New Customer Data Import Guide
Introduction: How to Use This Guide
This guide explains, in plain language, every field you'll be asked to fill in when you complete your CharityEngine Import Workbook. It covers the seven record types in that workbook: Contacts (People), Organizations, Households, Transactions, Soft Credits, Notes, and Activities.
For each field you'll find: which section of the workbook it belongs to, whether it's required, and exactly what to enter. Fields marked Required must be filled in for that row to import successfully — they're highlighted in yellow below, matching the format used throughout our Help Center import guides.
If a field isn't required and doesn't apply to your data, just leave it blank.
Prefer to send your own files? That's fine — you're welcome to provide individual files that correspond to each tab (one file per record type) instead of entering data directly into the workbook, as long as each file's column headers clearly identify which CharityEngine field they map to.
A note on duplicates: many clients worry about eliminating every duplicate record before sending their data — you don't need to. CharityEngine has powerful deduplication tools built into the platform that run once your data has been imported, automatically narrowing down the list to a much smaller set of records that genuinely need a human eye before merging. Your time is better spent making sure each record is accurate and complete, rather than manually hunting for duplicates beforehand.
Table of Contents
Contact (People)
Individual people — donors, volunteers, and other constituents — go in the People Template tab. Use one row per person.
| Field | Section | Required? | What to Enter |
| Sync External Id / Unique Contact ID | Legacy System Unique ID | The ID this contact had in your old system. Reuse this same ID in the Transaction tab so gifts link to the right person. | |
| First Name | Biographical | Yes | First and Last Name together, OR a valid email address, are the minimum needed to create a contact. If you have an email but no name, that's still enough — leave name fields blank. |
| Middle Name | Biographical | — | |
| Last Name | Biographical | Yes | First and Last Name together, OR a valid email address, are the minimum needed to create a contact. |
| Name Prefix | Biographical | — | |
| Name Suffix | Biographical | — | |
| Marital Status | Biographical | Options: Single, Married, Divorced, Separated, Widowed, or leave blank if unknown. | |
| Gender | Biographical | Options: Female, Male, or leave blank. | |
| Birth Date | Biographical | Format: MM/DD/YYYY | |
| Deceased | Biographical | Enter Yes if deceased; otherwise leave blank. | |
| Date Deceased | Biographical | Format: MM/DD/YYYY | |
| Home Address Line 1 | Address(es) | Must include a house number and street name (or a PO Box). | |
| Home Address Line 2 | Address(es) | — | |
| Home Address City | Address(es) | Required if Address Line 1 is filled in. | |
| Home Address State | Address(es) | Required if Address Line 1 is filled in. Use the 2-letter state code (e.g., NY). | |
| Home Address Postal Code | Address(es) | Required if Address Line 1 is filled in. Include the +4 if you have it — improves accuracy for Advocacy and county lookups. | |
| Home Address Country | Address(es) | Leave blank to default to US. | |
| Receive Mail | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. If left blank, Yes is applied automatically to all five preference fields (Mail, Email, Phone, Fax, SMS). | |
| Receive Email | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Receive Phone Calls | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Receive Faxes | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Receive SMS | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Home Email Address | Communication Elements | Must include an "@" and a valid domain (e.g., name@example.com). | |
| Home Email Is Preferred Email | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. If no preference is marked, CharityEngine automatically prefers Home email, then Office, then Other (whichever is present). | |
| Office Email Address | Communication Elements | Must include an "@" and a valid domain (e.g., name@example.com). | |
| Office Email Is Preferred Email | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Other Email Address | Communication Elements | Must include an "@" and a valid domain (e.g., name@example.com). | |
| Other Email Is Preferred Email | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Home Landline | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number (e.g., 2025551234). | |
| Home Landline Is Preferred Voice | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. If no preference is marked, CharityEngine automatically prefers Mobile, then Home, then Office, then Other (whichever is present). | |
| Home Mobile | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number. | |
| Home Mobile Is Preferred Voice | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Home Mobile Is Preferred SMS | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. If left blank, Yes is applied automatically whenever a mobile number is present. | |
| Home Mobile Receive SMS | Communication Elements | Enter Yes if this number should receive text messages; otherwise leave blank. | |
| Office Landline | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number. | |
| Office Landline Ext | Communication Elements | — | |
| Office Landline Is Preferred Voice | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Other Landline | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number. | |
| Other Landline Ext | Communication Elements | — | |
| Other Landline Is Preferred Voice | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Other Mobile | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number. | |
| Other Mobile Is Preferred Voice | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Other Mobile Receive SMS | Communication Elements | Enter Yes if this number should receive text messages; otherwise leave blank. | |
| Organization Unique ID | Employer Information | Enter the Organization's unique ID to link this person as an employee. | |
| Household Unique ID | Household Information | Enter the Household's unique ID to link this person as a member. | |
| Groups | Attribution | List one or more groups, separated by " , " (e.g., Major Donor , Board Member). | |
| Tags | Attribution | List one or more tags, separated by " , " (e.g., Volunteer , Yearly Event Attendee). | |
| Opt-In Lists | Attribution | List any email lists this person was already subscribed to, separated by " , ". | |
| (Other fields from your old system) | Other Data Elements from Legacy system | This row is a placeholder, not a CharityEngine field. If your old system has other contact fields that don't map to anything above (e.g., ethnicity, employer name), add them as extra columns at the end of the People Template tab and briefly explain each one — see the "Additional Fields" example column in that tab. |
Organization
Companies, foundations, and other organizational donors go in the Organization Template tab. Use one row per organization.
