Phone Number Import: Add Hundreds of Numbers to Your Text List in Seconds

Your church just collected 200 phone numbers at a community outreach event. Maybe it was a fall festival, a VBS sign-up, or a connection card drive. The stack of sign-up sheets is on your desk, and the last thing you want to do is type each number into the control panel one by one. That’s where Phone Number Import comes in. Instead of spending an hour manually adding numbers, you can upload a CSV file and have your entire list populated in seconds.

Simple CSV Format, Powerful Results

The import feature expects a simple CSV file with one phone number per row. You don’t need complex column headers or special formatting. If you have a spreadsheet from your event sign-up, export it as CSV and use the first column that contains phone numbers. The system automatically strips out parentheses, dashes, spaces, and country codes—so whether your data looks like (615) 555-1234, 615-555-1234, or 16155551234, it will be normalized correctly. Invalid formats and duplicates are skipped automatically, so you get a clean list without manual cleanup.

Validation and Duplicate Protection

When you upload your file, the system validates every number before adding it. Numbers that don’t match valid US mobile formats are skipped. Numbers that are already on the list are also skipped—no duplicates are created. After the import completes, you’ll see a summary showing how many numbers were imported successfully and how many were skipped (either as duplicates or invalid). This keeps your list healthy and avoids the frustration of accidentally adding the same person twice.

In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Phone Number Import feature.

Phone Number Import User Guide:

The Phone Number Import feature at /admin/textmessagemarketing/listnumbers/import/[list_id] allows you to bulk upload phone numbers into a specific text marketing list via CSV file. The system validates each number, skips invalid formats and duplicates, and displays an import summary when complete. Access requires the Text Marketing Admin role. This feature is ideal for churches that collect phone numbers at events, sign-up tables, or connection cards and need to add them to a list quickly.

Key Takeaways

• CSV Upload: Upload a CSV file with one phone number per row. The first column of each row is used; no column headers are required.
• Automatic Validation: Invalid phone formats are skipped. Valid US mobile numbers (10 digits) are normalized automatically.
• Duplicate Detection: Numbers already on the list are skipped. No duplicates are created.
• Import Summary: After import, a success message shows how many numbers were imported and how many were skipped (duplicates or invalid).

Table of Contents

1. Overview
   • How to Access
   • Roles and Permissions
2. Preparing Your CSV File
   • CSV Format Expectations
   • Accepted Phone Formats
3. How to Import
   • Step-by-Step Import
4. Import Validation
   • Invalid Format Handling
5. Duplicate Detection
6. Import Results
   • Understanding the Summary
7. Troubleshooting
8. Related Features
   • Add Single Number
   • PCO/MP Sync
   • CSV Export
9. Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

How to Access

To open the Phone Number Import page:

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Click “Text Marketing” in the left navigation menu.
3. Click “Phone Lists” (or navigate to /admin/textmessagemarketing/lists).
4. Click on a list to open it, or create a new list first.
5. On the list’s phone numbers page, click the “Import Phone Number(s)” button.

You can also navigate directly to /admin/textmessagemarketing/listnumbers/import/[list_id] if you know the list ID. The import page displays a file upload panel with instructions.

Roles and Permissions

Users with the Text Marketing Admin role can access the Phone Number Import feature. You must also have permission to manage the specific list. If you don’t see the Import button, check your role with your administrator. Note: Lists used for text giving may restrict manual add/import; use the appropriate list type for your use case.

Preparing Your CSV File

CSV Format Expectations

The import expects a CSV (comma-separated values) file with a single column containing one phone number per row. The system reads the first column of each row. You do not need column headers. Blank rows are automatically skipped. If your spreadsheet has multiple columns (e.g., name, phone, email), the import will still work as long as the phone number is in the first column. You can reorder columns in Excel or Google Sheets before exporting to CSV if needed.

Example CSV content:

6155551234
(615) 555-5678
615-555-9012
16155553456

All of these formats will be normalized to 10-digit US numbers. The system strips non-digit characters and removes a leading “1” country code.

Accepted Phone Formats

The system accepts common US phone number formats: 10 digits with or without parentheses, dashes, spaces, or a leading 1. Valid numbers are normalized to 10 digits before saving. Invalid formats (e.g., too few digits, non-numeric characters that can’t be parsed, or empty cells) are skipped and counted in the “Skipped/Invalid” total.

