Mapping contact info: Mailing addresses

NOTE: If you are exporting mailing address data and re-importing it in order to bulk update it, make sure you include the following columns in your export: 

  • LGL Constituent ID
  • Street
  • City
  • State
  • Postal/Zip
  • LGL Address ID 

You will not be able to update/change an address without importing and mapping to the LGL Address ID. Re-importing address data without mapping to the LGL Address ID will cause the data to be added as an additional address, rather than updating an existing address. Ensuring that you set up mappings for each of these fields will cause the bulk change you are making to occur in the correct constituent and mailing address records. In addition, if you included any name columns in your export, you may want to remove them before re-importing. They are not needed when you have mappings for the LGL Constituent ID and the LGL Address ID.

Important information

It is possible to import mailing address data from one “mailing address” column or in multiple columns.

NOTE: Keep in mind that zip codes with leading zeroes should have special formatting applied in your import spreadsheet prior to importing.

Required fields

No set fields are required to be able to create a street address, but at least some information needs to be provided.

Special fields

None available.

Examples showing how to map mailing address fields

Please refer to the examples below to see how to format your data in two possible cases. For each example, follow the mapping shown in the corresponding screenshots as you're mapping your own fields in the Flex Importer.

Example #1: The full mailing address is included in one column

The data goes into one column, with each data point separated by a comma.

NOTE: Turn on Address Verification in your account to make sure your addresses are normalized once imported.

Import file

Field mapping

Preview

Example #2: Each data point goes in its own column

Add a column to your spreadsheet for each component of the mailing address (when available):

  • Street address
  • City
  • State
  • Zip code
  • County
  • Country

Import file

Field mapping

NOTE: Any field that does not have a mapping set up automatically (i.e., it is set to “-- do not import --”), be sure to add the field you want the data to go to manually by selecting it from the “Field” dropdown menu.

Preview

Importing multiple addresses for a single constituent

To import more than one address for a single donor, your spreadsheet should be set up with a column for “Address type” for each type of address you are importing (such as Home, Work, or Other). Your address fields need to indicate which address the data belongs in, such as:

Street #1 | City #1 | State #1 | zip code #1 | Address #1 type | Street #2 | City #2 | State #2 | zip code #2 | Address #2 type

When you map your fields, you can leave the Record Type set to "Address #1" for the first address and then set it to “Address #2” for the second address, as shown here.

Two ways to import an address type

  • If you have a column for each address type, map them as shown in the "Address type 1" and "Address type 2" mappings in the screenshot above.
  • If you don't have columns for your address types, you can set a default value for each one, as shown below:

Two ways to make an address preferred

  • When you are importing address information that you want to become preferred, you can set a default value for "Address is preferred?", setting it to "Yes".
  • You can also import the addresses as "preferred" by titling your columns as "Preferred street", "Preferred city", etc. and mapping to the fields in LGL by the same names.

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