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Create Gift Aid Declarations Using the File Uploader

How to prepare and upload Gift Aid Declarations for new and existing constituents using the File Uploader.

Cristina Gruita avatar
Written by Cristina Gruita
Updated over a week ago

You can create Gift Aid Declarations in bulk for both new and existing constituents by using the data preparation template and File Uploader. This article explains how to prepare your data, how declarations are matched to constituents, how to attach documents, and how to upload and apply the changes.

1. Prepare Your Data

  1. Navigate to Data Management, click File Upload.

  2. Download the data preparation template.

  3. Open the template and remove any worksheets you do not need, leaving only the Gift Aid Declarations sheet.

  4. In the Gift Aid Declarations sheet, add one row per declaration and complete the columns as follows:

Gift Aid Declaration Fields

  • Declaration Date
    Enter the date the declaration was made.

  • Declaration Start Date
    Enter the date the declaration started.

    • If a specific date is not provided (for example, the supporter has requested it to start 1 year ago), the start date must be set to 4 years before the declaration date.

    • You can use an Excel formula such as:
      ​=F1-(365*4)
      where F1 is the cell containing the Declaration Date.

  • Declaration End Date
    Enter the date the declaration will end.

    • If a specific date is not provided (for example, the supporter requested the declaration to end in two months’ time), the end date will be set to 99 years after the declaration date.

    • You can use an Excel formula such as:
      ​=F1+(365*99)
      where F1 is the cell containing the Declaration Date.

  • Declaration Method
    Enter a valid Gift Aid declaration method as set up in:
    ​Settings, Configurations, Gift Aid Declaration Methods.

  • Tax Payer Title, First Name, Last Name
    Enter the name of the person making the declaration.

  • Confirmation Required?
    Enter Yes if a confirmation must be sent before you can claim using the new declaration. (See the related article about confirmation requirements for more information.)

📌Note:
You must also include enough information to match each declaration to an existing constituent, or enough data to add a new constituent for the timeline items. See Match Gift Aid Declarations to Constituents below.

2. Match Gift Aid Declarations to Constituents

Gift Aid Declarations you import are added to the timeline of the constituent they belong to. To allow the system to find the correct constituent, include one or more of the following fields in your data:

  • Constituent Number
    The system will link directly using the constituent number.

  • Email Address
    The system will attempt to find an existing constituent with the email address provided.

  • Phone Number
    The system will attempt to find an existing constituent with the phone number provided.

  • External Key
    If you used an external key when importing constituents, you can link timeline entries using that key. (See the knowledge base article about external keys for more help.)

The system checks for a match in this order:

  1. Constituent Number.

  2. Email Address.

  3. Phone Number.

  4. External Key.

If a match is found at any step (for example, by email address), the checks further down the list (for example, phone number) are not performed.

The result of the matching process is shown in the Status column that is added to the worksheet.

3. Attach Supporting Documents

You can attach documents (for example, scans of Gift Aid Declaration forms) so that they are linked to the declarations.

In the Gift Aid Declarations sheet:

  • Use the AttachedDocument column to store the file name of the document you want to link to the declaration.

Document Naming Requirements

For documents to link correctly to a constituent:

  1. Each document must have a unique file name.

    For example, you might base the name on the document type, constituent number, and year:

    • GAD<Constituent Number>_<Year>

    • e.g. GAD1234_2017.pdf

  2. The document name must include the file extension, for example:

    • mydocument.docx

    • mydeclaration.pdf

📌Note:
For more information about adding the documents after the upload has completed, see Step 3 in the related article about uploading documents via the File Uploader.

4. Save the Workbook

Before you upload:

  1. Ensure all relevant data has been entered into the Gift Aid Declarations sheet.

  2. Make sure the sheet contains only values (no formulas in any cells).

    • If you used formulas to calculate dates, convert them to values (for example, by copying and pasting as values).

  3. Save the workbook in your preferred location.

5. Upload the File and Apply Changes

  1. Go to Data Management, click File Upload.

  2. Drag and drop your saved workbook into the shaded upload area.

  3. Wait for the system to check the file and review any reported issues in the upload results:

    • Correct any problems in your source workbook if needed.

    • Re-upload the updated file if changes are required.

  4. When you are happy with the file, click Apply Changes to add the Gift Aid Declarations to the relevant constituent timelines.

Related Articles
Add a Gift Aid Declaration
Confirm Gift Aid Declarations
Create Gift Aid Declarations When Uploading Donations
Manage Gift Aid Declarations Using the API
Upload Documents in Bulk
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