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Mobilize to VAN Integration: Troubleshooting Tools and FAQ

A practical guide for dashboard Admins to diagnose and resolve sync issues

Troubleshooting Tools

Use these tools to diagnose errors after you’ve created your event in Mobilize.

📈 Stats tab

Where to find it:

https://www.mobilize.us/dashboard/[slug]/stats/integration-errors/

The Integration Errors view in the Stats tab shows a log of sync issues between Mobilize and VAN, including the affected event, the error message, and the date the error was last seen.

This view is most useful for spotting when something in your VAN configuration has changed since the event was originally set up. Common patterns to look for:

  • Invalid status or invalid role errors mean a status or role that was previously active in VAN has since been made inactive, archived, or removed, breaking the mapping configured in Mobilize.

  • Invalid activist code errors often indicate the activist code is no longer Active, Public, or set to "can be applied or removed" in the linked VAN committee.

  • Errors tied to a specific signup can indicate the signup was deleted directly in VAN. Once that happens, Mobilize can no longer update it through the integration, since there's no longer a matching record on the VAN side.

📆 Edit Event Details page

Where to find it:

https://www.mobilize.us/dashboard/[slug]/event/[eventid]/edit/

How to use it:

  • Confirm VAN configuration for the event

  • Check for error messages

⚙️ VAN Settings tab

Where to find it:

https://www.mobilize.us/dashboard/[slug]/settings/van/

Common error messages:

  • Expired or Invalid API key

  • Location required for an event type in VAN

  • Invalid status or role

Frequently Asked Questions

VAN Settings and Setup

Why don't I see the VAN Settings tab?

How to diagnose:

  • Confirm the User role for the email you are logged in with. Only Admin Users can access VAN Settings.

  • If you are an Admin and don't see VAN Settings, it is not enabled.

Next steps:

Dashboard Admin should contact CSM or Mobilize Support to request that VAN Settings tab be enabled for the dashboard.

Why do I see an error that says my API key is expired or invalid and how can I update it?

How to diagnose:

  • A VAN admin should check the status of your Mobilize API key in your VAN committee. When an API key is generated in your VAN committee, it may be set with an expiration date. Additionally, a VAN admin may be able to revoke or otherwise change an API key, which can render it invalid.

Next steps:

  • To resolve this issue, you’ll need to generate a new API key in your VAN committee and send it enclosed in a onetimesecret.com link to Mobilize Support so we can update it for you. Let us know if you’d like a backfill sync for any Mobilize data that may not have synced while your VAN committee was disconnected.

  • Note: only follow these steps if you’d like to re-connect your Mobilize dashboard to the same VAN committee as before. If you’d like to connect to a new committee, see below!

How do I change the VAN committee that my Mobilize dashboard is syncing to?

  • First, generate an API key in your new VAN committee. Next, contact Mobilize Support and ask us to reset the VAN connection so you can sync to the new committee.

  • Once we reset the VAN committee, add your new API key to the field in the VAN Settings tab: https://www.mobilize.us/dashboard/[slug]/settings/van/. Then configure your events types, roles, and statuses for events you want to sync to VAN.

  • Note: For backfill syncs of older events to a new committee, we will rely on VAN Settings mapping only and Customized Event-level VAN Settings will not sync to the new committee.

How do I get more event type options when creating events?

Once you add a VAN API key to your VAN Settings tab, only event types that are configured in your VAN Settings tab will be available as options when creating events. If you’re not seeing an event type as an option when creating an event, make sure it’s configured in your VAN Settings tab.

Why are my event types/roles/statuses not showing up in my VAN Settings tab?

How to diagnose:

  • Check your VAN committee. Every event type, role, and status syncing from Mobilize to VAN must be configured in your VAN committee first according to the following guidance:

    • VAN event types should have all relevant roles and statuses, including Completed and No Show statuses, checked as available.

    • VAN event types cannot require a location and must be able to support multiple shifts.

Next steps:

  • Configure the event type/role/status in your VAN committee as needed. See the NGP VAN help center for instructions: NGP VAN help center.

Why do I see errors that say “invalid type”, “invalid role”, or “invalid status” in my VAN Settings tab?

How to diagnose:

  • Check the settings for the event type in your VAN committee. These errors mean that after the event type/role/status was configured in your VAN Settings tab, it was made inactive or unavailable in your VAN committee.

Next steps:

  • Set the event type/role/status to be active or available in your VAN committee. The event type/role/status will then be available as an option in your Mobilize VAN Settings tab again.

How do I resolve the warning about event type location required in VAN Settings?

This can be resolved by either adding a location to the Mobilize event or removing the location requirement from the VAN event type. If the VAN event type needs to be reconfigured to remove the location requirement, it must be done by a VAN administrator. Read more: Mobilize to VAN Integration: Setup & Sync Guide.

