Payments Import Template
A payments import allows you to import payments into your Zeffy dashboard. If you import a list of payments, this data will appear in the "Payments" section of your Zeffy dashboard. For a visual guide see the video above!
An imported payment will create a contact that will be added to the "Contacts" section of your Zeffy dashboard. If a contact already exists in your Zeffy database with the same email as provided for the payment import, there will be no duplicate and the payment will be associated with the already existing contact.
For this to work, the email must be exactly the same as the existing contact.
Step 1: Prepare your data for import
For the import to work, it needs to be formatted properly so you can successfully upload your data. To help you prepare that data, we recommend using the template provided in the import section of your Zeffy dashboard.
Please make sure to fill out the template exactly as indicated. DO NOT modify the base template including column titles or column order. Otherwise, the import will not work or your data might be imported incorrectly.
Download the template:
You can download the payments import template directly within Zeffy when starting your import. Navigate to Payments within your dashboard, click Add payment, then Import. The template download link is available on the import setup screen.
Formatting requirements
The following formatting rules are required to properly import your data. The fields listed under "mandatory" are required. If they are left blank, we will not be able to import your data.
Mandatory fields:
First Name: The First Name field should be populated with text.
Last Name: The Last Name field should be populated with text.
Amount: The amount field should be populated with digits only. For example, 10,000.00 should be entered as 10000. Decimals can be entered with a period (100.30). If you don't have an amount but want the payment imported, enter 0.
Type: Type can be "donation," "ticket," or "membership" (or "abonnement" in French), depending on the type of payment it was. Please note that the "type" has to be in lowercase and cannot contain capital letters.
When the type is "membership" or "abonnement", Zeffy automatically creates a membership form with membership tickets. A membership card or e-ticket is generated and accessible as a PDF in the payment drawer.
Non-mandatory fields:
Email: to be populated with text that corresponds to a valid email address format – [email protected]
⚠️ Please note that an email is the primary identifier of a contact. If a contact is imported without an email and then an email is used by the donor to make a payment, they will have 2 contact pages.
Language: Refers to the language of the donor and can be either EN or FR. If left empty, it will import as EN by default.
Date: Dates should be formatted in dd/mm/yyyy. Make sure to write your dates with all the necessary zeros to respect this format. For example, 3 March 2023 must be written as 03/03/2023.
Eligible Amount: The eligible amount for tax receipt purposes. Required if you plan to generate tax receipts for tickets or memberships.
For donations: the eligible amount is the full donation amount by default.
For tickets and memberships: you must fill in the eligible amount column if you want to generate tax receipts.
Expiration Date: The membership expiration or renewal date, formatted in dd/mm/yyyy. Use this field when importing members to track their annual renewal date. If left blank, the expiration date defaults to 1 year from the import date.
State/province: This column can be populated with text and refers to the state or province of the donor's address.
Payment Method: Any of card, cash, cheque, transfer, unknown, free, manual, pad, ach, applePayOrGooglePay. We cannot import payment methods other than the ones listed here.
Receipt URL: A valid URL to a receipt you want associated with this payment.
Ticket URL: A valid URL to an e-ticket you want associated with this payment.
Receipt Number: Can be populated with text and/or numbers.
Company Name: Can be populated with text and/or numbers. The company name is a contact property. While your contact will still have a first and last name, the company name property will allow you to generate receipts under the name of the company rather than the individual.
Note: The note can be any text. Notes will be associated with the contact record meaning they will show up on the contact's page.
Annotation: The annotation can be any text. Annotations are associated with payments and will show up only in the payment details of the payment in question.
Address: The address field should be populated with text and/or numbers. If you don't have an address, feel free to type "unknown" or to enter a default address here.
City: The city field should be populated with text. If you don't have a city, feel free to type "unknown" or enter a default address here.
Postal Code: The Postal Code field should be populated with text and/or numbers depending on the city. If you don't have a postal code, feel free to type "unknown" or enter a default postal code here.
Country: The country field should be populated with a valid country code. Country codes are internationally recognized codes that designate every country with a two-letter or three-letter combination (for example CA, US, FR). A comprehensive list of valid country codes can be found here: Country Codes.
Form Title: Can be populated with text and/or numbers. This is the reference name for your payment Import. To import payments into an existing active campaign, enter the exact name of that campaign here.
Example: "Donations 2020" or "Virtual Gala 2020". You may call it "Import form" if the payment is not associated with any form.
Rate Title**: Can be populated with text and/or numbers and is only required if the type of the payment is ticket. This is the reference name of your Ticket payment.
Example: "Single Ticket Virtual Gala 2020" or "Family Ticket Virtual Gala 2020".
