Import Volunteers from CSV

Import up to 500 volunteer rows at once and add every successful row to the same selected programs. Rows are processed independently, so valid rows can succeed when other rows fail.

Permissions#

Only an organization admin can use Import volunteers.
Editors and volunteers cannot import volunteer CSV files.

Prerequisites#

Your organization must have an active 14-day trial or paid subscription.
At least one active program must exist.
Prepare a CSV file no larger than 1 MB with no more than 500 nonblank data rows.

Prepare the CSV#

Use Download CSV template in the import form. The template headers are:

csv

firstName,lastName,email,temporaryPassword,phoneNumber,gender,birthday,isParent,isStaff

Column	Requirement
`firstName`	Required and cannot be blank.
`lastName`	Required and cannot be blank.
`email`	Required and must be valid. Matching is not case-sensitive.
`temporaryPassword`	Required only when the email does not already belong to a REKNOWN account; must contain at least 8 characters.
`phoneNumber`	Optional.
`gender`	Optional; use `Male`, `Female`, or leave blank. Capitalization does not matter.
`birthday`	Optional; use `MM/DD/YYYY` or `YYYY-MM-DD`, and enter a real calendar date.
`isParent`	Optional; use `yes`/`no`, `true`/`false`, `1`/`0`, or leave blank. Capitalization does not matter.
`isStaff`	Optional; use `yes`/`no`, `true`/`false`, `1`/`0`, or leave blank. Capitalization does not matter.

Import the File#

Open Volunteers.
Select Import volunteers.
Select Download CSV template if you need a correctly structured starting file.
Under Volunteer roster CSV, choose your completed .csv file.
Under Add every imported volunteer to these programs, select at least one active program.
Select Import volunteers.
Review Volunteer import results after processing finishes.
If any rows failed, select Download result report and use its rowNumber, email, status, and message columns to make corrections.

Result Statuses#

Status	Meaning
Created	A new REKNOWN user and a new membership were created. CSV profile values were saved, and the user must change the temporary password.
Attached	The email already belonged to a REKNOWN user outside this organization. A membership was added without changing the user's existing identity or password.
Updated	An active membership already existed in this organization. Missing selected program assignments were added; existing profile values, identity, password, roles, and current access levels were preserved.
Reactivated	An inactive membership already existed. It was made active and given the selected programs while preserving its existing profile, identity, password, roles, and current access levels.
Failed	That row was not imported. Other valid rows still continue.

All program assignments newly added by an import use Volunteer access. CSV import does not assign permanent groups or grant Editor access.

Outcome#

The summary reports totals for Created, Attached, Updated, Reactivated, and Failed. Successful volunteers appear in the directory and receive the selected program assignments. The result report never includes temporary passwords.

Troubleshooting and Notes#

The file must include the firstName, lastName, and email headers, even if optional columns are omitted.
A file with no volunteer rows, more than 500 nonblank rows, or no selected program is rejected before row processing begins.
Every occurrence of an email fails if that email appears more than once in the same file, regardless of capitalization.
A missing or short temporaryPassword fails only a row that needs a brand-new REKNOWN user. Existing users and memberships keep their current password.
Invalid email, gender, birthday, or boolean values fail only the affected row.
Correct failed rows in a new CSV and import them again. Successful rows do not need to be included again.
Because valid rows are committed independently, do not assume the whole file was rolled back when failures are reported.