Import Participants

The “Import Participants” feature in the Event Management module of Retention CRM allows Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Not-for-profit organizations to efficiently add registrations from external sources to their event (s). This saves time compared to manually entering each participant.

General Functionality of the “Import Participants” Feature

1. Upload Data

• Choose Data Source: This is currently set to uploading a CSV file, the most common format for data exchange.
• Upload Data File: Browse and select your CSV file containing participant information.
• Import Field Separator: Specify the delimiter separating data points in your CSV (e.g., comma, semicolon).
• First row contains column headers: Indicate if the first row of your CSV contains field names for each column.
• Contact Type: Choose “Individual” as you’re importing registrations by individual nurses.
• On Duplicate Entries:
  • Skip: Ignores entries with matching data (e.g., email) in Retention CRM.
  • Update: Updates existing participant information if there’s a match.
  • No Duplicate Checking: Allows duplicate entries to be imported (not recommended).
• Date Format: Select the format your dates are stored in (e.g., yyyy-mm-dd).
• Saved Field Mapping: If you’ve previously imported similar data, you can load a saved mapping configuration to avoid remapping fields.

2. Match Fields (not shown here but follows Upload Data)

In this step, you match the column headers in your CSV file to the corresponding Retention CRM participant fields (e.g., email address, registration fee paid, etc.).

3. Preview (not shown here but follows Match Fields)

Here, you can see a sample of how your data will be imported into Retention CRM to ensure everything looks accurate.

Using the “Import Participants” Feature in Association Management

A nursing association is hosting a conference for its members. They have a list of registrations collected through an external registration system. Here’s how they can utilize “Import Participants”.

Upload Data:

• Data Source: Upload CSV File
• Import Data File: Select the CSV file containing registration details (e.g., name, email, membership ID, any dietary restrictions).
• Import Field Separator: Choose the separator used in your CSV (e.g., comma).
• First row contains column headers: If the first row has field names, check this box.
• Contact Type: Select “Individual”.
• On Duplicate Entries: Choose “Update” to ensure existing member information is updated if there’s a match (e.g., email address).
• Date Format: Select the date format used in your CSV for any relevant fields (e.g., registration date).

Match Fields:

Match the CSV column headers to the corresponding Retention CRM participant fields:

• CSV: Email Address –> Retention CRM: Contact Email
• CSV: Member ID –> Retention CRM: Custom Field (assuming member ID is stored in a custom field)
• CSV: Name –> Retention CRM: Contact Name
• CSV: Dietary Restrictions –> Retention CRM: Custom Field (assuming dietary restrictions are stored in a custom field)

Preview:

Review the preview to confirm the data is mapped correctly.

More Use Cases for Associations

Membership Renewal

Associations can use “Import Participants” to efficiently process membership renewals. By uploading a CSV file containing member information (e.g., name, email address, membership expiration date), associations can easily update Retention CRM records and send renewal reminders.

Event Registration

Similar to the scenario mentioned in the passage, associations can leverage “Import Participants” to register attendees for events. By uploading a CSV file from an external registration system, associations can save time and effort compared to manual data entry.

Volunteer Recruitment

Associations can utilize “Import Participants” to streamline volunteer recruitment. Uploading a CSV containing volunteer information (e.g., name, contact details, skills) allows associations to quickly populate their Retention CRM database with potential volunteers.

By using “Import Participants,” Associations, Chambers and Not-for-profits can efficiently register a large number of members for their online or offline events such as workshop or conference, saving them significant time and effort.