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Importing donation records lets you bring in data from spreadsheets, events, or other systems. This article covers the most common errors and how to resolve them before contacting support.
Before You Import — File Preparation Checklist
Most import failures are caused by file formatting issues. Check these before importing:
✅ File is saved as .csv (not .xlsx, .xls, or .numbers)
✅ Column headers exactly match the GiftWorks import template (case-sensitive)
✅ Required fields are filled in for every row (see below)
✅ Date fields are formatted as MM/DD/YYYY
✅ Dollar amounts do not include currency symbols — use 100.00 not $100.00
✅ No blank rows between data rows
✅ No special characters in Fund names or campaign names (avoid &, #, % in these fields)
Required Fields for Donation Imports
Every row in a donation import must include:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| First Name or Organization Name | At least one of these is required to match or create a constituent |
| Last Name | Required for individual donors |
| Amount | Numeric, no $ symbol — e.g., 50.00 |
| Date | MM/DD/YYYY format |
| Fund | Must exactly match an existing Fund name in your GiftWorks database |
| Payment Method | Must match an existing payment method (e.g., Check, Cash, Credit Card) |
Common Error Messages
"Fund not found" or "Invalid Fund"
The Fund name in your import file doesn't match any Fund in your database. Go to Settings > Funds to see your exact Fund names. Copy the name exactly — including capitalization and spacing — into your import file."Import completed successfully but no records were created"
This usually means the import matched existing constituent records but found no new donations to add (e.g., all donations were duplicates of existing records), OR the matching criteria didn't match any existing constituent and the "Create new constituent if no match" option was unchecked. Re-run the import with that option enabled, or pre-create the constituent records first."Required field missing" on specific rows
Check the row number mentioned in the error. Open your CSV file and look at that row — one of the required fields above is blank or formatted incorrectly."Date format error"
Dates must be MM/DD/YYYY. If you exported from another system that uses YYYY-MM-DD or DD/MM/YYYY format, reformat the date column before importing. In Excel, select the date column, right-click > Format Cells > choose Date > MM/DD/YYYY."Duplicate record detected"
GiftWorks checks for duplicate donations (same donor, same amount, same date, same fund). If your import is flagging duplicates that aren't actually duplicates, check whether those donations were already entered manually. To allow duplicate detection to be bypassed, contact support.
Import Showed Success but Records Are Missing
If the import completion message says records were processed but you can't find them:
Search for one of the constituent names from your import file directly in GiftWorks.
If the constituent exists, check their Gifts tab for the imported donations.
If the constituent doesn't exist, the import may have been processed against different (duplicate) constituent records. Check for duplicate constituents in your database with slightly different name spellings.
If you still can't locate the records, contact support with your original import file and the date/time of the import.
Best Practices for Large Imports
Test with a small batch first (10–20 rows) before importing hundreds of records.
Keep a copy of your original import file before and after any edits.
Run the import during off-peak hours if importing thousands of records.
Back up your GiftWorks database before any large import.
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