Detecting Duplicate Contacts during Import
During an import, DonorDock examines your database to determine whether the contact already exists within DonorDock. If your spreadsheet contains either the Donor ID or Account Number and corresponds to an existing contact with the same Account Number/Donor ID, the system will identify a match and update the contact record with any new or different information provided in the import.
If a combination of different fields indicates a match, gifts will be added to the existing record, but no contact information will be overwritten or updated on the existing record. To update any contact details, the contact's unique account number or Donor ID must be included in the import spreadsheet.
In Composite Matching, where a match is confirmed from multiple fields, different data cells in the import row are compared with your database. Each field carries its own point value. If the cumulative points from these fields reach three or more in an import row, the contact/gift will be linked to an existing record rather than creating a new contact record. If more than one contact matches, the contact with the highest score will be used.
Data Field | Composite Point Value |
|---|---|
First Name | 1 Point |
Last Name | 1 Point |
Spouse First Name | 1 Point |
Spouse Last Name | 1 Point |
Email (Primary) | 2 Points |
Secondary Email | 2 Points |
Spouse Email | 2 Points |
1st Line of Address | 2 Points |
Main Phone | 2 Points |
Mobile Phone | 2 Points |
Business Phone | 2 Points |
Tips and Tricks for matching contacts while importing
If your spreadsheet contains an Account Number or Donor ID and a blank field, the data in the contact record's field will remain unchanged. Updating contact information in an import will never selectively delete information.
If you wish to match only on the email address when importing (for example, if importing a list of donors where you only have the email address), you can toggle to "Match on Email Only?" on the import page, and contacts will only be updated if the email address matches.
If adding or matching to Organization or Household records, the field for Company/Household Name is all that is needed to confirm a match (the equivalent of 3 points), however in order to update an Organization or Household record in an import, the Donor ID or Account Number for that record is still required.
When a composite match is found, Badges and Marketing Lists may still be added to the contact record.
