This guide will walk you through exporting your data from DonorPerfect so it is import-ready for Givebutter. With the step-by-step instructions below, you will be able to easily ensure you have all of the data you need to bring over to Givebutter.
We will be using DonorPerfect’s reporting feature to export these details so they are easier to prep for import. Here are DonorPerfect’s recommended steps to export a backup of your account’s data.
Migrate recurring donors 🔁
Notify DonorPerfect 📫
DonorPerfect uses SafeSave to bill your recurring donors. Givebutter can only transfer recurring donors from another Stripe account, so we first need these recurring donors to live in Stripe. You can send DonorPerfect support the following email:
Hi there,
We are in the process of moving our recurring donors. In order to start this process, we will need our recurring donors' payment tokens released to a Stripe account. Can you confirm the next steps we need to take to start this process?
Thank you!
Once they confirm they can start this process, you will need to create a new Stripe account. This is independent of your Givebutter Stripe account.
Migrate donors from SafeSave to Stripe ➡️
Stripe will need you to fill out a migration form in your intermediary account and then they will start the process. You can use the following as a guide:
Their migration support should contact you after you submit this form. You can connect them with the DonorPerfect or SafeSave support team member who was assigned to help you with the process.
SafeSave and Stripe will work together to transfer that data to Stripe. Once they confirm this process is complete, the donors can be migrated to Givebutter like normal!
Begin the migration from Stripe to Givebutter 🚀
Now that these donors live in your intermediary Stripe account, you can navigate to the Customers tab and run an Export. Make sure to have the Customer ID, Name, Email, and Description boxes checked.
After you export that file, save a copy. We will use that later! You can modify the original copy and remove all columns, except the Customer IDs. Then delete the header row so there are values only in one column down starting with ‘cus_’:
If there are any that say ‘guest’, you can delete those from the file. Then, Save As or Export it to a CSV. Then, you will navigate back to your intermediary Stripe account and to the Customer dashboard again.
Click Copy customers.
In the Copy Method field, click Upload from file.
Select the CSV file of customer IDs from your computer.
After selecting the correct file, click Continue. To handle errors, refer to Handle upload errors.
Enter the account ID (format: acct_xxxx) of our recipient account below. You will receive a message stating that the recipient needs to authorize your request before the copy occurs.
Givebutter's account ID is acct_17qVRFEBuKNYj3GGClick Confirm.
After successfully sharing your data, you will see the pending copy request at the top of the Customers page.
You can submit this intake form after you have sent a copy of your donors through Stripe so our migration team can retrieve the Stripe file you will need.
Export your recurring donors ➡️
Next, you will want to export a recurring donor report from DonorPerfect. You will want to make sure this includes all of the columns in green when creating the template for that export.
Prep your recurring donor import 📝
Between this file and the one that Bloomerang will send you once the donors are copied to our Stripe account, you will have the beginning details needed for our recurring donor template. The remaining data will come from our Stripe account.
Here is a breakdown of how this information comes together:
Givebutter’s Stripe File
This file has the unique Stripe IDs needed to add to our importer so your recurring donors can bill with your account.
Intermediary Stripe Account File
Lists the Stripe Customer IDs and who they belong to. This will help you identify which ID belongs to which donor.
DonorPerfect Recurring Export
Gives you the final pieces needed to know how often each monthly donor is billing, when they are billing, and what their email and full address are.
After your import file is complete, you will finish the remaining steps to import, validate, and activate these plans.
You will need to coordinate with DonorPerfect to cancel your plans so no one is missed or double-charged.
Migrate contact records 👤
Exporting from DonorPerfect ➡️
Navigate to the Reports Center in your account and select the Listings Folder. Then, select Export to File.
Select Main/Bio Data and check Include “NO MAIL” Names.
Now it’s time to build the template for this export! You can select Add New Template to choose which columns of data you want to import. Our template is a great reference to start with to choose which fields you want to import. Make sure to include the Org_Rec column as well so you can filter by individual and organization records. We will import companies next!
Remember, we support custom fields for contacts. This means anything that you don’t see on our template can still be imported as its own column. You will want to include custom fields that would be for individual or company records.
If there are no other columns you would like to add your template, then your report is ready. You can save that template and then Export to File.
