A smooth import starts before you upload a file. Decide what you are moving, where it came from, in what order, and how your team will confirm the results.
What this article is: migration planning (record types, order, create vs update, who reviews). It is not the spreadsheet cleanup guide — that is Prepare Your Import File.
List each record type you want to move into CoolFocus. Import is available where that record type is enabled for your organization and user role. Common examples: contacts, donors, clients, volunteers, contributions, enrollments, requests, programs, and other operational records.
For each record type, write down:
• The source system or spreadsheet it comes from
• The team member who understands that data best
• The fields that must be present for the import to be useful
• Lookup values that need to exist in CoolFocus (funds, programs, roles, service types, and similar)
• Whether you are creating new records or updating records that already exist in CoolFocus
Import records that other records depend on first.
• Contributions — import donors or contacts first
• Volunteer service records — import volunteers, programs, roles, or service types first
• Requests, visits, or case activity — import clients or contacts first
• Enrollment or class history — import clients, programs, classes, or sessions first
When records are related, keep the original source IDs from the old system. Those IDs help later imports connect to the right records. For donor → gift linking, see Importing donors and contributions with source IDs.
The Source System field tells CoolFocus where the data came from. Use the same spelling every time you import from the same system.
Good examples:
• NeonOne
• Bloomerang
• Legacy Access Database
• 2026 Donor Cleanup Spreadsheet
Avoid changing the name between related imports. Do not use Neon, Neon One, and NeonOne for different files from the same migration unless those are intentionally separate sources.
• Choose Create new records when the file should add records to CoolFocus.
• Choose Update existing records when the file should change records already in CoolFocus.
Update mode needs an Id or DistinctImportId column and at least one mapped field to change. The preview asks you to type the number of rows being updated before it runs.
Use update mode carefully. It is best for controlled cleanup work, not for a first pass when you are unsure how the records match. File column requirements are in Prepare Your Import File.
Before importing a full file, decide:
• Who confirms the imported count
• Who checks a sample of newly created records
• Who reviews skipped or failed rows
• Who decides whether failed rows should be corrected and re-run
Use Import History after the import to review the original file, field mappings, imported rows, skipped rows, and errors. Cleanup steps: Fix Import Issues and Re-Run Rows.
• Identify the record type and source system
• Decide create mode or update mode
• Confirm dependencies are imported first
• Keep source IDs (donor IDs, contact IDs, donation IDs, account IDs, and similar)
• Prepare lookup values or plan to map or create them during import (creating missing lookup values may require admin access)
• Run a small sample before importing the full file
• Assign someone to review skipped and failed rows
• Format the spreadsheet cleanly (Prepare Your Import File)
• Run the wizard (Import Your Data)
• Migrating Data Into CoolFocus
• Prepare Your Import File
• Import Your Data
• Importer Best Practices
• Importing donors and contributions with source IDs
