Setting up CAF
This guide walks you through connecting Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) to MoveData. This integration processes CSV donation reports and imports donation data into Salesforce.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | Charities Aid Foundation |
| Method | CSV file processing |
| Frequency | Manual upload |
Supported extensions#
This integration requires the Fundraising and Donations extension.
Supported file types#
CAF provides two report types — Direct Giving and Payroll Giving (also known as "Give As You Earn") — and both are supported through this single integration. These are the only file types supported for this integration.
Note
A single CAF integration in MoveData supports both Direct Giving and Payroll Giving files. You do not need to create separate integrations for each report type.
Example Payroll Giving report#
The table below describes the columns you will find in each row of a Payroll Giving report. You can download an example file to use as a test upload.
| Column | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| AgencyName | Always "CAF" | CAF |
| PGA Donor Ref Number | Payroll Giving Agency donor reference | 929660 |
| Employer Name | Employer organisation ("Anonymous" if withheld) | Acme Corp |
| Title | Donor title | Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr |
| First Name / Initials / Last Name | Donor name ("Anonymous" if withheld) | Helen, H, Williams |
| Address 1–3, Postcode | Donor address (may be blank or "Anonymous") | 34 Moor Grove, YO24 2NP |
| Donor Email / Donor Tel No | Donor contact details (may be blank) | mark.thomas@example.com |
| PFO | Payroll Fundraising Organisation | Payroll Giving in Action, Sharing the Caring |
| PFO Donor Reference Number | PFO-specific reference | PGIA134603 |
| Gross Donation | Gross donation amount | 0.0000 |
| Admin Charge | Administrative fee | 0.0000 |
| Net Donation | Net amount after fees | 4.0000 |
| Employer Matched Donation | Employer match amount (0 if none) | 2.5000 |
| Other Match | Additional match amount (0 if none) | 0.0000 |
| Total Donation to Charity | Total received by charity | 5.0000 |
| Charity Donor Ref Number | Charity-assigned donor reference (may be blank) | SC |
| Donor Preference Post/Email/Phone/SMS | Communication consent flags | Yes or blank |
| Payment Date | Payment settlement date | 24/03/2025 |
| Remittance Advice Reference | Payment batch reference | 2503244426CF |
Example Direct Giving report#
The table below describes the columns you will find in each row of a Direct Giving report. You can download an example file to use as a test upload.
| Column | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| DonorName | Full donor name | Williams S J |
| Title | Donor title | Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr, Prof |
| FirstName / Surname | Donor first name and surname | Simon, Williams |
| Address1–4, TownCity, Postcode, Country | Donor address | 53 Fentham Road, Solihull, B92 0AY, GB |
| Email / TelephoneNumber | Donor contact details (usually blank) | |
| Anonymous | Anonymous donation flag | Y or N |
| DonorURN | Donor unique reference number (may be blank) | |
| MarketingPreference | Marketing consent status | email, |
| DonationReference | Unique donation reference | 60112064 |
| DonationAmount | Gross donation amount | 15.00 |
| DonationType | Type of donation | CAF Account Regular Donation, Standing Order Donation, CAF Account Donation, CAF Account Voucher |
| Charge | Fee amount | 0.00 or 1.00 |
| ChargeType | Fee description (if applicable) | Standing Order Donation Charge |
| NetAmount | Net amount after fees | 14.00 |
| SpecialInstruction | Donor instructions or reference | Free text |
| DonationMethod | Payment channel | Donation via CAF, CAF Donate |
| DonorGAD | Gift Aid declaration | Y or N |
| DonationTypeReference | Internal type reference | 177825, CAFAC... |
| DonationStatus | Payment status | Paid, Received |
| CampaignCode | Campaign tracking code (may be blank) | GEN |
| Source | Marketing source (may be blank) | Widget, FRSCAFGAD |
| GiftAidAmount | Gift Aid amount claimed | 0.00, 1.25 |
| GiftAidStatus | Gift Aid claim status (may be blank) | Received |
| ObjectDateTime / PaymentDate | Transaction and settlement dates | 03/03/2025 |
| RemittanceAdviceReference | Payment batch reference | 2503033517CF |
Handling your CSV file#
Always upload the original file exactly as downloaded from CAF. Do not open or resave it in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers. These applications silently reformat dates, strip leading zeros, and alter CSV encoding in ways that cause import failures.