Can I sync existing VAN events and their signups to Mobilize?

No, the Mobilize > VAN integration is generally one-way from Mobilize to VAN. All events and signups that you want to sync between Mobilize and VAN should be created in Mobilize.

What will data from Mobilize look like in VAN?

Event and signup data will be demarcated in VAN with an “Added by” or “Created by” field that says “API User, M” or “API User, Mobilize”, like in the screencaps below. This means that the data was added or updated by Mobilize.

Event or timeslot

Why isn't a timeslot in VAN?

How to diagnose:

  • Check the Stats tab Integration Errors view for any errors logged against the event.

  • Check the event's Custom VAN Settings. Timeslots only sync to VAN if the event type is mapped in the VAN Settings tab and the sync toggle is enabled on the event.

  • Is the event set to sync to VAN as an event?

If no Custom VAN Settings, is the event type mapped to a VAN event type in the VAN Settings tab at the time of event creation? If not, nothing for that event type will sync.

Next steps: Contact Mobilize Support to request re-sync options if needed. See: Mobilize to VAN Integration: Setup & Sync Guide.

Why didn't my petition/pledge/interest form sync?

How to diagnose:

  • Check the Event Details to confirm how the event was configured to sync. If action is configured with “Do not sync to VAN as event”, an activist code is required.

  • Check the Stats tab Integration Errors view for any related errors

Next steps: For future forms, configure either the event type mapping in VAN Settings or event-level VAN Settings. Read more about how online actions sync and contact Mobilize Support for re-sync options.

Why don't past events show in VAN?

How to diagnose:

  • Check the Stats tab Integration Errors view to rule out an active sync error

  • Check the VAN Settings tab — is the integration connected and are the event types mapped?

  • Did the org recently connect to VAN or switch to a new VAN committee? Past events don't sync automatically when a new committee is linked

Next steps: Contact Mobilize Support to request a backfill sync of past events and signups. Read more about backfill sync.

Why do I see a "VAN location required" error?

How to diagnose:

  • Check the Stats tab Integration Errors view for a location-related error on the affected event

  • Check the Edit Event page - Does the mapped VAN event type require a location on the VAN side?

The VAN event type mapped to this event has a location requirement enabled on the VAN side, but the Mobilize event was created without one. VAN rejects the sync until a valid location is provided or the event type is changed to one that does not require a location.

Next steps: This can be resolved by either adding a location to the Mobilize event or removing the location requirement from the VAN event type. If the VAN event type needs to be reconfigured to remove the location requirement, it must be done by a VAN administrator. Read more: Mobilize to VAN Integration: Setup & Sync Guide.

Why isn’t my event tag showing in VAN?

Tags sync to the VAN event record only at the time of initial event creation, and cannot be updated after the fact.

How to diagnose:

  • Check when the tag was added relative to when the event was created. If it was added after creation, that's why it's not in VAN — tags added post-creation won’t sync.

  • Check the Stats tab Integration Errors view for any related errors on the event.

Next steps:
If a tag is missing from the VAN event record, add it to event manually in VAN. Going forward, apply all tags before or at the time of initial event creation to ensure they sync.

Sign Ups

Why is a sign up missing in VAN?

How to diagnose:

  • Was a sign up recently deleted in VAN by a VAN user?

  • Check the Stats tab Integration Errors view for any errors on the event

  • Check the event's VAN Settings configuration section in the Mobilize Event Details page — is the event type mapped and the sync toggle on?

  • If no Custom VAN Settings, check VAN Settings to ensure Event Type is configured.

  • Did the signup happen before the VAN integration was configured or the event type was mapped in VAN Settings? Pre-integration signups don't sync automatically.

  • Is this a group signup where the member had no contact information in Mobilize? Unknown group signups are never synced.

Next steps: If the event type mapping or other misconfiguration is fixed, contact Mobilize Support to request a re-sync of the event and its signups. See: Mobilize to VAN Integration: Setup & Sync Guide

Why are there multiple contact records in VAN for the same person?

How to diagnose:

  • Mobilize uses VAN's find-or-create logic to match supporters to existing contact records in VAN. The strictness of that matching is configured on the VAN side.

Next steps: Duplicate contact records need to be merged directly in VAN by a VAN administrator, as Mobilize has no ability to merge records on the VAN side. To preserve the specific contact record Mobilize is syncing to before merging, they should contact Mobilize Support first to confirm which record that is. To reduce future duplicates, encourage supporters to keep their Mobilize profile information up to date and ask the VAN administrator to review the committee's match settings. See: Mobilize to VAN Integration: Setup & Sync Guide.

Is there an audit trail in VAN for email or SMS subscription status changes?

