All Collections
Imports & Migrations
How to import transactions
How to import transactions

Manage your donor giving history in one platform by importing historical transactions to Givebutter

Sunny avatar
Written by Sunny
Updated over a week ago

Our import tool helps you add transactions to Givebutter. Upload a comma-separated value file (CSV), copy and paste contacts from a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, or type info directly into the import table.

Importing transactions will automatically create new contacts for you if our system can't match the data to an existing contact. To ensure your contacts merge properly, please use their Givebutter-generated Contact ID or confirm their email address or phone number matches what is already on file for that first and last name.

These contacts will be automatically subscribed to email and SMS messaging if an email and phone number are provided. Imported transactions will appear in a contact's event timeline.

Prepare your data for import ๐Ÿงฎ

To successfully upload your transactions, your data needs to be formatted properly. Data formatting can be a time-consuming step, so we recommend using the template below to help you prepare that data.

Your file must contain the following columns:

  • Campaign Code โ€“ the six-digit ID code of an existing Givebutter campaign. (You can find this at the top of your campaign's edit page, above the Title.)

    • Or Campaign Title โ€“ the name of the campaign from your previous platform โ€“ the import will create a "shell" campaign in Givebutter with this name

  • First Name + Last Name โ€“ two separate columns, both required

    • Or Contact ID โ€“ existing Givebutter contact ID, which can be found by running a contact export report

  • Amount โ€“ amount donated, not including transaction or platform fees

  • Payment Method โ€“ choose from ACH, Card, Cash, Check, Digital Wallet, Paypal, Venmo, DAF

  • Transaction date

Optional fields:

  • Fund Code โ€“ existing Givebutter campaigns/funds only

  • Platform Fee

  • Processing Fee

  • Fee Covered โ€“ cannot be more than Platform Fee + Processing Fee

  • External Label โ€“ name of the previous platform

  • External ID โ€“ unique identifier/customer ID from your previous platform

The External columns only work together. If you have one column with values, you must include the other for these to import correctly.

  • Acknowledged Date

  • Check Number

  • Check Deposit Date

  • Email

  • Phone

  • Address Line 1

  • Address Line 2

  • City

  • State

  • Postal Code

  • Country Code โ€“ย code of the country (ie. USA), not area code

If one address field has a value, then all address fields must have a value. For example, if Country Code and ZIP Code have a value, then Address 1, City, and State must also contain a value. Incomplete addresses will be deleted.

Once you have completed formatting your data, save the file to your computer or download it as a CSV.

Add your transaction import โฌ†๏ธ

  • Go to Transactions in your Givebutter dashboard, click Actions in the upper right corner, then select New Import.

  • On the next screen, choose whether to upload data from file or manually enter data/copy and paste.

Upload data from file ๐Ÿ“

  • Click on Upload file.

import transactions
  • Select the correct file from your computer. Supported file types include .csv, .tsv, .xls, .xlsx, .xml, and .txtfile.

  • Confirm mapping for your data. If Givebutter assigned your Incoming Field data to a Destination Field that isn't a match, click the dropdown arrow to assign your column to a different Givebutter field/attribute.

  • When you're done matching the data fields, click Continue in the upper right corner, and after the data has been mapped, click Submit to import your transactions.

  • You'll be notified by email when your import is complete.

Viewing your imports ๐Ÿ‘€

  • In your dashboard, go to Account, then click Imports. You'll see a list of your import history.

  • If there are failed rows, click the dropdown arrow on the left side of the Import to see why they failed. Reasons will be listed in reference to the specific line item that failed.

  • If you'd like to download your entire import file or just the failed records (for the purpose of correcting them and re-uploading), click the three dots [...] to the right side of the import Status.


Related content ๐Ÿ“š

Did this answer your question?