** Is only required if type is ticket
Summary
Column Title | Cell Format | Required | Default if Left Blank |
|---|---|---|---|
First Name | Text | ✅ Required | — |
Last Name | Text | ✅ Required | — |
Amount | Digits only (e.g. 10000 or 100.30) | ✅ Required | Enter 0 if no amount |
Type | Donation, Ticket, Membership, or Abonnement | ✅ Required | — |
Valid email format ([email protected]) | ❌ Not required | No email associated — may create duplicate contact | |
Language | EN or FR | ❌ Not required | EN |
Date | dd/MM/yyyy (e.g. 03/03/2023) | ❌ Not required | — |
Eligible Amount | Digits | ❌ Not required (unless generating tax receipts on tickets & memberships) | Full amount for donations |
Expiration Date | dd/mm/yyyy | ❌ Not required | 1 year from import date |
State/Province | Text | ❌ Not required | — |
Payment Method | card, cash, cheque, transfer, unknown, free, manual, pad, ach, applePayOrGooglePay, inKind, stocks, other, TaptoPay | ❌ Not required | — |
Receipt URL | Valid URL | ❌ Not required | — |
Ticket URL | Valid URL | ❌ Not required | — |
Receipt Number | Text and/or numbers | ❌ Not required | — |
Company Name | Text and/or numbers | ❌ Not required | — |
Note | Any text | ❌ Not required | — |
Annotation | Any text | ❌ Not required | — |
Address | Text and/or numbers | ❌ Not required | — |
City | Text | ❌ Not required | — |
Postal Code | Text and/or numbers | ❌ Not required | — |
Country | Valid 2 or 3 letter country code (e.g. CA, US, FR) | ❌ Not required | — |
Form Title | Text and/or numbers | ❌ Not required | — |
Rate Title | Text and/or numbers | ✅ Required if type is ticket | — |
Step 2: Verify your data and consider the following points
Once your transactions have been imported, you will no longer be able to modify them. In other words, it will not be possible to modify information such as the amount, date, or payment method of a transaction. You can also not delete individual imported payments without undoing (and redoing the entire import). Make sure your information is correct.
The e-mail address is the main identifier of a contact. If a payment is imported with an e-mail address that is already associated with an existing contact, the payment will be associated with the existing contact. For this to work, the e-mail address must be the same as that of the existing contact. If this is not the case, a new contact will be created.
It is not possible to add columns to the template. Custom columns will not be imported.
If you have additional information on donors (second telephone number, date of birth, spouse's name...), you can include it in a note or annotation.
Important: The maximum number of payments that can be imported in one file is 10,000. If you have more payments to import, please split them into separate imports.
Step 3: Initiate your import
To import your data, click on the "Payments" tab in the left-hand menu, then click on "Add payment" in the top right of the page. Then, click on "Import."
On the next screen, you can download the template directly and select "Next."
Import options
Before uploading your file, you'll be presented with several options during the import process:
Generate tax receipts for imported payments?
If your organization is set up to generate tax receipts, you can choose to automatically generate receipts for all imported payments:
Yes, automatically generate: Tax receipts will be automatically generated for each donor. For tickets and memberships, make sure to fill in the eligible amount column in your import file.
No, skip tax receipts: Payments will be imported without generating receipts. You can always set this up later.
Send thank you emails for imported payments?
If you chose to generate tax receipts automatically, you'll have the option to send thank you emails:
Yes, send thank you emails: A thank you email will be sent to each donor who has an email and an eligible amount. This email will include the receipt link and any applicable e-tickets or membership cards.
No, skip thank you emails: Payments will be imported without sending thank you emails (this is the default).
Thank you email limitation: Automatic thank you emails are only available for imports with fewer than 1,000 rows. If your import file contains 1,000 or more rows, you will not be able to enable this option. This limitation exists to protect email sending reputation and ensure deliverability.
Next, click on "+Select File" and select the file you'd like to upload. Once your file has been uploaded, proceed through the import setup steps.
Accessing imported payment documents
After a successful import, the following documents are automatically generated and accessible in the payment drawer (click on any payment to view):
Tax receipts: Available for all payment types if you chose to generate them during import.
E-tickets: Generated for payments with type "ticket."
Membership cards: Generated for payments with type "membership"
All PDFs can be downloaded from the payment details drawer.
If your file has the correct formatting
The import will be processed directly. Your payments will become available under "Payments" within a few minutes.
Receiving an error message?
Some of your data may have been formatted incorrectly. If there are any formatting errors, you will receive a popup box indicating how many errors are in the data. To review and edit them, click "See ___ issues."
Selecting "Import without __ contacts" will import the remaining contacts, but not the ones that contain errors.
You can view and edit your error in the workbook. Cells that are formatted incorrectly will be highlighted in red, and you can hover over them to see what the error is.
Common error messages:
Type error: "At least one identifier" - to import a payment, you must provide either an Email, First Name, or Last Name. These sections cannot all be left blank.
Type error: "Invalid ________" - The data does not correspond to our requirements. To resolve this, make sure to go back and read our import requirements mentioned above to make sure your data complies. Common format errors per column include:
Invalid country: the country field contains an invalid country code. Country codes are internationally recognized codes that designate every country with a two-letter or three-letter combination (for example CA, US, FR). A comprehensive list of valid country codes can be found here: Country Codes.
Invalid type: the column type can only be populated with "donation," "ticket," "membership," or "abonnement" in lower-case. Any other input will not work.
Invalid email address: the field does not contain a valid email address in the format [email protected]
Invalid language: the language field contains information other than "EN" or "FR"
Invalid date: The date is not formatted as dd/mm/yyyy. Make sure to write your dates with all the necessary zeros to respect this format. For example, 3 March 2023 must be written as 03/03/2023.
Invalid payment Method: the payment method entered is not one of the following: card, cash, cheque, transfer, unknown, free, manual, pad, ach, applePayOrGooglePay. The payment method is case-sensitive. For it to be accepted, it needs to be entered exactly as specified above.
The file you are trying to import contains too many rows: Your import contains too many rows for one import. We suggest splitting your import into multiple files.
Made a mistake?
Mistakes happen. If needed, you can an imported payment.
To delete an imported payment, go to "Payments" > Select the payment you'd like to delete. Click "Actions" in the upper lefthand corner > Delete.