Similar to importing donor records, it is recommended to import gifts in batched processes by first creating the gifts, then matching them against a unique gift ID to update gift values.
The giving mapping destinations in Upload Dataset work exactly like the mappings in a form (such as an Online Giving form) and will use the same engine to import the data.
Using a source format, first import planned and pledged gifts. This enables received gifts to then be imported, fulfilling any of the planned or pledged gifts. Once the hard-credited gifts have been imported, soft credit can be imported.
Historical Gift Imports - Recommended Method
There are several methods to import historical gift data into Slate and have it all tied together. Our recommended approach is to import external IDs for every pledge, planned gift, and gift. This provides the most flexibility for future imports and enables easy updates if an import is completed with several fields inadvertently excluded.
If an institution's current system doesn't assign unique IDs to each gift, pledge, and planned gift, a custom identifier can be created using a combination of data points (such as a record's unique ID + gift date + fund ID) before importing into Slate. The External ID field can contain a maximum of 64 characters.
Best Practice
Importing in the following order - and as separate files - make mapping the imports more manageable and provides for the appropriate fulfillment of planned and pledged gifts:
- Opportunities
- Pledges
- Planned Gifts
- Gifts
- Soft Credits