Test-to-Live Transition
This guide walks through moving your Virtuous integration from a WeGive Test account to a Live (production) account. The Virtuous environment model is different from other CRMs like Salesforce, so understanding the key points below prevents duplicate data and unexpected sync behavior.How the Environment Model Works
Both your WeGive Test account and your WeGive Live account connect to the same Virtuous production instance. There is no separate Virtuous sandbox. Every API call from either WeGive account reaches the same Virtuous contacts, gifts, and projects. This differs from Salesforce, where a WeGive Test account connects to a Salesforce sandbox and a Live account connects to Salesforce production. With Virtuous, any data synced from your Test account creates real records in your production Virtuous environment.What Does Not Carry Over
Your Test and Live WeGive accounts are separate organizations, each with its own integration settings. When you move to Live:- Settings must be manually replicated. Nothing from the Test integration copies automatically to the Live integration — API key, communication ID, contact-matching mode, type mappings, fund archive rules, and every other setting must be re-entered.
- Mapping rules must be re-created. Custom field mappings and data mapping rules configured on the Test integration do not transfer to Live.
- Sync history does not transfer. The Live integration starts its own sync timeline. Records already synced via the Test account are matched by their Virtuous IDs on pull, not by the Test account’s sync history.
The Enable/Disable Toggle Is Your Only Sync Control
Once the integration is enabled, all supported object types sync unconditionally — contacts, gifts, projects, segments, and recurring gifts. There is no way to turn off sync for one object type while leaving others on. The Enabled toggle on the integration settings page is the single switch that starts or stops all sync.Recommended Transition Sequence
1
Configure and test on your WeGive Test account
Enter your production Virtuous API key, default communication ID, and all other settings on your Test account’s Virtuous integration. Enable the integration and run a test sync to verify data mapping, contact matching, and gift processing.
2
Verify the results in Virtuous
Confirm that contacts, gifts, and projects created from your Test account appear correctly in Virtuous. Check contact-method type mappings, household grouping, and fund/project names.
3
Disable the Test integration
Before enabling Live, disable the integration on your Test account first. Having both Test and Live enabled simultaneously against the same Virtuous instance risks duplicate pushes — both accounts would attempt to sync overlapping data to the same Virtuous contacts and projects.
4
Configure your Live integration
On your Live WeGive account, enter the same Virtuous API key and replicate every setting from your Test configuration. Use the checklist below to ensure nothing is missed.
5
Enable the Live integration
Enable the integration on your Live account. The first pull is a full historical pull (not incremental from the moment of enabling), so expect it to take longer than subsequent scheduled pulls.
6
Confirm Live sync
After enabling, verify that Live data appears correctly in Virtuous and that the Test account’s integration remains disabled.
Settings Checklist
Replicate each of these from your Test configuration to your Live configuration:
For details on each setting, see Configuration Options.
Avoiding Common Problems
Do not enable both Test and Live at the same time. Since both point to the same Virtuous instance, concurrent sync from two WeGive accounts creates duplicate contacts and gifts in Virtuous that require manual cleanup. Do not assume per-object toggles work. The dashboard shows toggles for individual object types (donors, transactions, etc.), but these do not actually gate sync for Virtuous. Once enabled, everything syncs. See Configuration Options for details. Remember the first pull is a full pull. When you enable the Live integration for the first time, the initial pull retrieves all historical data from Virtuous, not just changes since you enabled. Plan for a longer initial sync window.Getting Help
- WeGive Support: [email protected]
- Configuration Options: Full settings reference
- Setup Requirements: Prerequisites checklist