Duplicate Detection & Merging

Duplicate family records can happen easily — a family registers twice, someone re-enters a family that already exists, or the same family registers with slightly different details. Campflow automatically detects potential duplicates and gives you tools to merge them into a single record.

How Duplicates Are Detected

Campflow compares all families within your camp and flags two families as potential duplicates when they share the same last name and at least one of the following:

• Both parents’ first names match (father’s name and mother’s name).
• Home phone number matches.
• Father’s phone number matches.
• Mother’s phone number matches.
• Father’s email address matches.
• Mother’s email address matches.

If any duplicates are found, a banner appears at the top of the Families page linking you to the Duplicates page.

Viewing Duplicates

1. Go to the Families page from the sidebar.
2. If duplicates exist, click the banner at the top that says duplicates were found. Or go directly to the Duplicates page via the URL.

The Duplicates page shows each group of suspected duplicates side by side. Each group displays:

• Each family’s last name and ID number (click to open that family’s detail page in a new tab).
• The parents’ names, phone numbers, and email addresses for easy comparison.
• The matching criteria — what Campflow found in common (e.g., “Father’s Email: john@example.com”).

Merging Duplicate Families

When you merge families, all data from the duplicate families is moved into one family that you choose to keep. A window asks “Which family should be kept?” before anything happens — the family you pick keeps its own details (name, address, contact info), and everything from the others is moved into it. The oldest family is pre-selected since it usually holds the history.

Merging a Single Group

1. On the Duplicates page, find the group you want to merge.
2. Click the Merge button next to the group.
3. Choose which family should be kept. This cannot be undone.
4. Click Merge Families to proceed.

Merging From the Family Table

You can also merge families directly from the family table, which is useful when you spot duplicates yourself:

1. Go to the Families page.
2. Select two to five families using the checkboxes.
3. Click Merge Families from the bulk actions menu.
4. Choose which family should be kept and confirm the merge.

Bulk Merging

On the Duplicates page, you can select multiple groups using the checkboxes and click Merge Selected Groups to merge them all at once. Each group is processed independently, and the oldest family in each group is the one kept.

What Happens During a Merge

When families are merged, the following data is moved from the duplicate families into the target family:

• Campers — All campers from the duplicate families are moved to the target family.
• Emergency contacts — Moved to the target family. Duplicate contacts (same name, email, or phone) are automatically removed.
• Invoices and financial records — All invoices, payments, and ledger entries are reassigned. Your balances will remain accurate.
• Documents — Any uploaded documents are moved.
• Custom field values — Custom field data is preserved. If both families have a value for the same field, the target family’s value is kept.
• Form submissions — Any form or survey responses are moved to the target family.
• Registration disclosures — Checkbox responses are transferred.
• Collection activity — All notes, statements, and communication history are moved.
• Payment methods and Autopay schedules — Saved payment methods and Autopay schedules are transferred.
• Broadcast recipients — Message history is preserved.
• Notes — Notes from the duplicate families are appended to the target family’s notes.

The duplicate families are then deleted. The family you kept retains its own information (name, address, contact details) — data from the duplicates is only additive.

Good to Know

• Merging cannot be undone. Review the families carefully before merging — open each one in a new tab to compare their details.
• You can merge up to 5 families at a time from the family table.
• The family you choose to keep holds on to its own name, address, and contact details. If the newer family has the better information, pick the newer one.
• After merging, the Duplicates page updates automatically. If all duplicates have been resolved, the page will show a message confirming your records are clean.