How to Import

Step-by-Step Import

1. Prepare your CSV file with one phone number per row in the first column.
2. Navigate to Text Marketing → Phone Lists.
3. Click on the list you want to add numbers to.
4. Click the “Import Phone Number(s)” button.
5. Click “Choose File” (or “Browse”) and select your CSV file.
6. Click “Upload & Save”.
7. Wait for the import to complete. The page will redirect to the phone numbers list with a success message.
8. Review the import summary: “Import Complete: X Imported, Y Skipped/Invalid.”

The file input accepts *.csv and text/csv file types. During upload, the button shows a spinner to indicate processing.

Import Validation

Invalid Format Handling

The system validates each phone number during import. Numbers that cannot be normalized to a valid 10-digit US format are skipped. This includes empty cells, rows with too few digits, or values that don’t parse as phone numbers. Invalid numbers are not added to the list and are included in the “Skipped/Invalid” count in the import summary. This protects your list quality and ensures only valid mobile numbers are stored.

Duplicate Detection

Before adding a number, the system checks whether it already exists on the list. If the number is already present (in any status—active, opted out, or invalid), it is skipped. No duplicate entries are created. Duplicates are included in the “Skipped/Invalid” total. This is useful when you import the same event sign-up sheet multiple times or when your CSV overlaps with existing list members.

Import Results

Understanding the Summary

After the import completes, you are redirected to the phone numbers list page. A green success message appears at the top: “Import Complete: X Imported, Y Skipped/Invalid.” The first number (X) is the count of new numbers successfully added to the list. The second number (Y) is the combined count of numbers skipped because they were duplicates or invalid. The system does not break down duplicates vs. invalid in the summary; both are grouped as “Skipped/Invalid.” If you need to identify which numbers were skipped, you can compare your CSV to the list before importing or run a second import and note that duplicates will be skipped again.

Troubleshooting

If no numbers were imported, check that your CSV file has phone numbers in the first column and that the file is saved as CSV (not Excel .xlsx). Ensure the numbers are valid US 10-digit formats. If you see “0 Imported” and a high skipped count, your numbers may already be on the list or may be in an unsupported format. Try opening the CSV in a text editor to verify the format. If the Import button does not appear, confirm you have the Text Marketing Admin role and that the list is not a text-giving list (which may restrict manual imports). Need help? Contact support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000.

Related Features

Add Single Number

From the same phone numbers list page, you can click “Add Phone Number” to add numbers one at a time. Use this when you have a few new numbers to add without preparing a CSV. The add form includes validation and duplicate checking for the single number.

PCO/MP Sync

Lists can also be populated by syncing with Planning Center Online (PCO) or MinistryPlatform (MP). If your list is connected to a PCO group or MP publication, use the “Trigger Sync” button to pull numbers from your ChMS. CSV import and ChMS sync are separate: use CSV when you have a one-time batch from an event; use sync when your list is maintained in your ChMS.

CSV Export

Existing list numbers can be exported to CSV via the “Export List” button on the phone numbers list page. The export includes phone, status, and timestamps. You can use an export as a backup or as a starting point for a cleaned list before re-importing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What format should the CSV be?

Use a standard CSV file with one phone number per row in the first column. No column headers are required. You can include additional columns (name, email, etc.)—the import only reads the first column. Save your spreadsheet as CSV (comma-separated values) before uploading.

What happens to duplicates?

Numbers that are already on the list are automatically skipped. No duplicate entries are created. Duplicates are included in the “Skipped/Invalid” count in the import summary. You can safely re-import the same file; only new numbers will be added.

Can I undo an import?

There is no built-in undo for imports. If you need to remove imported numbers, you can delete them individually from the phone numbers list, or contact support for assistance with bulk removal. Consider exporting your list before a large import as a backup.

What’s the maximum file size?

The system does not publish a strict maximum file size. Typical CSV files with hundreds or low thousands of rows work well. For very large imports (10,000+ numbers), consider splitting the file into smaller batches or contact support for guidance.

Do I need column headers?

No. Column headers are not required. The import reads the first column of each row as the phone number. If your CSV has a header row (e.g., “Phone” or “Mobile”), it will be treated as data—if that row doesn’t parse as a valid phone number, it will be skipped. You can remove the header row before importing if you prefer.

Need help setting up? OnlineGiving.org offers courtesy setup assistance. Contact us at support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000.