Importing Contacts into ActivistCentral

ActivistCentral lets you import Contacts from a CSV file exported from a spreadsheet, CRM, or another system.

Before anything is added to your database, you'll have an opportunity to map your CSV columns, check for existing Contacts and duplicates, and preview how ActivistCentral plans to handle the records.

Start a Contact import

Go to Contacts and select Import CSV.

The import process has four steps:

1. Upload
2. Map
3. Preview
4. Commit

ActivistCentral supports up to 25,000 rows per import.

Step 1: Upload your CSV file

Select Choose File and choose the CSV file you want to import.

Your CSV can use column headings that make sense for your existing data. They do not have to exactly match ActivistCentral's field names because you'll map the columns in the next step.

ActivistCentral will attempt to recognize common column names automatically.

Step 2: Map your columns

After uploading the file, review the Column mapping screen.

Each column from your CSV appears alongside the ActivistCentral field where its information will be stored.

For example, a file might contain columns such as:

• First name
• Last name
• Mobile
• Email
• City
• State
• ZIP code

ActivistCentral will try to match common columns automatically, but you should review every mapping before continuing.

If an automatic match isn't correct, use the dropdown to select the appropriate field.

Skip information you don't want to import

Not every column in your CSV needs to be imported.

Leave a column set to (Don't map) when you don't want its data added to ActivistCentral.

This is useful when your source file contains old, unnecessary, or system-specific information that doesn't belong in ActivistCentral.

Import Tags

A CSV column containing Tags can be mapped to Tags (comma-separated).

This lets you bring organizational labels into ActivistCentral along with your Contacts when your source data contains them in a suitable column.

Import Custom Field information

If your CSV contains information that doesn't belong in one of ActivistCentral's standard Contact fields, you can map it to an appropriate Custom Field.

Review your mappings carefully so each piece of information is stored in the right place.

When you're satisfied with the mappings, select Validate & preview.

Step 3: Preview the import

ActivistCentral validates the file before committing the import.

The Preview import screen summarizes how the records will be handled.

You'll see counts for:

• New — records that will create new Contacts
• Updates — records that match existing Contacts
• Skips — records that will not be imported
• File dupes — duplicate records detected within the uploaded file

Use the corresponding sections on the Preview screen to review each group.

For a large import, these counts provide a quick way to spot something unexpected.

For example, if you expected most of the people in your file to already exist in ActivistCentral but nearly every row appears as New, stop and review the file and your mappings before continuing.

How duplicate detection works

During validation, ActivistCentral compares the import with existing Contacts using normalized email addresses and phone numbers.

If an email address or phone number identifies an existing Contact, the imported row can be treated as an update to that Contact rather than creating another Contact.

ActivistCentral will not guess when the match is ambiguous.

If a row could match multiple Contacts, or if the email address and phone number point to different Contacts, the row is skipped for review.

This helps prevent an import from accidentally combining information with the wrong person.

An Update also does not automatically mean that existing Contact information will be overwritten. You choose how matched Contacts should be handled before completing the import.

Contact limits

Your ActivistCentral plan may include a maximum number of Contacts.

During Preview, ActivistCentral checks whether the proposed import would exceed your organization's Contact limit.

If it would, ActivistCentral shows:

• Your current Contact count
• Your plan's Contact limit
• How many new Contacts the import would add

The import cannot be completed until there is enough Contact capacity for the new records.

Step 4: Choose how existing Contacts should be handled

Before completing the import, review Commit mode and the selected Import behavior.

This determines what ActivistCentral should do when an imported row matches an existing Contact.

Safely update missing info

This is the recommended option.

ActivistCentral fills empty fields on existing Contacts using information from the import while preserving information that's already there.

This is a good choice when you're adding information to an existing contact database and don't want the import to replace information your organization already has.

Only add new contacts

Choose Only add new contacts when you want the import to create new Contacts without updating Contacts that already exist.

This is useful when your goal is strictly to add new people to ActivistCentral.

Replace existing data with this file

Choose Replace existing data with this file when the imported file should be used to replace existing information on matched Contacts.

Use this option carefully. Unlike Safely update missing info, this mode is intended for situations where the imported file should take precedence over information already stored in ActivistCentral.

Complete the import

Before committing, take one final look at:

• Your column mappings
• The New, Updates, Skips, and File dupes results
• Any Contact-limit warnings
• Your selected Import behavior

When you're satisfied with the results, select Import contacts.

This is the step that applies the validated import to your ActivistCentral organization.

The Upload, Map, and Preview steps give you an opportunity to catch mapping mistakes, duplicate records, ambiguous matches, or unexpected results before the import changes your Contact records.

After the import

Return to Contacts after the import is complete.

You can use Contact search, Tags, filters, and other Contact tools to review the imported records.

After a larger import, it's a good idea to spot-check several Contacts, especially records containing:

• Phone numbers
• Email addresses
• Addresses
• Tags
• Custom Fields

This helps confirm that the source data was mapped and imported the way you intended.

Tips for a successful import

Before importing a large file, take a few minutes to review your CSV and remove information you know you don't need.

During the import:

1. Review every column mapping.
2. Leave unnecessary columns as (Don't map).
3. Pay attention to the New, Updates, Skips, and File dupes counts.
4. Investigate unexpected matches or skips before committing.
5. Choose the appropriate Import behavior for existing Contacts.
6. Spot-check several Contacts after the import is complete.

The Preview and Commit steps are designed to give you control over what happens before changes are applied to your Contact database.