Imports are a great way to bring in new constituents, donations, interactions, or notes in Bloomerang CRM, or to update constituents who are already in your system.
In this article:
Getting Started
General Information
Your data must be in a comma-separated values (.CSV) file. The file may contain up to 10,00 rows and be a maximum of 2MB in size. Use column headers that match field names in Bloomerang CRM for easier mapping.
To avoid creating duplicates, Bloomerang CRM looks at an individual’s First Name and Last Name, or an Organization’s Organization Name, along with one of the following:
Email Address
Standardized street address
Last seven digits of a phone number
If the data in the file matches what’s in the system, Bloomerang CRM recognizes the constituent and adds the data to their existing account. If the data in the file does not match information in the system, Bloomerang CRM creates a new constituent account.
Tip: If you have the individual or organization account numbers in the file, you don’t need the name and contact information. This also allows you to import individuals and organizations at the same time.
For more details, or to download import templates, see Set up Import Files.
Import Workflow
To import data into Bloomerang CRM:
Click Data Tools.
Click Import.
Click New to create a new import template.
Type in a name (for example, New Constituent Import).
Choose the type of import: Constituents, Donations, Interactions or Notes.
Choose Individual or Organization.
Click Select a File. Browse to and select the import file from your computer.
Map your data. The fields on the left are the field names in Bloomerang CRM, while the fields on the right are the column headers from your file. Check that:
All fields from your file are being mapped.
The columns are being mapped to the correct fields in Bloomerang CRM.
The fields are being mapped in the correct order.
Verify your information.
Check for import errors.
Choose how to handle existing constituents, if any.
Click Run.
For more details, please see Import Data into Bloomerang CRM.
Constituents Imports
Import New Constituents
Constituent imports allow for creating and updating constituent accounts. When importing new constituents, your file must contain columns for the required fields first name and last name.
If you use Journey Automation to automate birthday greetings, and your import includes constituent birthdays, imported constituents qualify to enter a Happy Birthday automation on their next birthdate. Read more about when constituents enter a Happy Birthday automation.
Import the first five constituents from your file as a test import:
Start a new Constituent import, or use an existing template.
Choose Individual or Organization. Individual and organization constituents cannot be created at the same time, and must be in separate files.
Upload your import file.
Map your data and preview the information.
Verify your information, then click Run.
Search for and spot check the new constituents. Make any adjustments to the accounts, or the file as needed.
Import the rest of the constituents.
Import to Existing Constituents
To avoid creating duplicates, include an individual’s First Name and Last Name, or an Organization’s Organization Name, along with one of the following:
Email Address
Standardized street address
Last seven digits of a phone number
You can also use the Bloomerang Account Number instead of the name and contact information. This also allows you to update individuals and organizations on the same import.
To update existing constituents via import:
Start a new Constituent import, or use an existing template.
Choose Individual or Organization. If you have the Bloomerang Account Numbers, you may include individuals and organizations in the same file, and choose either at this step.
Upload your import file.
Map your data and preview the information.
Verify your information. The screen will show how many new constituents are being created, and how many existing constituents will be updated. Choose how to handle existing constituents, then click Run.
Donations Imports
Import New Donations
Use this type of import to create new donations for new or existing constituents. The required donation fields are Date, Amount, and Fund. You can't update existing donations through an import, so make sure to include all donation information in the file before importing, such as the campaign or appeal. Only donations may be imported into Bloomerang CRM.
When you import donations to existing constituents:
List each donation on a separate line in your import file.
Include information to match constituents on each donation. We recommend the Bloomerang Account Number.
If you use Journey Automation to automate acknowledgements:
If you import a donation made within the last 30 days, that donation can qualify a constituent to enter a donation automation.
If you import multiple donations for a constituent, Bloomerang CRM uses the donation date to determine whether a donation qualifies for a First Ever Donation or Next Donation automation.
If you import a donation to a constituent who is currently within a First Ever Donation automation, Journey Automation re-evaluates whether the constituent should remain in that automation. If the imported donation predates the other donation, the constituent exits the First Ever Donation automation and re-enters the automation for the imported donation.
To import new donations:
Start a new Donations import, or use an existing template.
Choose Individual or Organization. If you have the Bloomerang Account Numbers, you may include individuals and organizations in the same file, and choose either at this step.
Upload your import file.
Map your data and preview the information.
Verify your information. The screen will show how many new constituents are being created, how many existing constituents will be updated, and how many new donations will be created. Choose how to handle existing constituents, then click Run.
Import to Groups
You can import constituents to new groups or to existing groups that you manage. You cannot import to groups that Bloomerang CRM manages automatically. This includes Bloomerang Donor Groups and membership level groups. For a list of Bloomerang Donor Groups, see View Groups.
In your .CSV file, create one column for groups. To add a constituent to multiple groups, insert the pipe character between group names. Example: Major Donors|Annual Donors|IU Alumni
Tip: The pipe character is a vertical line. On most keyboards, select Shift+\ to enter a pipe character. You can include a space before or after the pipe, but it’s not required.
To import to groups:
Click Data Tools.
Click Import.
Do one of the following:
To create a new import template, select New.
To reuse an import template, select it from the list.
If you selected to create a new template:
In the Name text box, enter a descriptive name for this import.
Click Next.
On the Constituents tile, click Select.
On the Individual tile, click Select.
Click Select a File+.
Browse to the .CSV file that you created for this import.
In the Constituent Fields list, map the columns in your .CSV file to fields in Bloomerang CRM.
To preview the results for each constituent record, in the Preview section, click the forward or back arrows.
Click Next.
On the Verify Your Information page, review the number of constituents and groups that will import. To expand the list of groups, click the down arrow.
Click Run.
To confirm, click Run again. If all records are valid, a success message appears.
If an error message appears, click Prev to verify the mapping. To upload a corrected .CSV file, click Prev again.
To view a successful import:
Select Back to Import Home.
In the Recently Processed Imports list, click the down arrow next to the import.
To see who ran the import, the import date, and the number of changed or skipped records, select Full Details.
To download a copy of the import file, select Download Import File.
To view the groups you imported or updated, select Groups. For more information about groups, see View Groups.
Interactions
Import New Interactions
This import type allows for creating new interactions to new or existing constituents. The required interaction fields are Date, Subject, Purpose, and Channel. Interactions may not be updated via import so make sure to include all additional interaction information in the file before importing, for example, custom fields such as Volunteer Hours.
When importing interactions to existing constituents:
List each interaction on a separate line in your import file.
Include information to match constituents on each donation. We recommend the Bloomerang Account Number.
To import new interactions:
Start a new Interactions import, or use an existing template.
Choose Individual or Organization. If you have the Bloomerang Account Numbers, you may include individuals and organizations in the same file, and choose either at this step.
Upload your import file.
Map your data and preview the information.
Verify your information. The screen will show how many new constituents are being created, how many existing constituents will be updated, and how many new interactions will be created. Choose how to handle existing constituents, then click Run.
Imports are largely irreversible so we always recommend running a test file of the first five rows. You can also send the import file over to Support for review, or chat in for real-time assistance.