Membership secretaries
Move your canoe club records from spreadsheets
Prepare a member file, check the import preview and keep a clear record of what changed.
Before you start
Move one defined set of records first, usually your current member list. Agree who owns the move, which file is the source and who will check the result. Leave old attendance sheets and financial records out of the first import.
If you are still deciding whether to change systems, read the spreadsheet comparison. This guide covers the practical move into KanuHQ.
Keep a dated original in your club's controlled storage. Work on a copy. Record the starting row count and any rows you intentionally exclude. Do not send the file through a public enquiry form or attach it to a support email.
Check access and delivery first. The member importer needs member-management permission. Applying an import also requires a verified club. Email delivery and online payments are not enabled on the hosted service yet. Arrange a supported setup through get started before planning a member launch.
Prepare your member file
KanuHQ accepts a CSV or XLSX member file up to 10 MB. Download the current template inside the importer. Its required fields are First name, Last name and Email.
Use one row per person and a single header row. Remove totals, decorative titles and blank separator rows from the working copy. Turn formulas into checked values before exporting. Keep phone numbers and postcodes as text so leading zeroes survive.
- Check email identities. The importer uses email to match people. Repeated email addresses in the file are blocked for review. Do not invent an address to make a row pass.
- Separate family records. Two people sharing a contact email are not automatically the same member. Confirm the correct junior or family setup before importing them.
- Use unambiguous dates. Prefer YYYY-MM-DD, such as 2026-01-15. Do not guess whether 03/04 means March or April.
- Keep uncertain fields out. A blank qualification, consent or emergency-contact field is not evidence that something is current.
Download the fictional member-file example. It contains three required columns and two invented people. It is a formatting example, not a complete template or a file to import into your real club.
Map your columns deliberately
Mapping tells KanuHQ what each spreadsheet column means. Check every suggested match. Similar labels can describe different things: a paid membership category is not an account role.
| Field | What to check |
|---|---|
| First name / Last name | Use separate names. Do not put a household name into one person's record. |
| Check the identity and existing-member match, not just the email format. | |
| Role | This can change access. Do not map a membership-price category here. Owner access cannot be assigned by import. |
| Active | This is an account-status field. It is not proof that a membership fee was paid. |
| Joined / Date of birth | Check the parsed date against the original. Resolve ambiguity before continuing. |
| Disciplines | Check the selected disciplines. A mapped blank can clear an existing selection; an unmapped column leaves it alone. |
Leave unused columns unmapped. Do not assume every blank means "keep the existing value". Inspect the proposed changes, especially role, status and billing-contact fields.
The membership feature explains the separate joining, membership and renewal records. A member-file import does not prove a payment or recreate a payment mandate.
Review before applying
Start with a small, representative group of records that your club has approved for the move. Include an existing member and a new member if both are part of your real task. Previewing creates an import review; it does not change the member records.
- Check each proposed match and field change against the original file.
- Resolve valid rows deliberately. Investigate blocked or duplicate rows instead of forcing them through.
- Confirm whether you are creating accounts or inviting members. Do not proceed with invitations until delivery has been configured and verified.
- Apply the resolved rows only when the reviewer is satisfied.
A review can become stale if a member record changes before you apply it. KanuHQ checks for that change. Review the current record again instead of assuming the old preview is still safe.
Check the result, not just the completion message
Reconcile the outcomes: created, updated, invited, ignored, blocked or still unresolved. The total should explain every source row. An invited person is not the same as a completed account setup.
Open several resulting records. Check names, email, access, dates and any mapped discipline or affiliation details. Give the second reviewer the exceptions as well as the successful rows.
Use the available member export tools for reconciliation. A members CSV is not a full backup of every club record. Keep the dated original and the review decisions in controlled storage.
Agree when the new record becomes authoritative
Choose the point after which volunteers update KanuHQ, not both systems. Account for changes made while the import was being prepared. Mark the old working sheet read-only once the club accepts the new record.
Tell volunteers where to correct a record and who handles exceptions. Keep historical files according to the club's existing retention policy. Do not delete the source just because an upload finished.
Before sending invitations, tell members what is changing. Explain what they need to do and who can correct their details. Use the club's existing trusted channel. Do not announce online payments or automated emails until those services have been configured and tested.
File import is not a live Google Sheets sync. If another volunteer will own the process, use the committee handover checklist to pass on the decisions and outstanding work.
These KanuHQ steps describe the implementation checked on 11 September 2026. They do not claim a completed import into your club or a verified hosted email journey.