How To: Import Contacts

Video: How to Import and Export Contacts Made Easy

What This Solves

This walkthrough shows you how to move contacts in and out of Church Fuel safely. You’ll learn how to export existing contacts, import a CSV file correctly, and map fields so your data stays clean, organized, and compliant with communication rules.

What You’ll Learn

How to export contacts from All Contacts or a Smart List
How to prepare and upload a CSV file
The difference between Create, Update, and Create and Update imports
How to map fields like name, email, and phone correctly
How to convert Groups from another platform into Tags
How to honor opt-outs and Do Not Disturb settings
How to apply tags or Smart Lists after import
How to monitor bulk import progress

Quick Steps

Export Contacts

Open Contacts, then open All Contacts or a specific Smart List.

Select the contacts on the page, then click Select All to include everyone.

Click Export.

A CSV file will download to your computer.

Import Contacts

In Contacts, click Import in the top-right corner.

Keep Contacts selected and click Next.

Upload your CSV file. Only CSV files are accepted.

Choose your import type:

Create and Update Contacts (most common)
Create Contacts only
Update Contacts only

Click Next to review field mapping.

Confirm that key fields are mapped correctly:

First Name
Last Name
Email
Phone

Church Fuel will auto-map many common fields.

If your CSV includes Groups from another texting platform, map that column to Tags.

If your CSV includes opt-out indicators, map that column to Do Not Disturb so communication preferences are honored.

Remove any fields you do not want to import by clicking the X next to the field.

Click Next.

Optional Post-Import Settings

Choose whether to:

Create a Smart List from this import
Add a tag to all imported contacts
Add contacts to a workflow (use sparingly)

Confirm that all imported contacts have permission to be contacted.

Check the consent box.

Click Start Bulk Import.

Monitor the Import

Open Bulk Actions to monitor progress.

Large imports take time. Ten to fifteen minutes is normal for bigger lists.

Once complete, contacts will appear in All Contacts and any Smart Lists you created.

Notes

Always clean your CSV before uploading. Keep only essential fields like name, email, phone, tags, and opt-out status.
When switching from another texting platform, mapping Groups to Tags preserves your segmentation.
Never import contacts who have opted out of SMS. Always map opt-out fields to Do Not Disturb.
After importing, review your Smart Lists to confirm filters are working as expected.