Pulling a list from VAN


To import a ThruText or ThruTalk list of contacts from VAN, you can pull that data from your VAN committee. This article explains how to "pull" a VAN contact list into your GetThru account from the External Contact List page.


NOTE - For ThruText, there is also the option of importing a list of contacts from VAN by "pushing the list" using the SMS button; however, for ThruTalk, you will need to use the pulling method.


If you haven't already set up your VAN integration, you can start by opening the VAN Integration Wizard from the Integrations page.


Importing your list

Navigate to the "External Contact Lists" menu in the Groups drop-down of your left panel. Click "New External Contact List" and select either ThruTalk or ThruText from the drop-down options to locate your lists from each side:


Screenshot of the magenta New Contact List drop-down button expanded to show the options in black text on a white background. The options include 'Contact list for ThruTalk' and 'Contact list for ThruText'.


Next, select either Voter File or Campaign Saved Lists. "Voter File Saved Lists" will be populated with lists in the MyVoters area of VAN, and "Campaign Saved Lists" will be populated with lists from the MyCampaign area of VAN:


A screenshot displaying radio button choices for external contact list options for ThruText. The radio button choices are depicted in dark grey text on a beige background. Dark green arrows indicate that the radio buttons correspond to the committee side and the tool mentioned in the heading.

A screenshot displaying radio button choices for external contact list options for ThruTalk. This is exactly the same as the above screenshot, except that the tool has changed. The radio button choices are depicted in dark grey text on a beige background. Dark green arrows indicate that the radio buttons correspond to the committee side and the tool mentioned in the heading.


Find your list and click on the name then select the "Create List" button once you've identified your list:


A screenshot of a table within a beige webpage, displaying black text on a white background. The table lists available contact lists, with one selection highlighted in dark blue. Below the table, a blue button reads 'Create List' in white font.


The following banner will appear once the list has been created successfully: 


A screenshot of a green banner displayed on a beige background, indicating to the user that they have successfully created a VAN Contact List from the External Contact Lists.


Locate your list on the External Contact Lists management page in the Account Tools of your left panel. From here, follow our guide on creating a group from a VAN imported list.  


If you do not see the list you want to import from VAN, please confirm that the file is a saved list, not a search. 


If your list does not progress past the "syncing" status, please ensure that your list is less than the maximum size 50k contacts. Since admins do not have a way to reduce the columns that are imported through the API (and the data in those additional columns), you may need to reduce the length of your list further to ensure that the syncing completes.


If you cannot import a saved list smaller than 25k or are encountering any other difficulties, please contact [email protected], and we would be happy to dig in!