Prepare a small export note
Before an authorized export, identify the question it is supposed to answer. Our suggested note records the source report, selected fields, filters, time range, timezone, export time and responsible role. Record the approved storage location without copying private donor data into general handover notes. An exported contact list and a transaction report answer different questions. If the reviewer cannot reconstruct the scope from the note, pause acceptance even if the file opens cleanly and the total looks plausible.
Check the definition behind a convenient filter
4aGoodCause’s contact-filter documentation describes an “Active recurring donors” quick filter based on a gift in the previous 30 days. That is not the same evidence as inspecting every current recurring instruction. A recent payment can be useful for a particular list, but the label must not silently become proof of future scheduling. Write the documented selection rule in your export note. If the task requires active-instruction status, establish which authorized report or provider record can actually answer that question.
Verify the file before anyone relies on it
Check headers, date interpretation, leading zeros and the intended row unit in an approved tool. Compare a small authorized sample back to the source and explain exclusions; do not email the full file to a personal account for convenience. Keep the original export read-only where your process permits, and work on a controlled copy when transformations are needed. These are editorial review steps, not a claim that any specific product guarantees complete or lossless exports. Record limitations instead of filling missing fields with guesses.
Retire stale snapshots deliberately
A file can be accurate at its cut-off and misleading next week. Put the observation date in its working label and tell the next owner whether it is evidence, a working copy or superseded. Apply the organization’s approved retention and deletion process; this guide does not prescribe a legal retention period. A fictional September snapshot should not be used to assert an October subscription status without a new authorized check. Move import questions to the import guide and deposit discrepancies to monthly reconciliation, preserving the distinction between a file and the live source.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- 4aGoodCause: Contact filter definitions and exports — Merchant documentation · help.4agoodcause.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-30
- 4aGoodCause donation-history import — Merchant documentation · help.4agoodcause.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-30