| Field | Section | Required? | What to Enter |
| Sync External Id / Unique Contact ID | Legacy System Unique ID | The ID this organization had in your old system. Reuse this same ID in the Transaction tab so gifts link to the right record. | |
| Organization Name | Biographical | Yes | — |
| Current Address Line 1 | Organization's Address(es) | Must include a house number and street name (or a PO Box). | |
| Current Address Line 2 | Organization's Address(es) | — | |
| Current Address City | Organization's Address(es) | Required if Address Line 1 is filled in. | |
| Current Address State | Organization's Address(es) | Required if Address Line 1 is filled in. Use the 2-letter state code (e.g., NY). | |
| Current Address Postal Code | Organization's Address(es) | Required if Address Line 1 is filled in. Include the +4 if you have it — improves accuracy for Advocacy and county lookups. | |
| Current Address Country | Organization's Address(es) | Leave blank to default to US. | |
| Receive Mail | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. If left blank, Yes is applied automatically to all five preference fields (Mail, Email, Phone, Fax, SMS) — same default behavior as the People tab. | |
| Receive Email | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Receive Phone Calls | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Receive Faxes | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Receive SMS | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Office Email Address | Communication Elements | Must include an "@" and a valid domain (e.g., name@example.com). | |
| Office Email Is Preferred Email | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. If no preference is marked, CharityEngine automatically prefers Office email, then Other (whichever is present). | |
| Other Email Address | Communication Elements | Must include an "@" and a valid domain (e.g., name@example.com). | |
| Other Email Is Preferred Email | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Current Address Is Preferred Address | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Office Landline | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number. | |
| Office Landline Ext | Communication Elements | — | |
| Office Landline Is Preferred Voice | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. If no preference is marked, CharityEngine automatically prefers Office Landline, then Office Mobile, then Other (whichever is present). | |
| Office Mobile | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number. | |
| Office Mobile Is Preferred Voice | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Other Landline | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number. | |
| Other Landline Ext | Communication Elements | — | |
| Other Mobile | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number. | |
| Website | Website | — | |
| Groups | Attribution | List one or more groups, separated by " , ". | |
| Tags | Attribution | List one or more tags, separated by " , ". | |
| Opt-In Lists | Attribution | List any email lists this organization was already subscribed to, separated by " , ". | |
| (Other fields from your old system) | Other Data Elements from Legacy system | This row is a placeholder, not a CharityEngine field. If your old system has other organization fields that don't map to anything above, add them as extra columns at the end of the Organization Template tab and briefly explain each one. |
Household
Groups of people who live together (e.g., a married couple) can be linked as a household in the Household Template tab. This is optional — only use it if you want to group individuals for reporting or mailing purposes.
| Field | Section | Required? | What to Enter |
| Sync External Id / Unique Contact ID | Legacy System Transaction ID | The ID this household had in your old system, if one exists. | |
| Household Name | Biographical | Yes | Required. Enter a name for this household (e.g., "The Johnson Family"). |
| Head of Household ID | Biographical | The CharityEngine ID created for this person during the People import. | |
| Spouse ID | Biographical | The CharityEngine ID created for this person during the People import. | |
| Home Address Line 1 | Household Address | Must include a house number and street name (or a PO Box). | |
| Home Address Line 2 | Household Address | — | |
| Home Address City | Household Address | Required if Address Line 1 is filled in. | |
| Home Address State | Household Address | Required if Address Line 1 is filled in. Use the 2-letter state code (e.g., NY). | |
| Home Address Postal Code | Household Address | Required if Address Line 1 is filled in. Include the +4 if you have it — improves accuracy for Advocacy and county lookups. | |
| Home Address Country | Household Address | Leave blank to default to US. | |
| Receive Mail | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Receive Email | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Receive Phone Calls | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Receive Faxes | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Receive SMS | Communication Preferences | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Home Email Address | Communication Elements | Must include an "@" and a valid domain (e.g., name@example.com). | |
| Home Landline | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number. | |
| Home Landline Is Preferred Voice | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Home Mobile | Communication Elements | Enter as a 10-digit number. | |
| Home Mobile Is Preferred Voice | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Home Mobile Receive SMS | Communication Elements | Enter Yes if this number should receive text messages; otherwise leave blank. | |
| Home Mobile Is Preferred SMS | Communication Elements | Enter Yes or No. | |
| Groups | Attribution | List one or more groups, separated by " , ". | |
| Tags | Attribution | List one or more tags, separated by " , ". | |
| Opt-In Lists | Attribution | List any email lists this household was already subscribed to, separated by " , ". | |
| (Other fields from your old system) | Other Data Elements from Legacy system | This row is a placeholder, not a CharityEngine field. If your old system has other household fields that don't map to anything above, add them as extra columns at the end of the Household Template tab and briefly explain each one. |
Transaction
Every gift or payment — cash, check, credit card, and more — goes in the Transaction Template tab. Use one row per transaction, and link it to a person, organization, or household using the same ID you used in their record.
