Families & Students

How to import a list of families from a spreadsheet

Quick answer: Go to Contacts, click Import Contacts, upload your CSV file, map the columns, and confirm. Note: only admins can import.

Before you start

• Your file must be a single CSV, smaller than 30 MB, with one sheet.
• The first row must be column headers that match field names in Growth Suite.
• Every contact must have at least a Name, Phone, or Email.
• All custom fields you want to import must already exist in Growth Suite — create them before importing.
• If you're working with a CSV prepared by your Growth Suite support team, the file is already formatted correctly. You can skip the formatting tips below.

Step-by-step

1. Open Contacts from the main menu.
2. On the top row of action buttons, click Import Contacts.
3. Choose to import Contacts only (most common) or Contacts and Opportunities together.
4. Upload your CSV file.
5. Click "Choose how to import contacts" and pick one:
   • Create — adds new families only
   • Update — updates existing families (matched by Contact ID, phone, or email depending on your settings)
   • Create and Update — both at once
6. Map each column in your file to the corresponding field in Growth Suite. Most columns auto-match if your file's headers use the same names as the fields.
7. If you're updating existing families, check the box "Don't update Empty Values" to prevent blanks in your file from overwriting good data in the system.
8. Review the preview, check the disclaimer box, and confirm the import.
9. Optionally, on the confirmation screen, choose to add a tag to all imported families, or add them to a workflow.
10. Click Import.

Monitor the import

After import starts, watch progress under Contacts → Bulk Actions. Click "Show Stats" on any import to see how many succeeded, how many failed, and download an error log if needed.

Important warnings

• New imports can be reverted. Updates cannot. If you import new families and realize you made a mistake, you can revert. If you imported as an update and overwrote existing data, the change is permanent.
• Format check phone numbers. The system reads them best in E.164 format (e.g., +1 1234567890). For US numbers, 123-456-7890 and (123) 456-7890 also work.
• Date format flexibility. Growth Suite accepts many date formats (MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, etc.) but be consistent within your file.
• Tag format. Multiple tags in one cell can be separated by commas, semicolons, or periods.

If something goes wrong

• "Required fields missing" — Every row needs at least Name, Phone, or Email. Check your file.
• "Duplicate phone/email found" — Your school's duplicate settings flag this. Either remove the duplicate or change your settings under Settings → "Allow Duplicate Contacts."
• "Could not read phone number" — Reformat to E.164.
• "Invalid email" — Check for typos and missing parts (the @ sign, the domain).

Related articles

• How to add a new family
• How to merge duplicate family records