Overview
Planned Gifts can be imported into Slate in bulk using Upload Dataset. This is useful when migrating Planned Gift data from a legacy system, loading historical records, or managing large volumes of updates outside of manual entry.
Imports support both creating new Planned Gift records and updating existing ones.
Before You Begin
Before preparing your import file, confirm the following:
- Constituent records exist in Slate. Each Planned Gift must be linked to a person or company record. If constituent records are not yet in Slate, import them first.
- Required prompt values are configured. The Gift Type and Gift Status values you plan to import must already exist in Slate as prompts.
- Related records are available. If you are mapping a Fund, Campaign, or Appeal, those records must already exist in Slate.
- You have a reliable constituent identifier. Each row in your import file needs enough information to match to a constituent record, such as an email address, name, Slate ID, or custom field that is set to be unique for merging.
- If updating existing Planned Gifts, identify the matching identifier. Existing Planned Gifts can be matched by Slate GUID, Identity, or External ID.
Prepare the Import File
Your import file should be a CSV or Excel file with one Planned Gift per row. Include columns for the constituent identifier and each Planned Gift value you want to import.
| Column Types | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Constituent identifier(s) | Matches the Planned Gift to the correct person or company record, such as email address + name, Slate ID, Slate GUID, or a custom unique-for-merging field |
| Planned Gift details | Stores core Planned Gift information such as Type, Status, Amount, Date, Fund, and Notes |
| Matching identifier | Used to update an existing Planned Gift instead of creating a new one, such as Slate GUID, Identity, or External ID |
| Related record keys | Links the Planned Gift to a Fund, Campaign, or Appeal using a dataset key value |
Required Fields for New Planned Gift Records
If you are creating new Planned Gifts, each row must include all four of the following fields. Rows that are missing any of these values will be skipped during import.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Type | The Planned Gift type, such as Bequest or Charitable Remainder Trust. Must match an active value in the Planned Gift Type prompt. |
| Status | The Planned Gift status. Must match or be mapped to an active value in the Gift Status prompt. |
| Amount | The anticipated gift amount. |
| Fund | The fund the gift is designated to. |
Optional but Recommended Fields
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Date | The Planned Gift date. Defaults to today's date if not provided. |
| External ID | Assigns a value from your source system to support future updates by import. |
| Campaign | Associates the Planned Gift with a Campaign record. |
| Appeal | Associates the Planned Gift with an Appeal record. |
| Notes | Free-text notes about the Planned Gift. |
| Revocable | Indicates whether the gift is revocable. Defaults to Yes if not provided. |
| Anonymous | Indicates whether the gift is anonymous. Defaults to No if not provided. |
| User | Assigns a Slate user as the gift officer or owner of the record. |
Import Planned Gifts
- Go to Database > Sources / Upload Dataset in Slate.
- Click Upload Dataset, select the appropriate file format and upload your source file.
- On the Field Mapping stage, select a row to map that column to the appropriate destination.
- Map your constituent identifier columns to the appropriate person matching field, such as Email Address, Slate ID, Slate GUID, or custom unique for merging field.
- Under the Giving - Planned Gift destination group, locate the available Planned Gift field mappings.
- Map each Planned Gift column to its corresponding Giving - Planned Gift field:
- Map the Type column to Planned Gift - Type.
- Map the Status column to Planned Gift - Status.
- Map the Amount column to Planned Gift - Amount.
- Map the Fund column to Planned Gift - Fund by Slate GUID or Planned Gift - Fund (Key) by dataset key value.
- Map any additional columns as needed, such as Date, Campaign, Appeal, Notes, Revocable, Anonymous, or User.
- In the Prompt Value Mappings stage, refresh the values and map any prompt-based values from your source file to their corresponding value within Slate
- In the Review and Run Import stage, click the Run Import button to start the import process
- After the import completes, review the imported Planned Gifts on the constituent records.
