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      Handling Supporter Merges Between WeGive and Salesforce

      WeGive's Salesforce integration is designed to keep supporter records in sync across both systems using a bi-directional sync process. However, merges—particularly of contacts—require special handling to ensure data consistency across platforms.

      How Merges Work

      When contacts are merged in Salesforce, a special field called the Master Record ID is populated on the losing (merged) record. WeGive uses this ID to detect merges during its data pulls.

      • Salesforce → WeGive: Every 15 minutes, WeGive queries Salesforce for contacts that have been updated and contain a Master Record ID. If this field is set, WeGive knows the record was merged.

      • WeGive Action: WeGive will reflect that merge by associating the merged data with the master record and combining records internally.

      If I merge a record in WeGive, is it automatically merged in Salesforce?

      No, if you merge a record in WeGive, it is not automatically merged in Salesforce.

      WeGive only reflects merges that happen in Salesforce, not the other way around. The integration specifically looks for a non-null Master Record ID when syncing, and this ID is only created when a merge is performed in Salesforce. If you merge two supporter records in WeGive, that merge will exist only within WeGive and will not update Salesforce records.

      ⚠️ Important: If you need records to be merged in both platforms, you must initiate the merge in Salesforce. If you initiate the merge in WeGive, you will then have to manually merge the records in Salesforce.

      Common Issues with Merges

      Third-Party Merge Tools in Salesforce

      Some third-party tools used for merging contacts in Salesforce do not populate the Master Record ID. This prevents WeGive from recognizing the merge, leading to the following issues:

      • Merged records in Salesforce may still appear as separate supporters in WeGive.

      • Users may think the integration is not working properly.

      Suggested Improvement: Some organizations have proposed allowing WeGive to support custom merge detection logic (e.g., using different keys or columns), but this is not yet implemented and may not work with all third-party tools.

      Duplicate Prevention Logic

      WeGive has built-in logic to prevent duplicates when syncing data:

      • Household De-duplication: WeGive checks if a household with the same Salesforce ID already exists before creating a new one.

      • Email Matching: When syncing contacts, WeGive checks for an existing email in Salesforce. If found, it updates the existing contact instead of creating a duplicate.

      • Recurring Donation Installments: WeGive checks for open installments before pushing transactions to avoid duplicate entries, especially when Salesforce auto-creates future installments.

      Best Practices for Managing Merges

      1. Always merge contacts in Salesforce to ensure the Master Record ID is generated.

      2. Avoid relying on third-party merge tools unless you verify that they set the Master Record ID.

      3. Use Salesforce-native tools to ensure full compatibility with WeGive’s merge detection.

      4. Review Ignored Integrations and Integration Logs in WeGive to identify any sync issues caused by incomplete or unrecognized merges.

      Manual Fixes and Workarounds

      If a merge does not sync correctly:


        • Check if the Master Record ID is present on the merged Salesforce record.

        • If the ID is missing, you may need to manually merge the corresponding supporter records in WeGive.

        • Contact WeGive support for assistance with syncing or reconciling data discrepancies.