Bulk document uploads are useful when you have generated documents outside Donorfy, such as mail-merged letters, and want a copy of each document visible on the relevant constituent timeline.
📌Note: This process relies on exact file name matching between your upload spreadsheet and the documents themselves.
Prepare Activities or Gift Aid Declarations
You must first create the Activities or Gift Aid Declarations that the documents will be linked to.
Go to Data Management, then click File Upload.
Click Update Template and download the Data Preparation Template.
Open the template and delete any tabs you do not need, for example keeping only the Activities tab.
Populate the Upload Template
Enter your data into the spreadsheet.
Include the constituent identifier, such as the Constituent Number.
Enter the details of the new Activity or Gift Aid Declaration.
Add the document file name in the AttachedDocument column.
⚠️Important:
The document name must be less than 50 characters.
The document name must be unique.
The document name must include the file extension, for example .pdf or .docx.
A recommended naming format is to include the document type, constituent number, and year, for example GAD1234.2017.pdf.
Prepare Document Files
Ensure your document files match the names in the spreadsheet exactly.
Uploading One Document to Multiple Constituents
If the same document needs to be linked to multiple constituents:
Duplicate the file using copy and paste.
Select all duplicated files, then right-click and choose Rename.
Rename the first file and press Enter to apply sequential numbering.
📌Note: Special characters such as brackets and underscores are not accepted by the uploader.
Bulk Rename Files Using PowerShell
For large numbers of files, you can rename them in bulk.
Move all files into a single folder.
Hold Shift, right-click in the folder, then select Open PowerShell here.
Run the following command, replacing MYFILENAME with your chosen name:
$nr=1; Dir | %{Rename-Item $_ -NewName ("MYFILENAME{0:000}$($_.Extension)" -f $nr++)}
This will rename files as:
MYFILENAME001.
MYFILENAME002.
MYFILENAME003.
File extensions are preserved automatically.
Generate File Names in Excel
To replicate document names in Excel:
Enter base file names in one column, for example ThisIsATest001.
Enter the file extension, such as .docx, in a second column.
Use a concatenate formula to join them together.
Paste the final values into the AttachedDocument column.
Save the completed spreadsheet with a clear name, for example: Document_Uploads_Activities.xlsx.
Upload the Data File
Upload the spreadsheet to Donorfy.
Go to Data Management, then click File Upload.
Drag and drop the spreadsheet into the upload area.
Monitor the upload status in Files uploaded in the last 30 days.
Click Apply Changes once the upload completes successfully.
:The file status will update to confirm it has been applied.
Upload the Documents
Upload the document files themselves.
Go to Data Management, then click File Upload.
Open the Linked Documents tab.
Drag and drop your document files into the upload area.
Uploaded documents appear in the To be Resolved list while waiting to be linked.
Resolve and Link Documents
Once documents are uploaded:
Click Refresh in the To be Resolved section.
Documents automatically link to matching Activities or Gift Aid Declarations.
Matching is based on the AttachedDocument file name.
Fix Errors or Non-Matches
Some documents may fail to link automatically.
Common reasons include:
Incorrect constituent number in the spreadsheet.
Missing or incorrect file extension.
Non-unique document names.
Refreshing before all uploads completed.
To fix manually:
Click Find constituent for this document.
Select the correct constituent.
Choose the relevant Activity or Gift Aid Declaration from the last three years.
Click Link Document to Selected Item.
If a document cannot be matched, delete it from To be Resolved and upload it manually to the correct timeline entry.