Importing applications with Google Sheets importer

Using the Google Sheets importer available in the Integrations marketplace, you can import your organisation's applications in just a few steps. 

Should I use this feature?

Importing your program's historical data, like applications from prior years, can be incredibly useful. Most commonly, organisations decided to store data in one location to streamline searches when looking for information gathered in previous grant cycles. This, in turn, saves your team valuable time. 

What will I need to have prepared?

To facilitate the import of applications you'll need to have two things:

  • A fully configured application form in Good Grants with fields that match that historical data
  • A formatted Google Sheets spreadsheet with your historical application data and slugs from Good Grants

This guide will cover best practices for both of those items and tips to ease configuration. 

Step 1: configure your application form

If you've previously collected applications outside of Good Grants, you'll have a general idea of what type of what your application form should look like and what information you need from applicants. To configure your Good Grants application form for the first time, you'll need to configure the necessary form(s), categories, tabs, and fields. To guide you through this process, see the guides below:

If you have questions along the way, don't hesitate to contact our client success team

Step 2: format your Google Sheet for import

For those who have a spreadsheet of previous applications already, formatting it for import into Good Grants will be easy. You'll simply need to add a few columns. If you're starting from scratch, there are a handful of items that you will need to ensure are added.

When the time comes your Google Sheet will require columns for:

  • Applicant email address
  • Season
  • Chapter slug (if applicable)
  • Category slug
  • Application name 
  • Application field slugs
    Tip: each application field will require it's own column with the field's slug as it's column header. To quickly gather these values we recommend taking a 'Fields' export via Settings > Applications > Fields. To learn more about exports, see our Ultimate guide to exports.
  • Application slug
    Note: leave the slug column blank when importing new applications spreadsheet will look similar to the below when finished.

Good Grants import spreadsheet.png

For further information, see the Notes for import section at the bottom of this guide.

Step 3: import applications

Configuring the application import from Google Sheets is handled by the integration marketplace which will walk you through setup step-by-step. To get started:

  1. Go to Settings > Integrations > Marketplace in the Manage workspace
  2. Under the 'Import' heading, click Google Sheets importer
    Good Grants Google Sheets importer.png
  3. When the box appears, click Configure
  4. Provide a Name for your integration or leave the default before hitting Next
    Award Force integration name.png
  5. In the 'Google Sheets Connection' box, click Sign In with Google
    Sign in with Google button.png
  6. Follow the prompts to sign into Google and authorise your connection
  7. When completed the following message will display instructing you to close the tab
    Authorization completed successfully .png
  8. Back in Good Grants, click Next
  9. Input your Spreadsheet ID 
    Spreadsheet ID example.png
    Note: this will be the long string of letters, numbers, hyphens, or underscores that appears in your spreadsheet's URL in Google.
  10. Choose from the available options:
    • On user import: Update existing user if unique identifier matches
    • On application import: Update existing application if unique identifier slug is set
  11. Hit Next
  12. Under the 'Worksheet to import' heading, choose the sheet of your spreadsheet that should be imported
  13. In the 'Import destination' section, choose your application form before clicking Next
  14. From the Local Unique Identifier drop-down choose your application slug from Good Grants
  15. In the External Unique Identifier drop-down select your slug column from the Google Sheet
  16. Click the Add to Field Map button to begin pairing your fields from Good Grants with those found in the columns of your spreadsheet
    Add to Field Map button.png
  17. For the Local field, choose a field in Good Grants
    Tip: this will be searchable with the field's short title as mentioned in the first step of this guide. 
  18. In the External Field drop-down, choose that corresponding column from your spreadsheet
  19. Click Add to Field Map to repeat these steps for all remaining fields and columns
  20. When finished field mapping click Next
  21. In the final step, key in your email address for a report when the process has concluded which notes any errors that prevented import
  22. Click Finish when ready

The import process is not instantaneous and may time time to complete. Keep an eye on the email inbox provided for confirmation.

Tip: if additional columns have been added to the spreadsheet after import, simply remove the Google Sheet and re-add it in the 'Resources' step. Your field mapping will be retained. 

Notes for import

  • The table field type is not supported with the Google Sheets importer, but can be imported using the Good Grants API. For more information, see What can I use the Good Grants API for?
  • For optionable field types like checkboxes, the value input into the Google Sheet should be "true". Checkbox lists can be imported using the assigned values separated by a comma. 
  • Like the rest of the platform, import of country name is facilitated through the use of two-letter country codes
  • Imported dates and times should adhere to the ISO 8601 standard of YYYY-MM-DD. 
  • Currencies should be imported as simple numerical values without the use of symbols like $, £, €, or even commas. 
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