Detecting Duplicate Contacts during Import
During an import, DonorDock checks your existing database to determine whether each Contact in the file may already exist. This helps reduce duplicate Contact records and ensures Gifts and other imported information are connected to the correct person or organization.
DonorDock can identify an existing Contact in two primary ways:
Exact matching using Donor ID or Account Number
Composite matching using a combination of Contact information
The type of match found also determines whether imported Contact information can update an existing record.
Matching by Donor ID or Account Number
The most reliable way to match an imported row to an existing Contact is to include the Contact's Donor ID or Account Number in your spreadsheet.
When DonorDock creates a Contact, it automatically assigns a unique Donor ID. For example:6d32fd61-5adb-4d04-a216-0bb0a6fbb5b3
You can also use the Account Number field to store an identifier from another system, which can be especially helpful during migrations or when maintaining matching values between databases.
If the Donor ID or Account Number in the import matches an existing Contact, DonorDock can update that Contact with new or changed information from the spreadsheet.
Updating Existing Information
A Donor ID or Account Number is required when imported data should overwrite an existing value on a Contact record.
For example, if an existing Contact has:
Mobile Phone: 555-111-2222
and the import contains:
Mobile Phone: 555-333-4444
DonorDock will replace the existing phone number only when it matches the Contact using Donor ID or Account Number.
If the spreadsheet contains a blank value for a field, the existing value on the Contact will remain unchanged. Imports will not selectively erase existing Contact information simply because the corresponding spreadsheet cell is blank.
Composite Matching
If your import does not contain Donor ID or Account Number, DonorDock can use Composite Matching to determine whether an imported Contact already exists.
Composite Matching compares several pieces of information from the import row with existing Contact records. Each matching field is assigned a point value.
If the total matching score reaches 3 or more points, DonorDock considers the Contact a match and connects the imported information to the existing record instead of creating a duplicate Contact.
If more than one Contact qualifies as a match, DonorDock uses the Contact with the highest matching score.
Data Field | Composite Point Value |
|---|---|
First Name | 1 Point |
Last Name | 1 Point |
Spouse First Name | 1 Point |
Spouse Last Name | 1 Point |
Primary Email | 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 |
When DonorDock identifies an existing Contact through Composite Matching, the imported record will be connected to that Contact rather than creating a new one.
For Gift Imports, this means the Gift can be added to the existing Contact.
Composite Matching can also fill in missing Contact information when the corresponding field on the existing Contact is blank.
Existing Contact | Import File | Result |
Mobile Phone is blank | Mobile Phone contains | The phone number is added |
Mobile Phone contains | Mobile Phone contains | The existing phone number remains unchanged |
This allows an import to supplement incomplete Contact records without replacing information that is already stored in DonorDock.
If an existing Contact already has a different value in a field, Composite Matching will not overwrite that value. To intentionally replace existing Contact information, include the Contact's Donor ID or Account Number in the import. This safeguard helps preserve data integrity while still allowing imports to fill in missing information.
Matching Organization and Household Records
For Organization and Household Contacts, an exact match on Company/Household Name is sufficient to identify an existing record during Composite Matching.
Company/Household Name is treated as enough information to confirm the match without requiring additional composite points.
However, the same update rules still apply:
Blank fields on the existing Organization or Household record may be filled in through Composite Matching.
Composite Matching will not overwrite existing values.
To replace existing information, include the record's Donor ID or Account Number.
Match on Email Only
In some cases, you may want DonorDock to use the email address as the only matching criteria.
For example, you may be importing a list where email address is the primary identifying information available.
Before beginning the import, turn on the Match on Email Only? toggle on the Import page.
When enabled, DonorDock uses the email address to determine whether the imported Contact matches an existing record, rather than using the standard Composite Matching criteria.
Matching Tips
Include Donor ID or Account Number whenever you are intentionally updating existing Contact records.
Use Composite Matching when importing new data, and you want DonorDock to help identify likely existing Contacts.
Composite Matching can fill blank fields, but it will not overwrite a different value already stored on the Contact.
Blank spreadsheet cells will not erase information already stored in DonorDock.
If you only have email addresses available, consider using Match on Email Only.
For Organization and Household Contacts, Company/Household Name can identify an existing record, but Donor ID or Account Number is still required to overwrite existing values.