Step 1: Prepare Your CSV File to Import Members
To batch import your members, you'll first need a CSV file (spreadsheet format option) that has all of your member data. You will need to have 3 headers on your spreadsheet specifically labeled: username, email, and membership type for the import to work.
username will be the username each member will use to login
email is each member's primary email address
membership type is the membership type you have created on your website. You must create a membership type prior to importing your members. For more information on membership types: Add and Manage Membership Types
Your CSV can contain additional field headers when you import them beyond the required 3 above and Tendenci will add the custom fields to your member's profiles after import.
Additional recommended fields to include when you import: first name, last name, join date, expire date, renew date and membership number.
If you plan to associate members with Corporations, it is important to fill the field company in the case that you use the template that Tendenci provides. The company field is set to be key sensitive, which means that the wording/lettering must be precise or the same every time it is used either using it on the site or importing other CSV files.
This template can be found on the Membership Import page. To access the membership imports go to your Community tab -> Members:
Then click on Membership Tab -> Import:
The CSV template can be found here, just click on Download Template or create the CSV yourself. Once downloaded transfer the members information corresponding to each column.
In the case that the corporate membership types have been added first, make sure that the field membership_type and corporate_membership_id are linked by membership type; the name and IDs may differ. Please view this help file for more information: How to add a Member to a Corporate Membership?
To verify this, open two tabs one with the corporate membership and another with the membership types.
Step 2: Upload Your Membership Import File
When importing your members, it is important to specify what to update, identify members by, and the file that will be uploaded.
Choose File to select the CSV from your computer and click "Submit" to upload the file:
Update: refers to the fields that will be updated in that members profile. You can set it to just update:
Identify Duplicate By: this will permit the system to identify the users that are already in the database and will have their information updated. Choose File: it will permit you to browse your computer for the CSV file |
Once you have chosen these options, click on Preview Import to continue the process.
Step 3: Preview Membership Import
Give the site a few seconds to review the CSV spreadsheet.
Once reviewed the site will automatically show you a table with the information on the spreadsheet. This will give you the opportunity to preview your membership import results and verify the fields are mapped correctly.
The Row # column indicates where in the spreadsheet that user is located. This comes in handy when the site detects an error in the information. That is what the Reason if to be Skipped in the Step 2 Membership Import is used for. So in conjunction, you can see why that user was skipped and where to locate that user in the CSV spreadsheet. For example: if you try importing a user profile with no email (where email is how you’re identifying duplicates). Action: skip, Reason if to be Skipped: Missing Key 'email', Location: Row # 2
You will notice that under the Action column the word skip, this means there was an error in the information inserted in one of the columns.
There are other Actions such as:
- skip; this means there was an error in the information inserted in one of the columns.
- insert; the user is not registered in the database and is a new member.
- update; the member is already in the system and will just update the members information.
- mixed; user is found but the membership with that type is not found and will be added.
Be mindful when the mixed action appears because it is possible that the Member will have two memberships instead of one.
If everything looks correct, click "Import Now" to begin the Membership Import.
Step 4: Membership Import Processing
Depending on the number of members in your CSV file and the number of custom fields, the membership import process can take seconds to over an hour. You can use your website or log off and do other things during this time. Once the import is complete, you'll find all your members now imported into your Tendenci website's membership database.
If there are any errors in the CSV spreadsheet upload, in the Invalid section will tell you how many errors there were. If you want to see what errors occurred or a summary of what action occurred per member, just click on Download Recap. In the CSV, look for the last two columns. There you will find two columns that say Action and Error. Action will notify what happened with the user (skipped, inserted, or updated) and Error will inform what was the issue with the user.
The page also gives you the option to add Import More Membership, when clicked you can just go through the same process of this page.
Step 5: Communicating With Your Members
Hooray! Now that your members have been properly imported to your Tendenci site, it's time to communicate with them. If you want to send an email blast to all your members, you will need to either integrate an email service or use the Groups Module to send the emails. To log in to your website, your members will need to select "Click here to reset your password" under "Forgot Password."
Check out this informative help file on Tips to Welcome Your Members when Launching or Transitioning to a Tendenci Website.
More Membership Modules
- Intro to Memberships
- Step 1 - Define Your Membership Types
- Step 2 - Customize Your Membership Application(s)
- You are here >> Step 3 - Import Your Members
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