# Donor Database Migration Checklist: 40 Steps From Contract to Go-Live By EvolveFundraising editorial team Published: 2026-10-27 Updated: 2026-10-27 Category: Software migration Canonical: https://getevolvefundraising.com/blog/donor-database-migration-checklist ## Summary A donor database migration succeeds when you complete 40 specific tasks across six stages: contract and planning, data inventory, cleanup, mapping, testing and cut-over. Use this checklist with your project owner and your new vendor. Each item is phrased so you can tick it off. For the reasoning behind each stage, read the complete migration guide (post 11). ## Key takeaways - Inventory people, gifts, commitments and integrations. - Assign an owner to each migration task. - Test and reconcile before retiring the old system. A donor database migration succeeds when you complete 40 specific tasks across six stages: contract and planning, data inventory, cleanup, mapping, testing and cut-over. Use this checklist with your project owner and your new vendor. Each item is phrased so you can tick it off. For the reasoning behind each stage, read the complete migration guide ([post 11: Fundraising Software Migration: The Complete Guide for Nonprofits and Associations](https://getevolvefundraising.com/blog/fundraising-software-migration-guide)). ## Stage 1: Contract and planning - [ ] 1. Find your current contract's renewal date, notice period and auto-renewal clause. - [ ] 2. Confirm in writing that you can export all of your data, including gift history and notes, in a usable format. - [ ] 3. Name one internal project owner with authority to make data decisions. - [ ] 4. Name a finance contact who will reconcile gift totals. - [ ] 5. Set a target go-live date at least four weeks before your busiest season (avoid November and December). - [ ] 6. Agree on migration scope and fees with the new vendor, in writing. - [ ] 7. Schedule a weekly 30-minute migration check-in. ## Stage 2: Inventory your data - [ ] 8. List every system holding donor data: CRM, online giving, events, email, peer-to-peer, spreadsheets, accounting. - [ ] 9. Count records by type in each: individuals, organizations, households, gifts, pledges, recurring gifts. - [ ] 10. Export a full gift history report by year and fund to use as your reconciliation baseline. - [ ] 11. List every custom field and code, with how many records use each. - [ ] 12. List every integration and who owns it. - [ ] 13. List the 10 reports leadership actually uses. ## Stage 3: Clean before you move - [ ] 14. Merge duplicate records (see [post 17: Donor Data Cleanup Before Migration: Duplicates, Households and Soft Credits](https://getevolvefundraising.com/blog/donor-data-cleanup)). - [ ] 15. Standardize addresses and flag bad addresses. - [ ] 16. Mark deceased donors and do-not-contact preferences. - [ ] 17. Review and fix households. - [ ] 18. Fix gifts with missing funds, campaigns or dates. - [ ] 19. Retire codes and custom fields nobody uses. - [ ] 20. Remove sensitive notes you shouldn't keep. ## Stage 4: Map - [ ] 21. Map every source field to a destination field, or mark it "do not migrate." - [ ] 22. Map your fund, campaign, appeal and package codes to the new hierarchy. - [ ] 23. Decide how soft credits, splits and matching gifts will be recorded. - [ ] 24. Decide how open pledges and their remaining balances will move. - [ ] 25. Plan the recurring gift and payment-token transfer with your payment processor (see [post 18: How to Migrate Recurring Donations Without Losing a Single Donor](https://getevolvefundraising.com/blog/migrate-recurring-donations)). - [ ] 26. Map user roles and permissions. ## Stage 5: Test - [ ] 27. Run trial import one. - [ ] 28. Reconcile record counts against your Stage 2 counts. - [ ] 29. Reconcile gift totals by year and fund against your baseline and the general ledger. - [ ] 30. Spot-check 25 donors field by field, including your top 10. - [ ] 31. Check households, soft credits and open pledge balances. - [ ] 32. Fix mapping issues and run trial import two. - [ ] 33. Rebuild your 10 key reports and compare them with the old system. ## Stage 6: Cut over and stabilize - [ ] 34. Announce a data freeze date to all staff. - [ ] 35. Run the final import and reconcile again. - [ ] 36. Switch donation forms, event forms and integrations to the new system. - [ ] 37. Confirm the first cycle of recurring charges succeeded, and follow up every failure. - [ ] 38. Train staff by role, with real tasks rather than a feature tour. - [ ] 39. Make the old system read-only and keep access for at least 90 days. - [ ] 40. Hold a 30-day review: open issues, report accuracy and staff adoption. ## Common checklist mistakes - **Skipping the baseline report.** Without a pre-migration total by year and fund, you can't prove the migration is complete. - **Testing only with small samples.** Always run at least one full-volume trial import. - **Going live in December.** Year-end is the worst time to change systems. - **Forgetting integrations.** A broken event-registration sync can quietly drop gifts for weeks. ## How Evolve Fundraising simplifies this checklist Evolve Fundraising's import tools handle contacts, gifts, pledges, campaigns and historical transactions, with AI-assisted column mapping and duplicate detection that recommends merges for staff approval. Because gifts post to a real general ledger by fund, reconciliation (steps 29 and 35) happens inside the platform. The Evolve delivery team runs migrations from common point solutions on a fixed scope. ## Frequently asked questions ### What should be on a donor database migration checklist? Contract review, data inventory, cleanup, field mapping, at least two test imports with reconciliation, recurring gift transfer, cut-over, training and a 30-day review. ### How many test imports should we run? At least two, including one at full volume. ### When is the best time to migrate a donor database? In a quiet season, at least four weeks before your peak. For most organizations that means late winter through early fall. ### Who should own the migration internally? One person with authority to make data decisions, supported by a finance contact for reconciliation. **Get a migration plan for your data.** Talk to the Evolve team: [Request information from EvolveFundraising](https://getevolvefundraising.com/request-information). *Tip: offer this checklist as a downloadable PDF behind a short form to capture leads.* ## Sources and further reading 1. [The Donor Bill of Rights — further reading on donor trust and confidentiality](https://afpglobal.org/donor-bill-rights) — Association of Fundraising Professionals ## Related reading - [Fundraising Software Migration: The Complete Guide for Nonprofits and Associations](https://getevolvefundraising.com/blog/fundraising-software-migration-guide) - [Donor Data Cleanup Before Migration: Duplicates, Households and Soft Credits](https://getevolvefundraising.com/blog/donor-data-cleanup) - [How to Migrate Recurring Donations Without Losing a Single Donor](https://getevolvefundraising.com/blog/migrate-recurring-donations) - [Discuss your fundraising goals with the Evolve team](https://getevolvefundraising.com/request-information) ## Discovery [All articles](https://getevolvefundraising.com/blog) · [RSS feed](https://getevolvefundraising.com/rss.xml) · [Site guide](https://getevolvefundraising.com/llms.txt)