Can't create member — email already exists
What’s happening
Section titled “What’s happening”When you try to create a new member record, the form shows “A record with this email already exists.” This means the email address you entered is already associated with another record in your database.
How to fix it
Section titled “How to fix it”Check if the existing record is the right one
Section titled “Check if the existing record is the right one”- Select View existing record in the message that appears on the form.
- Review the existing record. It may be the same person under a slightly different name, an old duplicate, or a family member who shares this email address.
If the existing record is the same person: Don’t create a new record. Edit the existing one instead. See Edit a member record and email roles.
If the existing record is an archived version of this person: Restore the existing record and update it as needed. See Member shows as archived.
If the new person genuinely needs to share this email address (for example, a family member using a shared inbox, or a child using a parent’s email): Go back to the create form and select Create anyway. MapleGather records this as a known shared email and logs the override. The records remain separate — both people have their own record, but the email appears on both.
If that didn’t work
Section titled “If that didn’t work”- “View existing record” opened an unexpected record — the email may belong to someone you’ve forgotten added to the database. Check the name and contact details on the existing record before deciding whether to merge or create anyway.
- You can’t find the existing record in the list — the existing record may be archived. Turn on Include archived in the member list to find it.
- You need to merge two duplicate records — MapleGather doesn’t have a built-in merge tool at this time. To consolidate, choose one record as the primary, manually copy any important information from the other record to it, and then archive the duplicate. Contact support if you need help with a large number of duplicates.