Frequently Asked Questions

A: The tool automatically normalizes phone numbers and state names to ensure consistency across all data sources:

• Phone Numbers: All phone numbers are converted to the format XXX-XXX-XXXX (digits only with hyphens). This removes inconsistent formatting like parentheses, dots, spaces, or country codes.
• State Names: State names are converted to 2-character uppercase abbreviations (e.g., "California" → "CA", "Illinois" → "IL"). This ensures consistent state codes regardless of how they appear in source data.

Why does this matter? Normalization helps with:

• Accurate deduplication - records with the same phone number but different formatting will be recognized as duplicates
• Database consistency - DonorSnap expects standardized formats
• Data quality - easier to search, filter, and report on standardized data

A: Different donation platforms (Qgiv, ShelterLuv, Square, etc.) often have different field names, formats, and requirements. For example:

• One platform might use "Email" while another uses "Email Address"
• Phone numbers might be formatted as "(555) 123-4567" or "555.123.4567" or "5551234567"
• State names might appear as full names ("Illinois") or abbreviations ("IL")

This tool solves these inconsistencies by:

1. Field Mapping: Translating different field names to the DonorSnap standard
2. Data Normalization: Standardizing phone numbers and state names
3. Deduplication: Merging duplicate records across platforms based on email addresses

A: The tool automatically deduplicates records using a smart key system:

• Primary key: Email address (case-insensitive) when present
• Fallback key: First Name + Last Name (case-insensitive) when email is blank

This means volunteer records without email addresses can still be deduplicated based on their name.

When duplicate records are found, the following priority rules determine which data is kept:

1. Non-empty values overwrite empty values: If one record has data in a field and another doesn't, the non-empty value is always kept.
2. Sheet priority order: If both records have different non-empty values for the same field, the value from the sheet with higher priority wins. Priority is determined by this fixed order (highest to lowest):
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Example: If john@example.com appears in both the and sheets:

• If has a phone number but doesn't → 's phone number is kept
• If both have different phone numbers → 's phone number wins (higher priority)
• The final merged record contains the "best" data from both sources

Deduplication Log: After processing, you'll see a detailed log showing exactly which records were merged and why. Use CTRL-F (or CMD-F on Mac) to search for specific email addresses in the log.

A: Yes, deduplication is important! Without it, you could end up with:

• Duplicate donor records: The same person appearing multiple times in your database
• Inflated statistics: Incorrectly counting the same donor as multiple unique donors
• Fragmented communication: Missing the complete picture of a donor's engagement across platforms
• Data quality issues: Inconsistent or incomplete information about donors

Benefits of deduplication:

• Single, consolidated record per donor
• Complete history across all platforms
• Accurate donor counts and reporting
• Better data for decision-making

The deduplication log helps you understand exactly what changes were made, ensuring transparency in the process.