Migrating from Orchard to GiftAider
GiftAider can migrate an Orchard setup into GiftAider Breeze by working from the full Orchard .mdb database, rather than asking your charity to rebuild donor, donation and Gift Aid history by hand.
A practical route from Orchard to Breeze
This migration is for charities moving their Gift Aid processing from Orchard into GiftAider Breeze. The work starts with the database itself, so we can review the actual donor, donation and declaration records before agreeing what should be imported.
We keep the language careful and practical: Orchard databases can differ from charity to charity, so the right first step is a review, not a promise that every field will map automatically.
What we normally ask for
- The full Orchard .mdb database.
- Any notes about how your team currently records Gift Aid.
- Recent claim totals or reports for comparison.
- A contact who understands your donor and donation data.
How the Orchard migration works
1. Secure handover
You provide the Orchard .mdb so it can be reviewed as a complete data source.
2. Database review
We inspect donor, donation, declaration and claim-related tables to understand the structure.
3. Extraction and mapping
Useful fields are mapped into Breeze so donor and donation records stay meaningful.
4. Test import
A controlled import lets us check row counts, sample records and key totals.
5. Validation
GiftAider checks for issues such as missing postcodes, duplicate donors and unclear claim status.
6. First-claim readiness
Your team reviews the imported data before preparing the first claim in Breeze.
What can be brought across?
| Data area | What we check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Donors | Names, addresses, postcodes, donor references and duplicates. | Clean donor records support accurate Gift Aid claims. |
| Donations | Dates, amounts, source references and historic claim state. | GiftAider needs reliable donation history before claims are prepared. |
| Declarations | Declaration dates, status and available source evidence. | Declarations help decide whether donations are claimable. |
| Reports and totals | Recent totals from Orchard compared with test import outputs. | This gives your team a practical check before go-live. |
Why this is Breeze, not Amplify
Orchard migration is positioned here as a route into GiftAider Breeze, the Standard Gift Aid submission product. If your charity also needs CRM configuration, custom attributes or required fields, that is a separate Amplify conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a CSV export from Orchard?
No. For Orchard migration we expect to work from the full Orchard .mdb database so the data can be reviewed properly.
Will every field be imported?
Not automatically. We review the database and agree which fields should become Breeze records, notes or reference data.
Can we check totals before going live?
Yes. A test import and review stage should compare key donor, donation and claim figures before first-claim work begins.