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How to Merge Duplicate Records in WeGive

Duplicate records can creep into your database from imports, online forms, or syncs from your CRM. WeGive’s Merge Records tool lets you combine two duplicate records into a single, clean record — keeping all the giving history, custom fields, and activity in one place. This article walks through how to merge donor records, what gets carried over, and important things to know before you merge.

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Before you start

  • Merging is permanent. Once two records are merged, the action cannot be undone. Always double-check that you are merging the correct records.
  • If you use a connected CRM (Salesforce, etc.), merge in your CRM first. See the integrations section below for details.
  • You can merge donors, designations (funds), and households from the dashboard, using the same 3-step wizard for all three record types.

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The “Master” record vs. the “Merge” record

Every merge involves two records:
  • Master record — the record you want to keep. After the merge, this is the one that remains in your database.
  • Merge record — the duplicate record being combined into the master. After the merge, this record is removed and its data is transferred to the master.
During the merge, you choose which information from each record should live on the final master record. You can mix and match — for example, keep the name from one record and the email from the other.

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How to merge two donor records

The Merge Records tool is a 3-step wizard.

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Step 1 — Choose the record type

  1. From the dashboard, open the Merge Records tool.
  2. Choose Donors as the record type. (You will also see options for Designations and Households here.)

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Step 2 — Select the two records

  1. In the Merge Record field, search for and select the duplicate record (the one to be removed).
  2. In the Master Record field, search for and select the record you want to keep.
Tip: You cannot select the same record for both fields — WeGive will block this and show an error. Shortcut: If you are already viewing a donor record, you can launch the merge tool with that donor pre-selected by using the Merge Donor action in the donor’s Actions menu.

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Step 3 — Choose which fields to keep

WeGive shows a side-by-side comparison of the two records. For each field where the records differ, pick the value you want on the final master record:
  • ID
  • Name
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Address
  • Custom fields
  • Communication preferences
Review your selections, then click Merge to confirm. After the merge completes, you will be redirected to the master record’s detail page with the combined data.

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What automatically transfers to the master record

Even though you choose individual field values during step 3, WeGive automatically moves all related activity and history from the merge record onto the master record. You do not lose any of the following:
  • Donations — every transaction (one-time and recurring) from both records lives on the master.
  • Recurring donations / scheduled donations — active recurring plans continue under the master record.
  • Soft credits — both directions (credits given and received).
  • Fund and designation allocations — designation preferences are preserved.
  • Custom question / custom field answers — form responses on either record.
  • Tags — all tags from both records.
  • Communication list memberships — both records’ subscriptions are combined on the master.
  • Event registrations — past and upcoming.
  • Campaign associations — including involvement as a fundraiser, donor, or attendee.
  • Peer-to-peer fundraiser pages — any fundraising pages owned by either record.
  • Message history — receipts, appeals, and other communications.
  • Activity log entries — full history of changes and actions.
  • Logins — both email addresses remain valid logins for the master record, so the donor can sign in with either email.
Pledges do not automatically transfer on a donor merge. This is a known product gap, not documentation drift — code-verified against Donor::mergeDonors(), which explicitly reassigns donations, recurring plans, soft credits, fund allocations, custom field answers, tags, communication lists, event registrations, campaign associations, fundraiser pages, message history, and logins, but has no equivalent step for pledges. A pledge left attached to the old (deleted) donor ID becomes effectively orphaned after the merge. If a donor you’re merging has any open or fulfilled pledges, check the pledge list on both records before and after merging, and manually re-point any pledges still attached to the old donor ID. Tracked as WEG-8809.

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What happens to the duplicate (merge) record

After the merge:
  • The duplicate record is removed from your active records list.
  • Internally, WeGive flags the old record as merged into the master so reporting and integrations stay consistent.
  • The duplicate’s email address still works as a login for the master record — donors will not be locked out.

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Merging designations (funds)

The same wizard supports merging designations. Choose Designations in step 1, then follow the same select-and-confirm flow. All transactions, allocations, and reporting tied to the duplicate designation will be re-pointed to the master designation.

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Merging households

Households use the same Merge Records wizard as donors and designations. Choose Households in step 1, then follow the same select-and-confirm flow:
  1. In the Merge Record field, search for and select the duplicate household (the one to be removed).
  2. In the Master Record field, search for and select the household you want to keep.
  3. Review the side-by-side comparison and choose which household properties (name, type, and other fields) should carry over to the master household, then confirm the merge.
Once confirmed, all members of the duplicate household are moved onto the master household (existing master members are not duplicated), and the duplicate household is marked as merged and removed from your active households list. Individual donor giving history follows the donor automatically, so transactions stay attached correctly regardless of which household a member currently belongs to. Members transferred in from the duplicate household come over as non-primary members. If one of the transferred members should be the household’s primary contact, open the master household afterward and set them as primary — the merge does not change who is currently primary.

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Integrations: Salesforce and other CRMs

If your WeGive account syncs with a CRM, the order in which you merge matters.

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Best practice: merge in your CRM first

Merges initiated in your CRM will sync down to WeGive automatically. Merges initiated in WeGive do not automatically sync up to your CRM, so you would need to merge a second time on the CRM side.

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Salesforce specifics

  • Use the NPSP Contact Merge tool in Salesforce — not the standard Salesforce contact merge.
  • WeGive detects NPSP merges and automatically merges the corresponding donor records on the WeGive side.
  • The Sync Deleted Households setting must be enabled in your WeGive Salesforce integration for household-related merges to flow correctly.

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Things to know before you merge

  • The merge cannot be undone. Confirm both records are correct before clicking Merge.
  • Run reports first if you need a “before” snapshot — once merged, you cannot pull the old record’s data as a separate row.
  • Both donors’ payment methods remain available on the master record because both logins are preserved.
  • If a sync to your CRM is configured, follow the CRM-first guidance above to avoid having to repeat the merge on both sides.
  • Household merges use the same wizard and Master/Merge framing as donor and designation merges — see the household section above.

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Need help?

If you are unsure whether two records are duplicates, or if a merge did not go as expected, please reach out to the WeGive Customer Success team and we can help review the records before or after the merge.