Key takeaways
- An imported contact list is not the same as a complete historical migration.
- Preserve source identifiers and test households, duplicates, and permissions.
- Keep a clear source of truth and a way to pause the transition if checks fail.
1. Inventory the records before choosing an import
List each category separately: people, households, groups, attendance, giving, service plans, files, and communication preferences. Record where it lives, who is allowed to export it, who maintains it, and where it needs to go. Do not assume that a people import also includes attachments or historical activity.
Ask the destination provider about each category in writing. Some information may have a supported importer, some may require a reviewed manual process, and some may remain in an accessible archive. That decision belongs in the migration plan before the export is created.
| Record category | Confirm before moving | Acceptance check |
|---|---|---|
| People and families | Source IDs, household links, contact fields, custom fields. | Sample people and families match the source. |
| Groups and attendance | Supported membership and historical attendance coverage. | Owners can find the groups and periods they need. |
| Giving records | Supported dates, funds, totals, and donor associations. | Authorized finance staff reconcile the selected periods. |
| Files and notes | Whether files and restricted notes have a supported path. | Only the intended staff can access the retained information. |
| Communication preferences | How opt-outs and contact choices are represented. | A move does not silently turn off an existing restriction. |
2. Clean and map a copy of the export
Keep the original export unchanged and work on a separate copy. Record what each column means, how dates are represented, which values are required, and how blank fields should be handled. Preserve stable source identifiers where the importer supports them; names and shared household email addresses are not reliable unique keys.
Choose how to handle duplicates before importing. Two records that share a name may represent different people, while a person whose surname changed may already have a record. Review identity and household relationships carefully. Restrict the export to authorized staff and the destination importer instead of emailing copies around the team.
3. Rehearse with a representative sample
Choose a small sample that exercises the difficult cases, not just the cleanest rows. Include a household, a person without an email address, an existing record, and any fields important to your church. Use fictional examples first to understand the interface; use real records only through your church’s authorized migration process.
Compare the destination with the source after the sample completes. Check counts, relationships, field values, and role-based access. When the importer supports reimporting, test the documented matching behavior before relying on it for a larger batch. A successful upload message does not prove the records are correct.
- Can the assigned staff find each sample person and the correct household?
- Did blank fields, dates, and non-English names arrive as intended?
- Were existing records matched using the documented identifier?
- Can limited staff see only the information their work requires?
- Do any financial or attendance totals require a separate reconciliation?
4. Decide who owns changes during the transition
Set a clear point at which each workflow starts using the destination. If people keep editing both systems without a reconciliation process, records diverge. Identify an owner for changes that occur during the transition and document how those updates will be reviewed and carried across.
Prepare a pause decision before the launch: which failed checks stop the move, who decides, and which system the team uses while issues are resolved. Keep authorized access to the source and its exports until the owners of the affected records have completed their review. Do not delete historical records just because the contact import finished.
5. Train around real work and confirm the launch
Train each role on the tasks it will perform: looking up a family, following up with a guest, confirming a volunteer, or reviewing a report. A short role-specific walkthrough is easier to repeat than a tour of every screen. Give staff a place to record questions and name a person who will answer them.
ChurchFoundry supports a Planning Center people CSV import with matching by the Planning Center Person ID when available. That path concerns people records; it is not a promise that every historical record from every provider will transfer automatically. Review the available importer and its preview with your actual requirements before committing to the move.
- The directory owner approves sample records and household relationships.
- Each affected ministry confirms its required records and day-to-day workflow.
- Authorized finance staff complete any giving or accounting reconciliation in scope.
- The administrator reviews access and documents unresolved exceptions.
- The team confirms its source of truth, support contact, and first follow-up review.
By Moriah LLC, makers of ChurchFoundry · Reviewed