Data Import

Data Import

ChurchCRM can import member data from CSV (comma-separated value) files, making it easy to migrate from another system or import a membership list.

Important: Test your import first! It's easier to fix issues in your CSV file than in ChurchCRM.

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Getting Started

1. Navigate to Admin → CSV Import
2. Upload your CSV file
3. Map your CSV columns to ChurchCRM fields
4. Review and import

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Supported Fields

Personal Information

• Title, First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Suffix
• Gender
• Birth Date, Membership Date, Wedding Date

Contact Information

• Address1, Address2, City, State, Zip, Country
• Home Phone, Work Phone, Mobile Phone
• Email, Work/Other Email

Church-Specific

• Donation Envelope number
• Custom Person Fields
• Custom Family Fields

Date Formats

Dates can be formatted as:

• YYYY-MM-DD (recommended)
• MM-DD-YYYY
• DD-MM-YYYY

The separator (dash, slash, etc.) doesn't matter.

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Tips for Successful Imports

1. Clean your data first - It's easier to fix issues in Excel/Sheets than in ChurchCRM
2. Use the "Clear Data" option - When testing, use this to start fresh between attempts
3. Don't rush - Take time to properly map fields before importing

After importing, you can make corrections in ChurchCRM:

• Move someone to a different family by editing their Person record
• Assign family roles (head, spouse, child) to help with address labels

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Automatic Family Generation

ChurchCRM can automatically create Family records during import using one of two methods:

Method	Best For
Same Last Name + Address	Traditional families at the same address
Custom Family Field	Pre-assigned family IDs or non-traditional families

To enable automatic family generation:

1. Check the box next to the family generation dropdown
2. Select your preferred method
3. The system will group people into families automatically

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Setting Classifications During Import

To assign classifications efficiently:

1. Separate your data into multiple files by classification type
2. Import each file separately, selecting the appropriate classification
3. Example workflow:
   • Import members.csv with classification "Member"
   • Import visitors.csv with classification "Guest"
   • Import regular-attenders.csv with classification "Regular Attender"

This is much faster than manually classifying each person after import.

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Troubleshooting

Import Shows 0 Rows on Shared Hosting

If you're on shared hosting and the import shows 0 rows, this is likely a file permission issue. Contact your hosting provider or system administrator to ensure the temp directory is writable.