Comma-separated-value (CSV) files can be easily imported into spread-sheet programs such as Microsoft Excel and therefore can be useful when you want to divide your fundraising tasks among several people or committees and then import the results back into the Compugene Membership System. For example, you could first Export existing data from the system, such as names and phone numbers of members, into a CSV file and then give that file or printout of that file to your fundraisers. They can then fill in the additional information, such as amounts pledged, as they gather fundraising data - and that information can then be entered into the CSV file which can then be Imported back into the system to do a batch-update of data.

Note: in all formats of CSV files for importing, the first row must contain 4 columns: Row 1, Column 1 must be as described in each section below; Row 1, Column 2 must have the date as mmddyyyy; Row 1, Column 3 must be blank or null; and Row 1, Column 4 must be blank or null. These values are automatically filled in during Export functions – please ensure that they are not modified before you use the CSV file as input to any of the Import functions.

Exporting fundraising data to a CSV file

Using the Tools button on the toolbar of the main window, choose the Export Financial to CSV menu option. At this point, you choose the name of the charity to export and the file to receive the exported data. If you check the "all members" check box, you will get one record for each member, whether the member has transactions against this chosen charity or not. Otherwise, you will get one record for each member that has a payment and/or pledge against the chosen charity. You can control the number of columns exported and the order of the columns exported. The columns you can choose from are member name, amount owed, amount paid, and member id code. The member name and id codes are required. The only data that should be modified by the user in the resulting csv file should be the amounts owed or amounts paid columns. (see below).

If you choose, when filling out the resulting spread sheet you can provide two additional columns at the right of the four columns that are produced by the system: one column for check numbers and one for dates of payments. To have the system accept this data successfully when importing it, be sure to modify the Row 1, Column 1 value of “1234” to “123456” and make sure each line in the file has data or blanks in the check number and dates columns. The system will then use the check numbers and the dates provided when updating the financial data at import time.


Importing fundraising data from a CSV file

Once someone has the fundraising data for a particular charity in the csv (spread sheet) format, they can conduct their fundraising campaign on their own and enter results in the spread sheet as they come in. Make sure to clear existing owed/paid information, because when you import the data back to the Compugene Membership System, all data is treated as new data that must be updated. The only data that should be modified in the csv file should be the amounts in the owed and paid columns, if provided. When ready to import the data, click the Tools button on the toolbar of the main window and choose the Import Financial from CSV menu option. This technique will allow a batch update of a particular charity in one operation, thus eliminating the need for the financial secretary to enter many new transactions separately. This will save time and avoid transcription errors.

Allowing Imports of data for multiple different charities and split payments (“payments” type CSV)

A special type of CSV file can be used to import data for all of your charities and can import split payments (that is, a single payment that is used to pay multiple charities). This CSV file must have the word “payments” in row 1, column 1. Row 2 must be column headings. There must be 7 columns in each row (including rows 1 and 2) in the following order:

Column 1: member name
Column 2: member id
Column 3: check number
Column 4: check date
Column 5: amount paid
Column 6: charity number – this can be either:

a) the charity number in the form “charxxx” where xxx is a number from 1 to 999 and is determined by running the Tools|Display Charity Numbers menu option from the Main Window, or
b) just the number of the charity, without the “char”, or
c) a shortcut, such as “EA” for a charity you refer to as “Emergency Appeal”; if you use the shortcut method, you must provide in your CHART.CSV file in columns 4 and 5 respectively, the “charxxx” value and the shortcut value that you would like to use for that charity

Column 7: split indicator

The charity numbers for your system can be displayed/printed via the Tools|Display Charity Numbers menu item on the Main Window. All split payments for a member must appear in consecutive rows and must have an “F” in the Split indicator column. Check numbers for a split payment must be the same on each row of the split payment. There is a maximum of 50 splits per payment. The Amount Paid amount you enter is the amount for that part of the split (not the total amount of the check), if you have a split payment. The total check amount will be computed by the system by adding all the Amount Paid amounts for all parts of a split payment. For a non-split payment, the Amt Paid amount is the total amount of the check.


Please view the Create Charity Sheet section for details about a more extensive type of CSV file that can be produced by the system.