Prepping for Givebutter 🌟
You can now open that downloaded file and copy the data into our template so it imports more seamlessly. Filter by the Org_Rec column to start so you can isolate your individuals. Any of your company records can be cut and pasted into their own file.
If you notice any of your data needs to be re-formatted to align with our template’s rules, check out our prep guide, which highlights some great features in Google Sheets.
DonorPerfect has a NO EMAIL column for those who opted in or out of emails. Our column for this is Email Subscription Status. For DonorPerfect’s NO EMAIL column, yes means they are not opted in, no means they are. For Givebutter’s Email Subscription Status, yes means they are opted in, no means they are not.
Once your file is ready, you can import your contacts!
Migrate company records 🏢
Prepping for Givebutter 🌟
Any company records isolated from your contact export can be placed within our company template, which also supports custom fields.
Once your file is ready, you can import your companies!
Migrate transaction records 💰
Exporting from DonorPerfect ➡️
Navigate to the Reports Center in your account and select the Listings Folder. Then, select Export to File.
Select Gift/Pledge Transactions and check Include “NO MAIL” Names.
Now it’s time to build the template for this export! You can select Add New Template to choose which columns of data you want to import. Make sure to include the First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Amount, Gift Date, Campaign, and Payment Type at the very least as these are the minimum required fields to import a transaction. The other fields we support for transactions can also be exported if you need them.
If you have soft credits, make sure to select any columns that will note which transaction is attributed to a soft credit. This separate report can also tell you which gifts have soft credits attached.
If there are no other columns you would like to add your template, then your report is ready. You can save that template and then Export to File.
Prepping for Givebutter 🌟
Once you are ready, you can copy the data into our template so it can be imported more seamlessly. If you notice any of your data needs to be re-formatted to align with our template’s rules, check out our prep guide, which highlights some great features in Google Sheets.
For any donors missing an email address or phone number, you will need to add the donors’ Givebutter Contact IDs to the file. This will ensure that donations link to the right contact record and will help avoid creating duplicates.
For any transactions that have a soft credit associated with them, you will want to use our Internal Note field to note that it is a ‘soft credit’. We will need that information later, so only the ‘hard credit’ needs to be imported right now.
Once your file is ready, you can import your transactions!
Migrate soft credit records 🍦
Exporting from DonorPerfect ➡️
Navigate to the Reports Center in your account and select the Financial Reports Folder. Hover your cursor over the Report Actions column of the Gift Listing with Soft Credits entry and click Open.
You will want to select a date range that includes any timeframe a donation or soft credit could have been given.
You can add any columns supported by the soft credit import template. We will especially need to know the Amount, First Name, and Last Name, as well as which gift the soft credit was attributed to.
If there are no other columns you would like to add, then your report is ready. Hit Run Report.
Prepping for Givebutter 🌟
Soft credits will need to be imported based on the transactions that you already have added, to which they are attributed. This is why we added a ‘soft credit’ internal note to be imported with the appropriate transactions.
To start, navigate to your transaction dashboard in Givebutter, and filter by Internal Note > With internal note.
Then, you can click Export and select the following custom columns to include: Campaign Title, First Name, Last Name, Reference Number, Amount, Transaction Date, and Method.
Now that you have this file, you can use it against the DonorPerfect export to compare which soft credit belongs to which transaction. This data can be compiled within our soft credit template.
Once your file is ready, you can import your soft credits!
Verify and clean up 🧹
Check Imports: Spot-check a few contacts and transactions in Givebutter to ensure data is transferred correctly (e.g., amounts, dates, names).
Handle Errors: If any rows fail (visible in Settings > Imports), download the failed records, fix them in the CSV, and re-import them.
Delete Test Imports (Optional): If you make a mistake, you can delete an entire import from Settings > Imports, but proceed cautiously as this is permanent.
Additional tips ✨
Timing: Plan this migration when you have downtime, as it may take a few hours to format and import everything.
Support: Givebutter’s migration process is self-service, but you can contact our support team if you have further questions.
This process leverages Givebutter’s free, user-friendly tools and DonorPerfect’s export capabilities, ensuring a smooth transition without starting from scratch.