How I Migrated a Charity’s Data from Excel to Donorfy using Alteryx
Hi, I’m Connor, a Junior Consultant with Continuum.
In this blog post, I want to share with you my experience of migrating a charity’s data from Excel to Donorfy using Alteryx, a powerful data manipulation tool. I hope you find it useful and interesting.
The Challenge
The charity I worked with is Dementia Jersey, a local organization that provides support and care for people living with dementia and their families. They had been using Excel to manage their donor data, but they faced several challenges:
They had multiple Excel workbooks with multiple sheets, each containing different types of data such as contact details, donations, events, etc.
There was no data validation in the Excel files, which meant that there were errors and inconsistencies in the data, such as misspellings, wrong formats, missing values, etc.
There were duplicates between different workbooks, which made it hard to get a clear picture of the donor base and the donation history.
The Excel files were not secure and could be easily lost or corrupted.
These challenges made it difficult for the charity to manage their donor relationships, track their fundraising performance, and report on their impact.
The Solution
To overcome these challenges, I decided to migrate the charity from Excel to Donorfy, a cloud-based CRM solution designed for non-profits and charities. Donorfy offers many benefits for the charity, such as:
It allows them to store all their donor data in one place, accessible from any device and any location.
It enables them to segment their donors based on various criteria, such as donation amount, frequency, type, etc.
It helps them to communicate with their donors effectively, by sending personalized emails, newsletters, thank-you letters, etc.
It supports them to monitor their fundraising activities, by generating reports and dashboards that show key metrics and trends.
It integrates with other platforms and tools that the charity uses, such as Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Xero, etc.
To migrate the charity from Excel to Donorfy, I followed these steps:
Initial data investigation: I examined the Excel files and identified the different types of data that the charity had. I also noted the issues and problems that the data had, such as duplicates, errors, inconsistencies, etc.
Data cleaning: I used Alteryx to clean the data and prepare it for migration. Alteryx is a tool that allows you to perform various data operations without coding. With Alteryx, I was able to:
Change the data types of the columns to match the Donorfy fields
Remove empty cells and rows
Identify and remove duplicates
Standardise the formats of dates, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
Validate the data and fix any errors
CRM selection: I researched different CRM solutions that were suitable for the charity’s needs and budget. I chose Donorfy because it was low cost and built for non-profits/charities. It also had good reviews and testimonials from other users.
CRM customization: I created an account on Donorfy and configured it to fit the needs of Dementia Jersey. I set up the fields, categories, tags, segments, etc. that the charity wanted to use for their donor data.
Data preparation: I used Alteryx again to prepare the data for import into Donorfy. Alteryx allowed me to: - Map the columns from the Excel files to the fields in Donorfy - Apply transformations and calculations to the data as needed - Split the data into multiple files based on the Donorfy import templates - Export the data as CSV files
Data import: I uploaded the CSV files into Donorfy using the import wizard. I followed the instructions and checked for any errors or warnings. I verified that the data was imported correctly and matched the expected results.
The Result
The migration from Excel to Donorfy using Alteryx was a success. The charity was able to move all their donor data from multiple Excel files to one cloud-based CRM solution. The data was cleaned, validated, and standardized, which improved the quality and accuracy of the data. This has allowed the charity to pull accurate lists on those they communicate with to send the newsletter and weekly correspondence out. It has reduced confusion on what fields or data are collected and will help ensure that the charity stays up to date and compliant on standards.
The Conclusion
In this blog post, I shared with you how I migrated a charity from Excel to Donorfy using Alteryx. I hope you enjoyed reading it and learned something new. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact me at by email..