❖ Heads up! This article is only intended for Shift Site Admins.
The Import Tool lets you efficiently add an existing list of users as members to your Shift site. It’s ideal for bulk-adding volunteers, scheduling shifts for volunteers without requiring them to sign up individually or consolidating volunteer information from multiple platforms into your Shift site for streamlined management.
Using the Import Tool
Step 1: Prepare
Before you start the import process, you need to prepare your import file!
You must import a .csv file when using the importing tool—if your file is an Excel (.xlsx), please be sure to download it as a .csv before importing.
We recommend including First Name, Last Name, and Email columns in your .csv file.
We also support .csv files that include a Mobile Phone column.
In this example, we have the first name in column one, the last name in column two, the email in column three, and the phone number in column four. Later, when you upload, you'd select the column headers to match the content in these columns—e.g., First name for column 1.
In this example, the first row is column headers. If you have set up your spreadsheet this way, be sure to toggle the button On beside Ignore the first row of import data—this is under Step 6 of the import instructions.
Be sure to save your file as a .csv! This is the only file type supported for the import process.
Step 2: Import
1. Open the Members button.
2. Click Import.
3. Click Upload a file to import and select your .csv import file.
4. Select Import members.
5. Use the dropdowns to select your column headers.
These match the columns in your .csv file. For example, if the first column is members' first names, select First name for Column 1.
Make sure at least one column has the member's email address and one has the member's name. These are required for the import to process.
6. If the first row of your import file is column headers or titles, be sure to toggle the button On beside Ignore the first row of import data.
This step is important if you have set up your file with a header row like this:
7. Do you want to invite your imported members to complete their profiles? You can toggle the button On beside Send email invites to all imported members.
The import is final once invites are sent.
You can always send invitations to complete the member profile at any time or invite members individually.
8. Click Import [#] members when finished—it may take a few moments to complete.
Things to Consider
Here are a few things to consider about imports:
You must include name and email address columns for the import to process.
Additional columns of data won't be imported on the site—only the member data that is supported by the software.
Supported member data includes First Name, Last Name, Full Name, Email, and Phone Number.
If you opt to send an invitation to complete the member profile when completing the import process, then the import is final.
You can always invite members to complete their profiles at another time. You can also invite members individually.
If you have a column with the member's full name, then that is the default name for their member profile.
This applies even if you have columns that have their first and last name in separate columns as well. For example, if their full name includes a middle initial, then their profile will reflect their full name as it is listed in the full name column.
What happens next?
Once the members have imported, you can then view them from the Members button. Their profiles will only contain the information included in the imported file. The members can add more information and complete their profiles when they log in.
Viewing Imported Members
You can view your imported members from the Members button or check your Activity log.
1. Go to your Activity log.
2. Click # members were imported.
3. This opens the Members button and filters your members list to only the members imported for that certain date.
If you completed multiple imports on the same date, then all members from each import appear in the filtered list.
These members also appear with a hashtag that includes the date they were imported. For example, # imported 2024-01-03.
Emailing Imported Members
If you didn't opt to send the invitation to complete their profile during the import process, then you can always send the invitation from the Activity log!
1. Go to your Activity log.
2. Click Send invite email for the recently imported members.
An import is final and can't be undone once you send the invitation email.
Undo an Import
If you need to undo an import, you can! Please note that you won't be able to undo an import after the invitation email has been sent.
1. Go to your Activity log.
2. Click Undo import for the import you want to cancel.
3. A warning appears asking you to confirm your selection.
Once you click Confirm, those members are removed from your site.
Reviewing Past Imports
You can also review any past imports.
1. Open the Members button.
2. Click Import.
3. Select Past imports.
From here you can see how many members were imported, the date of the import, and the import status.
You can also send the invitation email or undo the import from this area as well.