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How to Import Members

Here's how you can upload a spreadsheet of people into Chorus Connection.

Manage Imports in Chorus Connection

Go to: Manage>Members

Instead of entering each person manually, the system allows you to upload a spreadsheet of member profile data. (You can learn more about Members here.) Imports for Adult Choirs and Youth Choirs work slightly differently. You can see specific instructions on how to format your spreadsheet with the correct column headings.

Important: We do not recommend trying to import members into your Chorus Connection free trial account. Free trial accounts are limited to only 10 users and you may receive an error message when trying to do an import. Before importing your members into Chorus Connection, please upgrade to a paid account or speak with our sales team at sales@chorusconnection.com.

Import File Instructions for Adult Choirs

Use a Member Export as a template to start. That's the easiest way to ensure that the column headings in your import spreadsheet are exactly correct. Go to Manage>Members and hit Export and New Export.

Notes on setting up your import spreadsheet:

  1. The import must be a CSV file.
  2. The following fields are required:
    • First name
    • Last name
    • Section (Must exactly match a section you have in Chorus Connection.)
    • Status (Must exactly match a status you have in Chorus Connection.)
    • Permission level (Must exactly match a permission level you have in Chorus Connection.)
    • Email
    • Hide email (TRUE or FALSE)
    • Hide phone (TRUE or FALSE)
    • Hide address (TRUE or FALSE)
  3. Section split can either be UPPER or LOWER or it can be left blank.
  4. Date fields like Member since and Birthday must use the format yyyy-mm-dd
  5. Since Custom Field data can be imported, you'll want to consider creating Custom Fields before your import. That way, you can avoid entering that information manually later.

When should I upload my import file for an Adult Choir? You will want to upload your import file at the right time. The system will send automated email invitations to all users as soon as you import. You'll want to have other content in place before all of your members start logging in!

Import File Instructions for Youth Choirs

Use a Member Export as a template to start. That's the easiest way to ensure that the column headings in your import spreadsheet are exactly correct. Go to Manage>Members and hit Export and New Export

Important: Do not include email addresses for child members under the age of 13 in your import file. You will leave the email field blank for them. Visit our Terms of Service, Section 2.14, for more information on Child Accounts.

Notes on setting up your import spreadsheet:

  1. The import must be a CSV file.
  2. The CSV will have one line per person. (A child with have a line and a parent will be on a separate line.)
  3. Parents and children can be included in the same spreadsheet. If uploading parents and children in separate files, import parents first.
  4. Only enter email addresses for people you want to be able to log into Chorus Connection. Including an email address means the member will be a User.
  5. The following fields are required:
    • First name
    • Last name
    • Section (Must exactly match a section you have in Chorus Connection.)
    • Status (We suggest using the archival status Imported - Activation Pending to prevent user invitations from being sent prematurely.)
    • Permission level (Must exactly match a permission level you have in Chorus Connection.)
    • Hide email (TRUE or FALSE)
      To protect the privacy of minors, we suggest "TRUE" for youth members.
    • Hide phone (TRUE or FALSE)
      To protect the privacy of minors, we suggest "TRUE" for youth members.
    • Hide address (TRUE or FALSE)
      To protect the privacy of minors, we suggest "TRUE" for youth members.
  6. Section split can either be UPPER or LOWER or it can be left blank.
  7. Date fields like Member since and Birthday must use the format yyyy-mm-dd.
    Note: "Birthday" should be entered as a full date, but the year isn't stored. (It's shown as Month/Day in the directory.) If you need to store a birth year for administrative purposes, you can create a Custom Field.
  8. You can import Relationships for children by entering one or more (comma-separated) parent emails in the Parents column. The system will identify the parents using their email addresses. That means the parent emails must already be in Chorus Connection or appear in the same CSV file with the children.
  9. Leave the Children column blank for everyone. 
  10. Since Custom Field data can be imported, you'll want to consider creating Custom Fields before your import. That way, you can avoid entering that information manually later.

What happens next for a Youth Choir? After most of your content is in place (Calendar, Music, Files, etc.), you'll go ahead and upload your import file. If you don't want invitations to go out to families immediately, everyone must have the status Imported - Activation Pending. Then, after the import, you can do prep work for payments or adding kids to rosters and activate people to send invitations afterward.