Question:
Is it possible to import data from our current volunteer management system into CERVIS?
Answer:
There are a few different options for importing your data depending on the amount and type of data that you would like to import.
Option 1: Import Your Own Data At No Cost
You can import your own volunteer profile data at anytime using the Volunteer Data Import tool available in your console. This will allow you to create profiles for volunteers in your system, but not import any hours information about them.
To access the Volunteer Data Import tool, follow these steps:
- Login to your CERVIS account.
- Click on the "Volunteer Data Import" link under the "System Management" section of the Main Dashboard. Please note, this option will only be available to CERVIS users with the "Administrator" access level.
Once in the tool, please read and follow the steps listed carefully to correctly and successfully complete a data import. Improper use of the CERVIS data import functionality can result in large amounts of erroneous data in your account or even inadvertent corruption of existing data. If you have any questions whatsoever, please contact CERVIS Customer Support prior to attempting a data import.
Please note: Volunteer Data Import is available only to customers with the Enterprise or Premier Edition subscription to CERVIS.
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Option 2: Request a Paid Import
Our Professional Services Team can perform a data import at any time, but this activity is subject to a Professional Services Fee which will depend on the type, volume, and complexity of the import. Please contact support@cervistech.com for a custom price quote. If your organization has paid for a Data Import when initially setting up your new account, then the first volunteer data import is not subject to the additional Professional Services Fee. Please note, however, that the import included with the paid "Data Import" option can be used to import volunteer data only and not group, interest category, skill, equipment, availability or event data.
If you would like to request a volunteer data import:
- Download the master spreadsheet for your volunteer data import which is attached to this knowledge base article (CERVIS Import.xls). Please note, if your organization is located outside of the United States, please contact us for a country-specific import sheet.
- Fill out the spreadsheet with data for your organization.
- Open a new support request ticket with the completed spreadsheet attached to the ticket as described in the support knowledge base article HERE.
Please do not alter the columns or rearrange the spreadsheet in any way because it will affect the import. There is a red triangle in the upper right corner of each column. When you place your mouse over the red triangle for each column, a box will pop up identifying which format the data should be in for that particular column.
Purple Field: If you know for sure that a volunteer does not have an email address, then leave it blank and we can still import their information in and create a volunteer profile. If you know a volunteer has an email address but you don't know what it is, we’d recommend not importing that volunteer at all or just asking them for their email address so there is no possibility of them creating double accounts (one with an email address and one account without).
Green Fields: The 3 green-colored fields (Last Name, First Name, and Primary Phone) are mandatory fields needed to create the volunteer's profile. Please note, if you do not have a volunteer's phone number, please leave the field blank - do not make up a phone number for the volunteer or put your organization's phone number for the volunteer.
Yellow Fields: For all of the yellow-colored fields, you can leave them blank if you do not have that information for one or for all volunteers.
Blue Fields: If you choose to import data for fields other than what is listed on the attached spreadsheet, these are considered Custom Data Fields. We can import these custom data fields, but please let us know specifically what Custom Data Fields you want to import first, before you fill out the Excel Spreadsheet. This ensures that we are able to import the custom data as you currently have it. Enterprise or Premier Edition Customers can import data for all 16 custom fields. Standard Edition Customers can import data for 2 custom fields. There are no custom fields available for Basic Edition customers.
It is always a good idea to make sure that the data you are importing is correct, up-to-date, and that there are no duplicates. We realize, however, that it is not always possible. After the data import is completed, volunteers will be prompted to verify their personal information when they log-in for the first time and then you will begin the process of ensuring correct contact information and volunteer data for each of your volunteers. You will also be able to run a report to find duplicate volunteers within your account by following the instructions in the knowledge base article HERE. However, we recommend scrubbing your list as best as you can.
If you have paid for a Data Import, it is done only one-time, so please make sure you send us your completed Excel spreadsheet and not multiple partially completed spreadsheets.
For your planning purposes, it will take 48 hours to do the data import after we receive your data. If the data is not formatted correctly, then it will take longer as we will have to send it back to you so it can be formatted correctly.