Adding Credits in Batch

This guide covers importing soft and hard credits onto donations that are already in CauseVox, or adding them to a batch one at a time. Use it when your old system kept credits in their own export, separate from the gifts.

Understanding Imported Credits

A credit gives recognition for a donation to someone other than the donor: a spouse, a solicitor, a matching-gift company, a household. Each row in a credits file adds one credit to one donation, for one contact or one organization.

Credits added here are the same as credits added by hand on a revenue record. They appear on the revenue record's Credits tab and in the Rev. Credits list of the contact or organization credited, and that list's count updates when the batch finishes.

Importing credits sends no email and does not start any automation.

Before You Start

Credits attach to donations, contacts and organizations that are already in CauseVox.

1. Import your contacts and organizations, with their ID from your old system in reference_id, and process that batch
2. Import your donations, with each gift's ID from your old system in reference_id, and process that batch
3. Then create a separate batch for the credits

A credit whose donation, contact or organization isn't in CauseVox yet fails with an error when the batch is processed. Import and process what's missing, then click Reprocess Failed Lines.

Credits can only be added to donations. Credits on pledge payments can't be imported here.

Creating a New Batch

1. Go to Data > Batch Import
2. Click Create and confirm — the batch is named with the date and time; rename it on the batch page if you like (e.g., "Credits from old CRM")
3. Under What do you want to import?, choose Credits

Importing from Spreadsheet

1. Click Import from Spreadsheet at the bottom of the batch
2. Select your CSV or Excel file
3. Map your columns to the correct fields
4. Review the imported rows

See Importing from Spreadsheet for detailed instructions on the import process.

Save the file as CSV UTF-8

In Excel, choose File > Save As > CSV UTF-8. A plain "CSV" saved on Windows stores accented letters and curly quotes in a way the import can't read, and those rows arrive empty.

Supported CSV Columns

Required

Column	Description
donation_reference_id or donation_id	The donation the credit is on. donation_reference_id is the reference ID the donation was imported with; donation_id is its CauseVox ID. Fill in one, not both
contact_id or crm_organization_id	Who is credited: a contact or an organization, by CauseVox ID or by reference ID. Fill in one, not both
amount	The credit amount. Must be greater than 0

Optional

Column	Description
type	soft or hard. Blank means soft
category	tribute, matching, solicitor, household or other. Blank means none
reference_id	The credit's ID in your old system. Re-importing a row with the same reference ID updates that credit instead of adding a second one

A type or category that isn't on these lists is refused when you upload, so you can fix it before processing. Capitals don't matter ("Soft" is read as soft).

What the Review Screen Tells You

These rows are kept, with a warning on the review screen:

• Donation not found yet. The donation reference doesn't match a donation in CauseVox. Process the donation first; the row fails at processing until it exists.
• Donation reference matches several donations. More than one donation was imported with that reference ID. Processing refuses the row until you give it the donation's CauseVox ID in donation_id.
• Contact or organization reference matches several records. More than one contact (or organization) has that reference ID. Processing refuses the row until you give it the CauseVox ID in contact_id (or crm_organization_id).
• The recipient is the donation's own donor. The import doesn't credit a donor on their own gift, so this row is skipped when the batch is processed — or refused, if its reference_id is already on a credit (see Re-importing).
• The credits don't add up to the gift. The credits in this file for one donation add up to more or less than the gift. They are still imported.

Re-importing

• A row with a reference_id updates the credit that was imported with that reference ID: who is credited, the amount, the type and the category. A row whose reference ID isn't on any credit yet adds a new credit — including when the donation already has the same credit entered by hand or imported without a reference ID. A reference ID always stays on its donation; a row that names the same reference ID on a different donation is refused, and so is a row that would move an existing credit onto the donation's own donor (delete that credit instead). A row whose reference ID is already on more than one credit is refused too, because it can't tell which one to update.
• A row without a reference_id is skipped when the donation already has a credit for the same person or organization with the same amount, so importing the same file twice adds nothing. To be able to correct amounts or types later by re-importing, give your credits reference IDs the first time you import them.

Adding Credits Manually

Click Add Credit Row to open the credit form. Fill in the donation's ID or reference ID, the contact or organization, and the amount. Save and Add Another keeps the donation filled in, for adding several credits to one gift.

Processing the Batch

1. Review the rows
2. Click Process Batch
3. Confirm the action

Important

Batch processing cannot be undone. Once processed, each credit becomes a permanent record on its revenue.

After Processing

• Each credit appears on the revenue record's Credits tab
• The contact or organization credited lists it under Rev. Credits