required field for Gift Aid)
Title (required for Gift Aid declarations)
If any rows are unable to import, an error will be displayed. You can amend your import and try again.
Importing Participants to Events
You can connect new and existing people in your CRM to events you've created. The template at the bottom of this page will help format your data.
To add people to events, navigate to the Data Import Tool and select 'Add Participants to Events' from the dropdown.
Tick Ignore duplicates to skip over creating a new profile for anyone who exists in your CRM already (based on their email address). When this option is ticked, existing profiles will be connected to the events specified. If a person does not exist, a new profile will be created for them, and this profile will be connected to the events specified.
There are some required fields when uploading people to events:
Event ID: this is the unique ID the CRM assigns to your events. View your events in the CRM to find the ID, and include this on your spreadsheet. You can connect to multiple events by including multiple event ID's in this column, separated by commas.
Email address: an email address is required to connect each person to the event.
Other fields you may wish to include:
Attendance: you can also register attendance for participants, by including an attendance column. Enter 1 to mark the participant as attended, and 0 to mark them as absent. The attendance status will apply to all events, if this participant is being connected to multiple events through the upload.
Other custom field data: you may wish to include columns for first name, last name, phone, and other custom field values if you have other data captured about these participants. Additional custom field data will only be added for new people, who don't already exist in the CRM.
You may see some errors after completing your upload, for example if the event ID you have entered doesn't exist. Review the errors and amend your upload before retrying.
Import templates and cheatsheet