WGM Snapshot Express / how to import contributions

[jmuehleisen]

Note: this relates to DM 5.37.14 and later

For WGM users of the Donor Manager, HQ has begun to issue a new report format called "Snapshot Express." In the past, you would go to the Snapshot website and download a contributions report. This was imported using the "WGM Snapshot" option.

This new format is an Excel file (xls) that is sent to you by e-mail from HQ. Here are the steps needed to process these new reports in the Donor Manager.

First of all, open the email attachment from HQ (it's an xls file) in Excel. You must open the file in Excel, and then re-save the file from within Excel. Simply saving the attachment from the e-mail message, and they trying to process it with the Donor Manager will give you an error.

This extra step of opening it in Excel and then re-saving it from within Excel is necessary.

Why? For some reason, the file as it come by e-mail confuses the Donor Manager and it doesn't interpret some of the columns properly. Opening it in Excel and then saving it afresh seems to fix whatever problem is there.

At any rate, once you have opened it in Excel and re-save it, you can then process it with the Donor Manager.

One more step. When using the "automatic gift posting" screen in the Donor Manager, be sure the change the "Report Type" to "WGM Snapshot Express."

Now, there is a new version of Snapshot Express files coming out near the end of 2006 with some additional information and additional columns. There will be a Donor Manager update issued that will be able to process these extra columns.