How to Load Email Data into Avid

This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process of uploading email contact data to unlock specialized reporting. For a full and complete list of fields to maximize Avid analytics, go to this article.

Step 1: Navigate to the Data Upload Section

1. Log in to Avid AI.
2. Go to the Settings menu.
3. Locate the Add File button. This section allows you to upload files directly or use other methods like SFTP or a public link.

Step 2: Upload Your File

1. Choose Your Upload Method:
   • Set up an SFTP drive that will automatically process any data files uploaded to it
   • Drag and drop your file into the upload area.
   • Or, generate a Public Link to share with your data handlers, allowing them to upload the data without gaining access to the rest of Avid.
2. Prepare Your File:
   Include the following key columns in your data; the more fields that you can include, the more detailed your reporting will be. For a full and complete list, go to this article which describes fields that we use in Avid.

• • Email (Required) - The individual email address
  • Date Created (Required) - The original inception date when available

To improve matching the email file with the donor file, we also recommend the following fields:

• • Contact ID (Recommended) - System identifier for this contact
  • Donor Household Account ID (Recommended) - Household-level CRM ID
  • Donor Individual Contact ID (Recommended) - Individual/contact-level CRM ID

Some fields that will help analyze your email data and provide more insight into your email fundraising: 

• • Status (Optional) - Email Status (e.g. sendable, bounced, unsubscribed, etc)
  • Unsubscribe Date (Optional) - The date the subscriber opted out
  • Date First Bounce (Optional) - The date the subscriber first had a tracked bounce/undeliverable
  • Date Last Bounce (Optional) - The date the subscriber first had a tracked bounce/undeliverable
  • Date First Send (Optional) - The date of the first email the subscriber received
  • Date Last Send (Optional) - The date of the last email the subscriber received
  Once ready, click Upload, and select your file. After uploading, you can view it in the Files tab. You can upload multiple files and they will all be added into the system for reporting.
• Note: The column names do not have to match the list above but they must remain consistent across files.

Step 3: Configure the File for Email Mail Reporting

1. Select the "+ Add" button next to your uploaded file name. This is found on the Files section of the settings.
2. Enter the information below to create a data set that will allow multiple files to be added into Avid without any future effort.
   • Name: Choose a descriptive name for your data set. "Email File Upload" works.
   • Category: Select "Email Contacts".
   • Refresh Type: Choose "Append" which allows you to add multiple files over time. It will keep a continuous record of all mailings and recipients.
   • Deduplication (Optional): This determine how future files are deduplicated against it other (in case the same file is uploaded twice). We would suggest selecting the Email column and and Contact ID if available. 
   • File Name Pattern: This is how Avid determines whether future files should be added to the same data set.
     • Full File Name: If the file name will be the same every time, leave the field as is.
     • Wildcard Matching: If the file name will vary from upload to upload, you have the option of entering specific words to look for such as "Email" or anything else. You can then add a % before and/or after the words which will allow it to match to those files. For example, if the file pattern were set as "email%", it would match a file named "email_september.csv" or "email_contacts_20241010.csv".
3. Press Next once finished.
4. You can skip the optional Inclusion Filter screen.
   

Step 4: Map Your Data

After the inclusion filter, you will be on the final step of the setup process. At this point, you will align the columns found in your file to what they are called in Avid.

Use the drop downs on the left side to match to the Avid column on the right. After mapping the required fields, you can add any additional fields found in the file. If there isn't a default field, you can add a Custom Column which can be used for filters or potentially custom charts.

Pro Tips:

• Flexible Columns: While column names in your file don’t have to match exactly, consistency in naming conventions across files ensures consistent processing.
• Appending New Data: Always choose the "Append" refresh type for building a comprehensive dataset over time.
• Custom Filters: Use mapped fields (like category or package) to apply filters in your analysis.

By following these steps, you can easily load and analyze your email data, unlocking valuable insights for your fundraising efforts!