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Use Import Members to create member records from a CSV file. The import wizard guides you through upload, column mapping, validation, and final import.
Who can do this: Org Owner, Org Admin, and Branch Admin can import members. Editors do not see Import in the sidebar.

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Before you import

Prepare a .csv file with one row per member. The import wizard accepts:
  • Up to 700 rows
  • Files up to 5 MB
  • Built-in member fields
  • Active member custom fields
The required fields are First Name and Last Name. Other built-in fields are optional.

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Download the template

1

Open Import

In the sidebar, click Import.
2

Download the CSV template

Click Download Template.
3

Fill in member rows

Add your member data to the downloaded CSV file.
The template includes built-in fields and your active member custom fields.

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Upload the file

  1. In Import, drag your CSV file into the upload area or click the upload area to browse.
  2. If you are an org-scoped user, select the branch you want to import into.
  3. Wait for Bethel ChMS to parse the file.
If the file is too large, has too many rows, or is not a valid CSV file, the wizard shows an error before any records are imported.

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Map columns

The Map Columns step matches each CSV column to a member field. Bethel ChMS auto-matches common column names such as:
  • first name to First Name
  • surname to Last Name
  • phone to Mobile Number
  • dob to Date of Birth
  • age group to Age Group
You can change each mapping manually. Choose Skip This Column for columns you do not want to import.
Each target field can only be mapped once. If you assign a field to a second column, Bethel ChMS unassigns it from the previous column.
Org Owner and Org Admin users may be able to create a custom field from the mapping step when the feature is available for the organisation. Branch Admin users can map to existing custom fields but cannot create new custom fields from the import wizard.

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Validate the data

The Validation Preview step shows the first 50 rows and summarizes:
  • Rows ready to import
  • Duplicates that will be skipped
  • Rows with errors
Bethel ChMS normalises values before import. For example, it can normalise dates, gender values, nationalities, numbers, booleans, single-select values, and age group values. If a date column is ambiguous, the wizard asks you to choose DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY before validation continues.

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Duplicate handling

The import checks for duplicates in two places:
  • Within the uploaded CSV file
  • Against existing members in the selected branch
Rows are treated as duplicates when they share an email address or mobile number. Duplicate rows are skipped. They are not imported.
After the import, use managing members and visitors to review possible duplicate member pairs and merge records when needed.

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Age groups during import

The import supports both Date of Birth and Age Group.
  • If Date of Birth is present, Bethel ChMS derives the member’s age group from the organisation configuration.
  • If Date of Birth is blank and Age Group is mapped, the wizard resolves the supplied age group to an existing age-group option.
  • If both are present, Date of Birth wins and the mapped age group is ignored.
Rows where age group is ignored still import. The preview shows an informational note for those rows.

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Run the import

When validation passes, click Import Members. Bethel ChMS creates the member records in one batch. If the import succeeds, the result page shows the number of imported members and the number of skipped duplicates. Click View Members to open the member list for the selected branch. If the import fails, no records are imported and the operation is rolled back. The result page shows the error and an import reference.

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Review import history

Open the Import History tab to view recent imports for the selected branch. The history table shows:
  • File name
  • Date
  • Imported count
  • Skipped count
  • Status
  • Imported by
Bethel ChMS stores both completed and failed import jobs in history.