hidden Importing Catalog Items

Can Print Bid Sheets and Place in Winners/Buyers Carts

These columns are required in order to import an item.   Each row/item must include either a Business or Individual Donor Name (first/last or full).   Any fixed price item types will also need a buy now price.   This data will allow bids sheets to be printed and items to be placed in buyers carts at a gala event.

Importing columns of optional data using these column headers  will allow you to thank your Donors, and generate Catalog and Print Description Sheets.

If you have additional data on donors or items you'd like to import, you can download the complete list of fields/column headers available in the SAMPLE SPREADSHEET.  

 Additional Instructions and Tips for Item Imports:

• Each row must contain a donor and an item.
• Business and Individual Donor Names must be in separate columns.
• If Business and Individual Names are provided in a row, the Individual name will be imported as the Contact Person for the Business.
• Many item data fields can be easily bulk edited (data added or changed across multiple records in one action) so it is often easier to add/edit those fields once the items have been imported.  For instance, you can easily add or edit buy now prices, minimum bids, item categories, solicitor names and more after the import.  Fields that can be bulk edited are highlighted on the sample spreadsheets.
• If you will be combining items into lots, import the individual items associated with their donor, then manually create the lots after the import.
• Fair Market Value is a required and critical value which determines potential tax deductibility and is used to calculate minimum bid/raise and buy now prices.  If you do not know the actual fair market value - use an easily identifiable placeholder to flag values which need eventual editing.  We recommend $999 rather than $0 (which is used to indicate 100% tax deductibility).
• Custom, or User Defined fields, are NOT available for Items, but you may be able to co-opt an unused field (such as misc. or notes) to import and display the data.  Some fields (such as Location and Solicitor) can be bulk edited, so co-opting one of those will also allow you to easily add or edit the data across multiple records after import.

1. If the simple imports above will work for you, organize your spreadsheet using the column headers shown above.  If you want to import more complete donor/item records, you can find the list of available column headers on our sample spreadsheet.
2. Review your spreadsheet to confirm that each row contains one donor and one item, and data for all cells in required columns/fields.   You can find more detailed guidelines on organizing and reviewing your spreadsheet here.
3. When you're ready, send your import request to support@schoolauction.net- be sure to attach your spreadsheet.   We will notify you when your import is complete and your data is visible (generally takes 48-72 hours)
4. Once data has been submitted for import, all donors/items must be entered directly into the software.  Imports cannot update existing records and multiple imports are fraught with risks so do not continue to use spreadsheets for data collection.     Plan on importing your existing data promptly, then create new records by entering data directly into the software.   There are few upsides and many downsides to waiting to import until the week prior to your event.