How to move your donors from Excel to a CRM

Clean your sheet, import a CSV or Excel file, read the review and undo the whole batch if needed. A safe way to move donors to a CRM.

You move donors from Excel to a CRM by cleaning the sheet, exporting it as CSV, importing it, reading the review and checking a few records. In WeGlow CRM you can drop a CSV, Excel or Mailchimp export, see in plain language what will happen, import, and undo the whole batch if it goes wrong. The whole job fits in an afternoon.

Step 1: Decide what you really need to keep

Do not import every old row out of habit. A migration is the best moment to clean up. Delete people you have no reason to keep, rows with only a first name, and test entries. Fewer, cleaner contacts also keep a CRM cheaper, because many tools (WeGlow included) price by the number of contacts.

  • Keep: name, email address, postal address, phone number if you use it, date and amount of gifts.
  • Think twice about: free-text columns with private remarks, health or religious information. Special categories of data need extra care under the GDPR.
  • Drop: columns nobody has filled in for years.

Step 2: Make the sheet tidy

Give every column one job and one clear title: first name, last name, email, street, postcode, city, country. Put one person on one row. Remove merged cells, colour coding that carries meaning (turn it into a column such as "Status") and totals at the bottom. If you track several things in one column, such as "donor + volunteer", split them into separate columns or tags.

Step 3: Import in WeGlow, and read the review

Open the CRM in your dashboard and drop your file into the import wizard. It accepts a CSV, an Excel file or an export from Mailchimp. Before anything is saved, you get a review that describes in plain language what will happen: how many contacts are new, which ones match someone you already have, and which rows cannot be used.

Matching is not limited to the email address. WeGlow uses a ladder of identity checks, so it can recognise a person who is already in your database even when the spreadsheet is incomplete. Contacts without an email address are allowed too, which suits older donor files from postal appeals.

Step 4: Undo is your safety net

Every import is a batch, and a batch can be undone. That removes the contacts the batch created. There is one deliberate rule: a contact that already has gifts or activity is kept, not deleted, and you are told which ones were kept.

This protects real history. If you spot a wrong column mapping after the import, undo, fix the sheet and try again. Start with a small test file of ten rows, so a mistake costs you two minutes.

Step 5: Check, merge and tag

Four checks keep your import reliable.

  1. Open five contacts you know well and compare them with your original sheet.
  2. Run the duplicate finder. It shows likely duplicates side by side and merges their history (gifts, notes, tags, memberships) into one record.
  3. Add a tag to everything from this import, for example "import-oct-2026", so you can always find it again.
  4. Build a smart list from a filter, such as donors from the last twelve months, and use it for your first mailing or phone round.

What about sponsors and members?

Sponsor contracts have their own spreadsheet import inside the major gifts area, so you do not need to squeeze them into your donor file. Members and volunteers can be added once those modules are in use.

Do I need consent to import old contacts?

Moving data does not create a new right to use it. You can only contact people on the basis you originally had, for example consent for newsletters. Keep that information in the sheet as a column and carry it over.

After the import the usual rights still apply: if someone asks what data you hold on them, you answer within 1 month (in Dutch), extendable by 2 months for complex requests. The European Commission and the CNIL publish guidance on the lawful bases for processing; see the sources below. This is general information, not legal advice.

What does it cost?

WeGlow CRM starts from €29 per month (excl. VAT) for up to 1,000 contacts, or €300 per year. Check the current prices in your dashboard. Try it with a small file first.

Who does what during the move?

Agree who cleans the sheet, who imports and who does the review. Four eyes see more than two, especially with gift amounts. Also plan a moment after which nobody works in the old file any more, so you do not miss any changes.

Can I import an Excel file directly?

Yes, WeGlow accepts CSV and Excel files, as well as an export from Mailchimp.

What if I import the same file twice?

The review shows which rows match existing contacts, and you can undo a batch. Run the duplicate finder afterwards as a second check.

Can I undo an import after a week?

Undo removes contacts created by that batch, but keeps any contact that has since received gifts or activity. Do your checks soon after importing.

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