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Best Practice When Importing Patrons From DonorPerfect

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How patron records differ in ReadySetAuction and DonorPerfect


In ReadySetAuction, each individual has his own patron account; and each patron account requires a first name and a last name. For example, John Doe would have his own patron record with the First Name field = John and the Last Name field = Doe. Jane Doe would have her own patron record too with the First Name field = Jane and the Last Name field = Doe. This allows both John and Jane to bid from their own devices during the pre-event online auction and mobile bidding during the event. For purposes of the in-person (live) auction, John Doe and Jane Doe can share a bidder number, which also lets them share the credit card info on file for anything either of them may have won during the online/mobile auction.

In DonorPerfect, a couple is combined into one record. Following the example above, in DonorPerfect, the First Name field = John and Jane, and the Last Name field = Doe. In other words, it's just a single record.

Best method for bringing patrons from DonorPerfect to ReadySetAuction

  1. Export patrons from DonorPerfect to a .CSV file. Be sure to include the DonorPerfect ID # with each record.
  2. Once exported, open the file in Excel and change the DonorPerfect First_Name column label to Custom Addressee. So, John and Jane will be contained in the Custom Addressee field that will import to ReadySetAuction.
  3. Add a new column to the spreadsheet and label it First Name. Enter into it one of the couple's first names; for example, John. IMPORTANT NOTE: If it is obvious which member of the couple the email belongs to, then enter that person into the First Name field. For example, if the email address associated with John and Jane Doe in DonorPerfect is [email protected], you would enter John into the First Name field on the import spreadsheet.
  4. Follow the guidelines in the Patron Import FAQ. We suggest you set both the Is Donor and Is Bidder fields to 'yes,' which means enter a 1 into both of those fields for all records in the spreadsheet.
  5. Save the spreadsheet as a .CSV file.
  6. Import the .CSV file to ReadySetAuction (Patrons > Everyone > Import).

Invite bidders to purchase tickets

  1. Invite your bidders to purchase tickets and/or set up an account for online/mobile bidding (Patrons > Bidders > Actions on Bidders => Invite All Who Are Not Yet Invited).
  2. In the example we're using, John will receive the email and can purchase two tickets to the event. When he does so, the Attendee #1 fields will auto-fill with his information (name and email address). He can then enter Jane's name and optionally her email into the Attendee #2 fields.
  3. When John completes the online purchase, Jane's record will automatically be added to the Patrons > Bidder list in the Control Center. Her Account status will be 'none.'

Share bidder number for the couple

  1. Click on Jane's record on the Patrons > Bidder list. On the Bidder Info page, under the second section, click Change bidder #.
  2. In the pull down menu, choose Using.
  3. In the second pull down menu, choose John Doe
  4. Click Update.
  5. Return to the Bidder List (Patrons > Bidders).

Invite spouse/partner to set up electronic bidding account

  1. If you are conducting online/mobile bidding before and/or during your event, send an invitation to Jane so she can set up her own electronic bidding account and bid electronically from her own device. (Go to Patrons > Bidders. Check off Jane's record. Choose Invite Selected from the Actions on bidders menu.) Note: You will also have the opportunity to invite Jane to set up an electronic bidding account as part of the check-in process at the event.

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