When you import contributions or recurring contributions, CoolFocus needs a way to link each gift row to a donor. You can do this in one of two ways. You only need to map one of them, not both.
Donor - use this when the gift belongs to a donor who is already in CoolFocus (for example, entering gift history manually or importing a spreadsheet for existing donors). Map your spreadsheet's donor identifier, name, or email columns to the fields that resolve the existing donor record.
Donor Source Id - use this when you are doing a new database or source-system migration. Map your spreadsheet's Account ID, Contact ID, or Donor ID column to Donor Source Id. This must match the Contact Distinct Import Id you used for that donor on the donor import, under the same Source System.
The import wizard's Map columns step shows a Linking gifts to donors reminder for contribution and recurring contribution imports, and the Continue button stays disabled until at least one of these two paths is mapped. You are not required to map both, and mapping only one will not block you from continuing.
On contribution and recurring contribution imports, the field list shows only one field labeled Donor, the donor lookup described above. An unrelated "is a donor" contact checkbox is not shown as a mapping option on these imports, since it is not a meaningful column to map, CoolFocus automatically marks a contact as a donor when a gift is created or linked during the import. That checkbox is still available to map on donor (contact) imports.
Import donors first (Give > Donors, or Connect > Contacts if you use that path).
Then import contributions (Give > Contributions) or recurring contributions.
Use the same Source System name on both imports (for example Neon, CF3 export, or your conversion bundle name).
If you import contributions before donors exist, rows may fail to match, or you may need to re-import after the donors are in place. This order matters most when you are using the Donor Source Id path; if you are attaching gifts to donors that already exist in CoolFocus using the Donor path, you do not need to re-import donors first.
On the donor (or contact) import, map the column that identifies the person or household in your source file to:
Contact Distinct Import Id - this stores the donor's ID from your old system under the Source System you chose.
You can also map name, email, and address fields as usual.
On the contribution and recurring contribution imports, the mapping screen shows two different kinds of ID under separate labels so they are easier to tell apart:
Donor / account / constituent ID (the same value you used on the donor import) maps to Donor Source Id, shown under the Donor lookup group. This links the gift to a donor from a source-system migration. It must match the Contact Distinct Import Id you used for that donor on the donor import, under the same Source System.
Gift / transaction / donation ID (optional) maps to Gift Import ID, shown under the Gift group. This stores the gift's (or schedule's) own ID from your source file, for re-imports and deduplication. It is not used to find the donor.
A column named Contact ID on a contribution or recurring contribution file is treated the same as Account ID or Donor ID: CoolFocus will suggest mapping it to Donor Source Id (the donor lookup), not to Gift Import ID.
Note: on pledge and in-kind gift imports, this field is still labeled Distinct Import Id rather than Gift Import ID, but it serves the same purpose: storing that row's own source ID.
You can map Donor (an internal donor record lookup, by name or email) instead of Donor Source Id when each row should attach to a donor that is already in CoolFocus. For migrations from another system, Donor Source Id is usually the right choice. Neither field is required on its own; the import wizard requires that at least one of the two be mapped before you can continue.
Mapping a gift's own ID column (which belongs in Gift Import ID or Distinct Import Id) to Donor Source Id instead. That field is for the gift's own ID, not the donor lookup.
Using different Source System names on the donor import and the contribution import.
Importing contributions before donors when using the Donor Source Id path.
Trying to map both Donor and Donor Source Id when only one is needed; either path alone is enough to satisfy the donor link.
In the import wizard, use Map columns and follow the on-screen Linking gifts to donors tips for contribution and recurring contribution imports. If a column name looks like "Account ID", "Donor ID", or "Contact ID", CoolFocus will often suggest Donor Source Id automatically, and the field picker will show a short description of what each ID field is for.