If you need to inspect or edit specific values (for example, to adjust a currency code), use a plain text editor such as Sublime Text, Notepad++, or VS Code. Do not alter column headers, delimiters, or file encoding. Any modifications to the file are at your own risk.
Date formatting errors are the most common cause of failed imports. If MoveData reports date errors after upload, the file has almost certainly been opened in a spreadsheet application. Re-export the original donation report from CAF and upload it again.
Salesforce records created#
MoveData creates different Salesforce records depending on your data model.
| CAF data | Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) | Nonprofit Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Donor | Contact | Person Account |
| Employer (payroll giving) | Account | Account |
| Campaign | Campaign (with hierarchy) | Campaign (with hierarchy) |
| Donation | Opportunity | Gift Transaction |
| Recurring donation | Recurring Donation | Gift Commitment |
Before you begin#
- You need access to the MoveData app in Salesforce.
- You need access to your organisation's CAF donation reports in CSV format. Contact your CAF administrator to obtain these files.
Setting up the integration#
Step 1: Export your donation report#
Contact your CAF administrator to export a donation report in CSV format. CAF provides two report types, and MoveData automatically detects which format you have uploaded:
- Direct Donations Report — covers CAF account donations, standing orders, and voucher-based giving from individual donors.
- Payroll Giving Report — covers workplace donations made through employer payroll deductions, including employer matching contributions.
Step 2: Open the Integrations tab#
In the MoveData app in Salesforce, click the Integrations tab in the navigation bar.
Step 3: Create a new integration#
Click New Integration and select Charities Aid Foundation from the list of available platforms.
Step 4: Name your integration#
Enter a descriptive name for this integration (for example, "CAF - Donations") and click Save.
Step 5: Set the donation date#
Before uploading any file, set the Donation Date field. This tells MoveData which date to assign to the donations in the uploaded file.
Warning
You must check and set the Donation Date before every file upload. The CAF import file does not contain donation date information, so MoveData relies on the date you set here. If you do not update it, the previously used date will be applied to the new file's donations. The date format must be YYYY-MM-DD (for example, 2026-03-01).
Step 6: Upload your CSV file#
Click the Upload File button and select the CSV file you exported in Step 1. MoveData begins processing the file automatically.
Once the upload completes, you can monitor processing status from the Executions tab in MoveData.
How campaigns are organised#
MoveData creates a campaign hierarchy from your CAF data:
- Top-level campaign: MoveData creates a campaign named Charities Aid Foundation automatically. All donations from this integration sit under this campaign.
- Employer-level campaigns (payroll giving only): For each employer in a Payroll Giving report, MoveData creates a child campaign named after the employer (for example, "J Sainsbury PLC").
Note
When the employer name is "Anonymous" or missing, MoveData does not create an employer-level campaign. The donation is attributed directly to the top-level Charities Aid Foundation campaign.
Migrating historical data#
You can import historical donation data through the same file upload process. Export your past reports from CAF and upload each file using the Upload File button.
Troubleshooting#
Missing Donation Date
The Donation Date field was not set before upload. Set the Donation Date and upload the file again.
Invalid Date Format
The date was not entered as YYYY-MM-DD. Correct the format (for example, 2026-03-01) and try again.
Unsupported File Format
The uploaded file is not a CSV. Ensure you are uploading the original CSV export from CAF.
Other resources#
- MoveData CAF Integration — overview of supported features and Salesforce record mapping
- Charities Aid Foundation — CAF's main website for charities and donors
- CAF Charity Dashboard — free online reporting tool for UK charities receiving CAF donations
- CAF Dashboard Reporting — generating and downloading CSV reports from the Charity Dashboard
- CAF Donate Gift Aid — how CAF handles Gift Aid claims on behalf of charities
- Give As You Earn (Payroll Giving) — CAF's payroll giving scheme for employers
- HMRC Gift Aid — UK government guidance on how Gift Aid works
- MoveData Support — for setup assistance and technical support