Using an Import to Update Your Contacts Database

When you need to update information for multiple people at once, you can do it in bulk using an Excel file import.

Here are the steps covered in this guide:

• Export your Excel file with existing values
• Edit the Excel file by clearing values for selected members
• Import the Excel file with the updated values

Export your Excel file with existing values

To export your member list with existing information, go to Community > Contacts:

Check the box next to the 'Name' column and click to select all rows.

Then, click the Excel icon () located here:

Choose the format that works best for you:

Next, select which information you want to export from the platform.

Option 1

- Use 'Export all columns' when you need to update multiple fields, then click Continue:

Option 2

- Export 'only the displayed columns' when you've already selected the specific fields you need, then click Continue:

Important: the contact ID column must be included to prevent duplicates.

Edit the Excel file by clearing values for selected members

Your Excel file is ready — now let's make the edits.

As noted above, to avoid duplicates (updating an existing profile without creating a new one), you must include the unique identifier column (email, contact ID, or custom identifier) in your import.

Your Excel file must include the following columns:

1. Contact ID
2. First name
3. Last name
4. The fields to update (e.g., date of birth, email, etc.)

Orange → Required columns

Green → Columns to remove

Blue → Columns to update

Red highlights the changes made to the file:

Import the Excel file with the updated values

Almost there! This is the final step — reimporting your data.

Once you've finished editing the Excel file, go back to the Contacts page and click +Add > Import people.

Since your file is already ready, go straight to the import by clicking 'Import my community'.

Copy / Paste your data into the platform

Copy your data from Excel, including the column headers. Make sure the column labels exactly match the field names found on the Community > Settings page, paste them into the designated area, and click Next.

Field mapping

This step maps each column in your Excel file to the fields configured on the Community > Settings page.

If needed, you can choose to skip certain columns.

Then click "Continue".

Preview before importing

If there are any errors, they'll appear highlighted in red at this stage. You can fix them directly in the red cell, or update your Excel file and paste the data in again.

Once everything looks good, click 'Continue':

Finalize the import

At this step, you can re-import these members as Members, Donors, or add them to one or more groups — with an optional group membership end date. This option supports both simple (fixed) groups and advanced groups.

Then click 'Import' and you're all set:

Learn more

Check out these related articles for more details:

• Customize your community's information fields
• Prepare your Excel import file
• Everything you need to know about unique identifiers
• Add multiple Donors