Import Volunteers

Who can use this feature

  • Organization Admins and Executive Admins

What you can do

  • Import multiple volunteers at once using a CSV file
  • Download a template CSV file with the correct format
  • Validate data before import to prevent errors

CSV Format Requirements

Required Columns

  • firstName - Volunteer's first name
  • lastName - Volunteer's last name
  • email - Volunteer's email address (must be unique)

Optional Columns

  • phone - Phone number
  • frequency - Email frequency preference (immediate|daily|weekly)
  • isSubscribed - Whether subscribed to emails (true|false)
  • active - Whether volunteer is active (true|false)
  • streetAddress - Street address
  • city - City
  • state - State/province
  • zipCode - ZIP/postal code
  • country - Country
  • church - Church affiliation
  • residenceArea - Name of the area where volunteer resides
  • serviceAreas - Semicolon-separated list of area names where volunteer serves

How to import volunteers

  1. Go to Admin → Volunteers
  2. Click "Import Volunteers" button
  3. Download the template CSV file to see the correct format
  4. Fill in your volunteer data following the template
  5. Save your CSV file
  6. Click "Choose File" and select your CSV file
  7. Click "Import" to start the import process

CSV Template Example

firstName,lastName,email,phone,frequency,isSubscribed,active,streetAddress,city,state,zipCode,country,church,residenceArea,serviceAreas John,Doe,john.doe@example.com,555-123-4567,weekly,true,true,123 Main St,Anytown,CA,90210,USA,First Church,Downtown Area,Downtown Area;West Side Jane,Smith,jane.smith@example.com,555-987-6543,daily,true,true,456 Oak Ave,Somewhere,NY,10001,USA,Second Church,North Area,North Area

Import Process

The system will:

  1. Validate all required fields are present
  2. Check for duplicate email addresses
  3. Verify area names exist in your system
  4. Import valid records and skip invalid ones
  5. Show you a summary of results

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  • Duplicate emails: Each volunteer must have a unique email address
  • Invalid area names: Make sure area names exactly match those in your system
  • Missing required fields: firstName, lastName, and email are required
  • Invalid boolean values: Use "true" or "false" for isSubscribed and active fields

Error Messages

  • "Email already exists" - The email address is already registered
  • "Area not found" - The area name doesn't exist in your system
  • "Invalid frequency" - Use only: immediate, daily, or weekly
  • "Invalid boolean value" - Use only: true or false

Getting Help

  • Check the error summary after import for specific issues
  • Verify your CSV format matches the template
  • Contact support if you continue to have issues

Best Practices

  • Test with a small file first (2-3 volunteers)
  • Keep area names consistent with your existing areas
  • Use the template file as a starting point
  • Review the import summary to catch any issues
  • Update existing volunteers manually rather than re-importing