| Field | Section | Required? | What to Enter |
| Sync Contact External Id | Legacy System Unique Contact ID | Yes | Required. The same ID used for this person or organization in the People/Organization tab, so this gift links to the right record. |
| Transaction Id (Tracking Code 8) | Legacy System Unique Transaction ID | Your old system's transaction ID, kept for reference (stored in CharityEngine's Tracking Code 8 field). | |
| Date | Transaction Details | Yes | — |
| Amount | Transaction Details | Yes | — |
| Tax-Deductible Amount | Transaction Details | — | |
| Payment Method | Transaction Details | Yes | Required. Choose one: ACH, Cash, Check, Credit Card, eCheck, Wire Transfer, PayPal, In-Kind, Soft Credit, Other, or None. If your legacy data has other payment methods, they will be mapped to one of the above after consultation and the legacy information will be stored in Custom Code 3 on the CharityEngine transaction record. |
| Check Number | Transaction Details | — | |
| Check Date | Transaction Details | — | |
| Make Anonymous | Transaction Details | Enter Yes if the donor wants to remain anonymous; otherwise leave blank. | |
| Note | Transaction Details | — | |
| Fund Name | Attribution | List one or more funds, separated by " , " (e.g., Capital Fund , Annual Fund). | |
| Campaign Name | Attribution | We will work with you to understand your campaign structure and map it to the appropriate fields on the transaction record. | |
| Appeal Name | Attribution | — | |
| Segment Name | Attribution | — | |
| General Ledger Code | Attribution | Only needed if your organization tracks gifts by accounting/GL code. |
Soft Credit
A soft credit recognizes someone for a gift that was legally given by someone else (for example, crediting both spouses for a joint gift). Use this tab only if your organization tracks soft credits.
| Field | Section | Required? | What to Enter |
| Transaction External ID (Original Trans ID) | Legacy System Original Transaction ID | Yes | Required. The transaction ID of the original gift this soft credit is linked to. |
| Soft Credit Date | Transaction Details | The date of the soft credit — this can be different from the original gift's date. | |
| Amount | Transaction Details | Yes | Required. Must be greater than $0.00. |
| Tax-Deductible Amount | Transaction Details | The tax-deductible portion of the soft credit amount, if different from the full amount. | |
| Sync External Id / Unique Contact ID | Transaction Details | Yes | Required. The ID of the person or organization receiving credit for this gift. |
Note
Free-text notes about a contact — background, history, or context your team wants preserved — go in the Note tab.
| Field | Section | Required? | What to Enter |
| Sync Contact External ID | Legacy System Contact ID | Yes | Required. The same ID used for this person or organization in the People/Organization tab. |
| Note | Note | Yes | Required. The text of the note. |
| Date | Attribution | The date the note was created. | |
| Created By Contact Id | Attribution | The ID of the person who created the note, if known. |
Activity
A record of an interaction or task — a call, meeting, email, or visit — goes in the Activity Template tab. Use one row per activity, linking it to the staff member who owns it and the contact it involves.
| Field | Section | Required? | What to Enter |
| Sync External Id / Unique Activity ID | Legacy System Unique ID | The ID this activity had in your old system, if one exists. | |
| Date | Activity Details | Yes | Required. The date the activity took place. Format: MM/DD/YYYY. |
| Activity Type | Activity Details | Yes | Required. E.g., Call, Meeting, Email, Visit. This list is flexible — new activity types can be added as needed for your organization. |
| Status | Activity Details | Yes | Required. E.g., Open, Completed, Cancelled. This list is flexible — new status values can be added as needed for your organization. |
| Coordinator ID | Assignment | Yes | Required. The unique ID (from the People Template) of the staff member who organized or owns this activity. |
| Assigned ID | Assignment | Yes | Required. The unique ID (from the People Template) of the staff member the activity is assigned to. |
| Participating ID | Assignment | Yes | Required. The unique ID of the contact this activity involves (from the People, Organization, or Household Template). |
Need Help?
If you have questions about any field, or your data doesn't fit neatly into this template, reach out to your CharityEngine Implementation Team — we're happy to help you map it correctly.
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