Run your import first in your Test Environment. After validating the results, run the import in your Production Environment.
Common Validation Issues
During validation, review and resolve any issues before running the import.
| Issue | What to Check |
|---|---|
| Constituent record could not be matched | Confirm that the identifier in your file matches an existing person or company record in Slate. |
| Required fields are missing | Confirm that Type, Status, Amount, and Fund are included for each new Planned Gift. |
| Type or Status value is invalid | Confirm that the value in your file matches and has been mapped to the Gift Type and Gift Status values that exist in your database (check the Prompt Value Mapping Stage). |
| Fund, Campaign, or Appeal could not be found | Confirm that the Slate GUID or dataset key value exists in Slate and is mapped to the correct field. |
Updating Existing Planned Gifts
Existing Planned Gifts can be updated through import. To update rather than create, include one of the following matching identifier columns in your file and map it accordingly.
| Identifier | Field to Map | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Slate GUID | Planned Gift - Slate GUID (Matching Only) | The internal Slate ID for the Planned Gift record |
| Identity | Planned Gift - Identity (Matching Only) | The Slate-assigned sequential identity number for the record |
| External ID | Planned Gift - External ID | A value assigned from your source system |
When a matching identifier resolves to an existing Planned Gift on the same constituent record, the import updates that record. Assigning an External ID when first importing Planned Gifts makes it easier to run future updates to match on that record.
If the identifier does not match an existing Planned Gift, Slate creates a new Planned Gift record unless required fields are missing. Rows with missing required fields are skipped.
If your intent is to update an existing planned gift do not map the required gift fields of Fund, Amount, Status, and Type. Doing so could cause a duplicate gift to be created, rather than updated.
Reviewing Imported Planned Gifts
After the import runs, confirm the results by reviewing the affected constituent records.
- Open a constituent record in Slate.
- Navigate to the Giving section.
- Select the Planned Giving tab.
- Review the imported Planned Gift records.
- Confirm that values such as Type, Status, Amount, Fund, Date, and related information imported as expected.
You can also use Slate's reporting and query tools to review imported Planned Gifts in bulk. For example, you may build a query filtered by import source, creation date, Planned Gift status, or other relevant criteria.
Troubleshooting
The constituent record did not match
Verify that your constituent identifier column contains values that match existing records in Slate. If the constituent records do not yet exist in Slate, import them first.
A Planned Gift was duplicated
This typically occurs when the import ran without a matching identifier, causing Slate to create a new record instead of updating an existing one. To prevent this, include and map a matching identifier such as Slate GUID, Identity, or External ID.
If duplicates were created, delete the extra records manually or via a Retention Policy, then re-run the import with the appropriate matching identifier mapped. If the duplicates were created in your Test Environment, you may consider refreshing that environment to reset it to a copy of your current Production environment.
A value did not map as expected
Confirm that the source file value matches an active prompt value in Slate -- and that value has been mapped in the Prompt Value Mapping stage of the import.
A Fund, Campaign, or Appeal could not be found
If mapping by Slate GUID, confirm that the GUID in your file matches the record in Slate. If mapping by key value, confirm that the key value exists in the corresponding Slate dataset and is spelled correctly.
A Planned Gift wasn't created
Rows missing Type, Status, Amount, or Fund will be skipped. Add the missing values to your source file and re-run the import for the skipped gift rows.
A date was not imported
If no date is provided in your source file, Slate defaults the Planned Gift date to today's date. If you intended to import a specific date, verify that the date column is mapped to Planned Gift - Date and that the values are in a recognized date format, such as MM/DD/YYYY.
Recommended Practices
- Test the import in a Test environment before importing to Production.
- Start with a small sample file before running a full import.
- Include a reliable constituent identifier in every row.
- Include an External ID (likely a unique field from an external or legacy system) when first importing Planned Gifts to support future updates.
- Review results on constituent records after each test run.
- Keep a copy of your source file for future reference and for validating the import.