Formatting the contacts file

To format the contacts data file correctly for import:

• First and last name must be separate columns
• Zip/postal code and Plus4 must be separate columns
• The state column should use only the 2 letter state abbreviation
• Work number and extension must be separate columns
• Street, city, state must be separate columns
• Email address fields should be only one address
• Contacts have one general comment field, so any additional information can be combined into that column
• Active, Caretaker Public and Send Mail are required Yes/No fields
• Class is a required field (possible values included in Sample Data File)

Understanding the import columns

Below are some columns that we can import (see the full list in the attached sample file):

• Salutation, Firstname, Lastname
• Street, City, State, Zip/Postal Code, Plus4 (Zip code)
• Email Address, Alternate Email Address
• Home, Cell and Work phones including carriers (Ex. Verizon, AT&T, etc)
• Comment - combine all other information into one column
• Sendmail is for approval to send mail to the contact (default is yes)
• CaretakerPublic is how we determine if a foster parent would want their contact info shared in animal listings
• Availability is just a text field of 250 characters. No specified format that can be used by groups for their needs
  
• Active new contact records default to Yes (Active).  For more information on what it means to be inactive please visit our guide on Inactivating a Contact
• Groups (Volunteer, Adopter, Donor, etc) – For more information, visit our guide on Contact Groups

For assistance with importing your contacts, please contact support.