What the import brings across
An administrator can import people from a CSV file: up to 5 000 in one import. Every row is checked and shown to you before anything is created, and the import reports any row it could not apply.
The import brings across people. It does not bring across past contributions, attendance, meetings, fines, join dates, policies or premium history. For a burial society, you can record what each member already owes as an opening balance. For a funeral policy company, see the note for policy companies below.
Prepare your file
Save your spreadsheet as a CSV file with one person per row and these columns:
| Column | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
full_name | Yes | The person's full name |
id_number | Yes | A 13-digit South African ID number |
email | Yes | Their own email address; it becomes their sign-in |
phone | No | A contact number |
address | No | A postal or physical address |
Before you import, Burial Desk checks each row: that the required columns are filled in, that ID numbers have 13 digits, that phone numbers look right, that nobody appears twice in the file, and whether an ID number is already registered.
What happens to each person
- Someone new to Burial Desk gets an account in your organisation. They set their own password the first time they sign in, using the password reset on the sign-in screen, so let them know before you import.
- Someone who already has a Burial Desk account, with another society for example, is not added without their say. They are sent a code to accept instead.
Before you import: dates and waiting periods
Imported memberships start on the day of the import. Past join dates do not come across, so for a burial society the waiting period before claims is counted from the import date.
If many of your members have already served their waiting period, talk to us before you import so we can plan the move with you.
Opening balances for societies
After the import, an administrator or treasurer can add an opening balance for any member who is already behind, with a reason. The member is told, and from then on Burial Desk works out what they owe from your monthly contribution, every night.
A note for funeral policy companies
The import creates the people on your book, not their policies. There is no import of existing policies, covered lives or premium history yet: staff cannot yet write a policy for someone already imported, and every policy written in Burial Desk starts on the day it is written, with a new waiting period. If you are moving a large book, talk to us first and we will work out the best way across with you.
Need a hand?
Ask for an onboarding call, or message us on WhatsApp, and we will help you plan the move.