Importing Members

When you need to add many members at once, the CSV import tool and the REST Sync API are far more efficient than inviting people one by one. This article covers both paths.

CSV Import

Preparing Your File

Your CSV file must include at minimum an email address for each member. All other fields are optional but recommended:

| Column | Required | Notes | |---|---|---| | email | Yes | Used for identity resolution and invitation delivery. | | orgMemberId | Recommended | Your internal HR or membership system ID. Used to match records on re-imports even if the email changes. | | firstName | No | Pre-populates the member's display name. | | lastName | No | Pre-populates the member's display name. | | jobTitle | No | Shown on the member profile. |

Column headers must match exactly. A template file is available to download from the import page.

BANNED members are always skipped, even if they appear in the file. No error is raised for skipped banned rows.

Upload Process

1. Navigate to Admin > Members > Import.
2. Click Choose File and select your CSV.
3. Configure the import options (described below).
4. Click Start Import.

The file uploads to secure cloud storage and is processed in the background. Large files are handled in batches, so the process continues reliably even for rosters with thousands of members.

Import Options

Full Roster Sync

When this toggle is on, any member currently in your roster who does not appear in the CSV file will be automatically set to INACTIVE. This keeps your MentorNeko roster synchronized with your authoritative source of record (such as an HRIS or membership database).

Use this option carefully: it will deactivate members whose emails were misspelled in the file or whose records were accidentally omitted. Always review the audit log after a full sync.

When this toggle is off, the import is additive: it creates or updates members from the file without touching members who were not included.

Send Invitations

When this toggle is on, new members created by the import receive an invitation email immediately. Their status becomes INVITED.

When this toggle is off, new members are staged as PROVISIONED. They appear in your roster but cannot log in and do not count against your seat limit. You can send invitations to them later in batches.

Use the PROVISIONED staging approach when you want to control the pace of onboarding or when you are importing a full roster before the program launches.

Identity Resolution

When the import runs, it attempts to match each row to an existing member using two parallel lookups:

1. By orgMemberId: If the file includes an orgMemberId and a member with that ID exists, the record is updated.
2. By email: If no orgMemberId match is found, the system looks for an existing member with the same email address.

If neither lookup finds a match, the row creates a new member.

This means that if a member's email address changes in your HR system, the orgMemberId field ensures they are correctly matched rather than duplicated as a new member. This is why including orgMemberId is strongly recommended for organizations that plan to re-import regularly.

Import Audit Log

After an import completes, you will find a summary in the audit log:

• Total rows processed
• Members created
• Members updated
• Members deactivated (Full Roster Sync only)
• Rows with errors (with a description of the error for each)

Review the error rows carefully. Common causes include malformed email addresses, duplicate emails within the same file, and missing required columns.

REST Sync API

For organizations that want to automate roster synchronization without manual CSV uploads, MentorNeko provides a REST Sync API. This is the right choice if you have an HRIS, association management system, or other platform that can make scheduled HTTP calls.

Authentication

The Sync API uses API key authentication. Generate an API key in Admin > Settings > API Keys. Keep this key secret: it has the same permissions as a full roster import.

How It Works

The Sync API accepts a JSON payload in the same structure as the CSV import. It supports the same options (full sync vs. additive, send invitations vs. stage as provisioned) passed as request parameters.

Responses include a result summary in the same format as the CSV audit log, making it straightforward to build automated alerting if any rows error.

When to Use It

The REST Sync API is particularly well-suited for:

• Nightly or weekly automated syncs from an HRIS
• Association management systems (such as those used by professional chapters) that maintain authoritative membership rosters
• Any workflow where manual file uploads would be an operational burden

For setup instructions and the full API reference, navigate to Admin > Settings > API Keys and click API Documentation.