CSV Template

Offline gifts,ready for Givebutter.

Collect cash, check and event donations from volunteers and chapters in the columns of Givebutter's transaction import, with amounts, payment methods and dates checked as they're entered.

Givebutter's column namesPayment methods it acceptsTry it free

Givebutter Donations

Try the template with up to 3 rows

What You'll Collect

Campaign

String

*Required

The campaign title the gift is credited to, exactly as it is in Givebutter.

Donor

String

*Required

First and last name, with an email or phone so Givebutter can find the right contact.

Amount

Number

*Required

The amount given, as a plain number above zero, without fees.

Payment method

Enum

*Required

Cash, check, card, stock, in kind and the other values Givebutter's import accepts.

Transaction date

Date

*Required

The day of the gift, written as YYYY-MM-DD.

Fund, check & dedication

String

An existing fund code, the check number, and gifts in honor or memory of someone.

Need more than three rows?

Collect every gift from your event.

The free template is limited to three rows so you can try the workflow. Create your own form to send to volunteers, chapters or your finance team, and import their gifts in one go.

Create your own form

Givebutter's column names

Headers match Givebutter's transaction template, so the importer maps them for you.

Checked as they type

Missing names and campaigns, amounts with $ or commas, unknown payment methods and wrong dates are flagged.

Your campaigns and funds as dropdowns

In your own form, turn Campaign Title and Fund Code into lists, so they always match Givebutter.

Up to 1,000 rows

Room for a whole gala, a month of mailed checks or a year of cash gifts.

How it works

From donation envelope to Givebutter in three steps.

Collect

Send the form to whoever counted the gifts: event volunteers, chapter treasurers or the front desk.

Complete

One gift per row. Missing donors, amounts with currency symbols and unknown payment methods are highlighted.

Download and import

Download the CSV and import it in Givebutter under Transactions, Import, after importing any new contacts.

Why use a form?

Gift spreadsheets fail on the details.

A spreadsheet of offline gifts usually arrives with "$50" in the amount column, "Cheque" as the payment method and dates in three different formats. Givebutter's import rejects those rows, and a campaign name typed slightly differently creates a new campaign instead of crediting yours.

A form checks each gift as it's entered, so the file is ready to import when it reaches you.

Amounts the import can't read

Amounts must be plain numbers above zero: $1,250.00 is written as 1250.

Payment methods it doesn't know

Only Givebutter's values are offered, such as cash, check, in_kind and donor_advised_fund.

Gifts that can't find their donor

Every gift needs a name, and an email or phone lets Givebutter match it to the right contact.

Givebutter donation template

How Givebutter imports donations

Givebutter records gifts made outside its own forms, such as cash, checks, stock or in-kind donations, through its transaction import. In the dashboard, open Transactions, click Import and choose Transactions Import, then upload a CSV or Excel file and confirm how its columns map to Givebutter's fields.

Each gift needs a campaign, the donor, an amount, a payment method and a transaction date. The campaign can be given as its six-character code or its title, but not both: a title that matches an existing campaign is credited to it, and any other title creates a new external campaign. The amount is what the donor gave, without fees, and must be above zero. Refunds can't be imported.

Givebutter matches each gift to a contact by Contact ID, or by first and last name plus an email or phone number, and creates a new contact when nothing matches. Import new contacts first, then transactions. Fund codes must already exist, check numbers only apply to checks, and a dedication needs the honoree's name.

This template uses the column names from Givebutter's own transaction template and checks each column as it's filled in. Rules that depend on two columns, such as a check number only for checks, are in the column help. Rows that still fail appear under Settings, Imports, where you can download just the failed records.

How-To Guides

Related Templates

Importing donors too? Use the Givebutter contacts template, read donor import errors for every rule and its fix, or see Import Builder for nonprofits.

Need a CSV form of your own?

Create a custom Import Builder form with your own fields, validation and row limits.

Get started

Import Builder is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Givebutter. Givebutter is a trademark of its owner. Columns as described in Givebutter's transaction import instructions and template, October 2026.