Yes. GiveNow offers a free import service to help organisations on the Pro plan migrate their existing membership lists onto our platform. This allows you to manage memberships through OrgHQ, process renewals via GiveNow, and track member activity.
What data can be imported?
When importing existing members, the following details are required:
- First name.
- Last name.
- Email address (must be valid).
- Membership type (for example, adult, child, concession).
- Renewal type (manual renewal, automatic renewal, or one-off membership).
- Renewal date (DD/MM/YYYY format).
- Joined date (DD/MM/YYYY format).
What data cannot be imported?
Some details cannot be migrated due to system limitations:
- Titles (for example, Mr, Mrs, Mx).
- Phone numbers.
- Addresses.
- Payment details.
- Any other membership details you may have collected.
Note: These details can still be added to member profiles later in OrgHQ, either by the members themselves or by an administrator.
How does the import process work?
- Create your membership program in OrgHQ, entering all membership types and required membership questions.
- Contact the GiveNow team at service@givenow.com.au to request the membership import template.
- Complete the spreadsheet with your membership data. Ensure all email addresses are valid and dates follow the DD/MM/YYYY format.
- Submit the completed file to service@givenow.com.au at least five business days before your desired import date. This allows time for the GiveNow team to review, test, and clean the data before processing.
- If you would like to align on a specific go-live date — for example, to give your organisation time to notify existing members before they receive the welcome email — let us know when you submit the file.
- The GiveNow team will review the data and process the import.
Note: The import process can only be done once. Please ensure your spreadsheet is complete and finalised before submission. Ideally, the import is done at the start of your membership management with GiveNow to avoid duplication.
What happens next?
The welcome email
Once your import is complete, each member will receive a welcome email titled "Welcome to [Organisation Name] membership." The email is sent in an overnight batch after the import runs, so members typically receive it the morning after the import completes.
The email contains a Set your password button that takes members to a page where they can create a password and access their MyGiving account.
Note: The welcome email is sent only once. If a member does not respond, no automatic reminders are sent. You may want to follow up with these members directly to encourage them to complete their setup.
Setting up their membership
Once logged in, members will be able to:
- Update membership details: Answer any custom questions your organisation has set for members.
- Update payment details: Members on automatic renewal will be prompted to enter payment details in their profile. These details are stored securely with our payment partner and used for future renewals. This step is not required for manual or one-off memberships.
Members with automatic renewal must log in and update their payment details to ensure renewals are processed correctly.
You can share the following article with your members to help them understand what to expect: My membership has been imported to GiveNow — what do I need to do?
The card authorisation hold
When a member on automatic renewal enters their payment details for the first time, a temporary authorisation hold for the full membership amount may appear on their card statement. This is a standard card validation step by the payment provider and is not an actual charge. The hold typically clears within a few business days.
Members with a renewal date that has already passed
If an imported member has a renewal date in the past and they later activate their account by entering payment details, their status will change from 'Incomplete' to 'Active' immediately. However, the payment is not processed at that moment — it is processed in the overnight batch that follows.
Once the payment is processed, the membership renews and the next renewal date is pushed forward by one year from the original renewal date, not from the date of activation.
Example: If a member's imported renewal date was 18 July 2026, and they activate their account on 20 October 2026, the overdue membership payment is processed overnight. The next renewal date then becomes 18 July 2027 — one year from the original renewal date.
Tracking activation progress
You can monitor member setup progress in OrgHQ at any time.
- Log in to OrgHQ.
- Go to View members, under Memberships in the left-hand menu.
- Members will show as 'Incomplete' until they have set their password and entered payment details (for automatic renewals), then 'Active.'
Note: A membership summary email is only sent to your organisation when new membership purchases are made outside of the import. For example, when a new member signs up through your GiveNow membership page. Activations by imported members, cancellations, and other status changes do not trigger automatic notifications. The most reliable way to monitor these is by reviewing member records directly in OrgHQ.
Adding member details on their behalf
If you would like to spare members from updating certain details themselves (such as addresses or phone numbers), administrators can add this information directly. Go to Memberships > View members > View next to the member's name, then select Edit at the top right.
Correcting import errors
If a member has been imported under the wrong membership type, the correction path depends on the renewal type:
- Manual renewal members: An administrator can change the type directly in OrgHQ. See How do I cancel or edit a member's membership? for details.
- Automatic renewal members: The membership type cannot be changed once linked to a payment authorisation. The incorrect membership must be cancelled and the member re-imported under the correct type. Contact the GiveNow team at service@givenow.com.au for help with this process.
Note: Re-imported members will receive the welcome email a second time. You may want to give them a heads-up before the re-import so they are not surprised.