No. Mobilize does not sync email or SMS subscription status to VAN at all, so Mobilize has no record of these changes and no audit trail to provide.

Statuses

Why did a signup's status change unexpectedly in Mobilize?

How to diagnose:

  • Go to the Event details page and check the VAN Configuration section for custom status mapping on the specific event. The mapping is locked at event creation and may differ from the dashboard default.

  • If there are no Custom VAN Settings, check the VAN Settings tab for the status mapping. Does the mapping look correct for the event type? Keep in mind the mapping is locked in at event creation, so it may still reflect an older version of the VAN Settings if they've been updated since the event was created.

  • Was the status recently updated directly in VAN? Confirm which User made this change. Before and after an event, Mobilize API runs a nightly sync that pulls Completed, No Show, Confirmed, and Cancelled statuses back from VAN into Mobilize relying on the VAN Settings mapping. Read more about how sign up statuses sync.

  • Was this a change in Mobilize by a dashboard User or a volunteer updating their own status?

Next steps: Going forward, only update statuses in Mobilize only to avoid unexpected overwrites. Read more about how sign up statuses sync and contact Mobilize Support for re-sync options if VAN Settings are incorrect.

Why doesn't the VAN status match what was set in Mobilize?

How to diagnose:

  • Go to the Event details page and check the VAN Configuration section for custom status mapping on the specific event. The mapping is locked at event creation and may differ from the dashboard default.

  • Check whether every status used in VAN is mapped in the event's VAN Settings. Any VAN status that isn't mapped will be overwritten the next time Mobilize syncs. Read more about how sign-up statuses sync.

Next steps: Going forward, only edit statuses in Mobilize and only use VAN statuses that are mapped in the VAN Settings for the event. Read more about how sign up statuses sync and contact Mobilize Support for re-sync options if VAN Settings are incorrect.

Activist Codes

Why is my Activist Code not showing in Mobilize dropdowns?

How to diagnose:

  • Check the configuration of the Activist Code in VAN. It should be Public scope, Active and set to "be able to be applied or removed. Archived codes won't show on normal lists, and Inactive codes won't appear at all unless reactivated by a VAN administrator.

  • Verify that the activist code was created in or is accessible from MyCampaign for the committee linked to the dashboard.

  • Check which VAN committee is connected to the dashboard in the VAN Settings tab. Ensure that the Activist Code is configured in the same VAN committee that is currently connected to the dashboard.

Next steps: A VAN administrator will need to confirm the activist code's status in the integrated committee and set it to Active if needed. Once active in the connected VAN committee, it should become available in Mobilize.

Why didn’t the dashboard-level Activist Code sync to VAN?

How to diagnose:

  • Check the VAN Settings tab. Make sure the Sign up activist code is set and that it was configured at the time the sign up in question first synced.

  • Check the Stats tab Integration Errors view for any related errors

  • Check the configuration of the Activist Code in VAN:

    • It should be Public scope, Active and set to "be able to be applied or removed. Without these settings, the activist code won’t sync to VAN.

    • If it is set to “can be applied multiple times”, the dashboard level activist code will be applied each time the supporter signs up on Mobilize. Otherwise, the activist code will only be applied the first time the supporter signs up.

Next steps: Read more about how dashboard-level activist codes sync to VAN and contact Mobilize Support to learn more about re-sync options.

Why didn't the Custom event-level Activist Code sync to VAN?

How to diagnose:

  • Check the Stats tab Integration Errors view for any related errors

  • Check the configuration of the Activist Code in VAN. It should be Public scope, Active and set to "be able to be applied or removed. Without these settings, the activist code won’t sync to VAN.

  • Confirm whether you’ve recently switched VAN committees. Exact codes from the old committee will not exist in the new committee.

Next steps:

It's not possible to retroactively sync an event-level custom Activist Code that was not added at the time of event creation. However, there are two ways to resync the event going forward. Reach out to Support to request either action:

  • Resync to VAN defaults: The event's models can be reset and resynced using configuration in default VAN Settings including dashboard-level Activist Code.

  • If configured at event creation, re-sync with custom settings: If the event-level Custom Activist Code is corrected/edited in VAN so that Mobilize can access it again, the event can be resynced against the custom settings originally configured.

Why didn't my checkbox additional field sync to VAN?

How to diagnose:

  • Check the Stats tab Integration Errors view for any related errors

  • Check the Additional Fields tab — does the checkbox field have an activist code or survey question mapped to it?

  • Is the mapped activist code or survey question Public and Active in the integrated VAN committee?

  • When was the checkbox configuration added? Only sign ups that occurred after checkbox was configured and added to event will have activist code or survey question applied.

Next steps: Mobilize Support can resync the event upon request.

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