Creating New Household Records
Household records can be created and connected to Individual contacts in several ways in DonorDock.
Create a New Household from the Quick Add Menu
From any page in DonorDock, click the + in the upper-right corner.
Select Add Contact.
Select Household as the contact type.
Enter the desired Household information.
Click Create and Save.
After creating the Household, you can connect existing Individual contacts or create new Individual members.
Add Members to an Existing Household
From the Household record, locate the Household Members section and select Add Member.
You can then:
Search for an existing Individual contact and add them to the Household
Select Create New Contact to create a new Individual contact already connected to the Household
This lets you build out a family directly from the Household record.
Add Gifts or Pledges for a Household Member
Each member listed in the Household Members section includes a + menu.
Depending on your permissions, you can use this menu to:
Add Gift
Add Pledge
The new Gift or Pledge will be created for that Individual Household member.
This is helpful when you are reviewing a Household but want to make sure the transaction is recorded on the correct person's Individual record.
You can also record gifts and pledges directly on the Household when appropriate.
Create a Household While Managing an Individual Contact
When adding or editing an Individual contact, you can connect the person to a Household.
If the Household does not already exist, you can create the Household while establishing the relationship and continue managing the Individual contact.
Convert Existing Spouse Information into a Household
If you already have an Individual contact with spouse information entered, you can create separate Individual records and connect them through a Household.
Click Contacts in the navigation menu.
Search for the contact you want to update.
Click the contact's name to open the contact record.
Locate the Spouse section.
Click Create a Household.
DonorDock will create a separate Individual contact for the spouse and create a Household connecting the two Individual records.
If Household Giving Roll-Up Is Enabled
As of 8/30/2026, Administrators can choose whether Household giving statistics should include giving recorded on the Household's Individual members.
When Roll Up Household Member Giving is enabled, the Household's giving statistics are calculated using:
Gifts recorded directly on the Household
Gifts and other applicable giving information recorded on Household members
This allows the Household to function as a family-level giving record while each member maintains their own Individual history.
The setting affects existing giving statistics such as Lifetime Gift amount, Last Gift, Largest Gift, year-to-date giving, pledge totals, and other giving-related fields. It does not create a separate set of Household reporting fields.
To enable this feature, an Admin can:
Open the settings menu (grid icon top right)
Select Setting
On the navigation pane on the left, select Features
Scroll down to the toggle for Roll Up Household Member Giving
Click Save
When the setting is changed, DonorDock recalculates Household records. For organizations with a large database, updated totals may take a few minutes to appear.
Individual and Organization contact totals are not changed by this setting.
If your organization prefers to continue managing couples using a single Individual record with spouse fields, you may leave Household giving roll-up turned off.
Create Households During an Import
You can import Individuals into DonorDock and connect them to a Household at the same time by including a Household name in the Household column of your import file.
During the import, DonorDock checks for an existing Household with the name entered in the Household field.
If DonorDock finds a matching Household, it connects the Individual to that Household.
If no matching Household is found, DonorDock can create the new Household record and establish the relationship during the import.
When preparing your import spreadsheet:
Use the Household column for the Household an Individual should belong to
Use the Household Role column when applicable
Use Company/Household Name when the row itself represents a Household record
Use the Employer column when connecting an Individual to an Organization
What If Multiple Families Have the Same Last Name?
Household names may be used when matching Household relationships during an import, so we recommend giving each Household a unique name.
For example, rather than creating multiple records named:
Johnson Household
use more specific Household names such as:
Al and Betty Johnson Household
Steve and Suzi Johnson Household
Unique Household names make it easier to identify the correct family and reduce the chance of connecting an Individual to the wrong Household.