Core to Grow Sync Gaps

The Core to Grow integration syncs contact data multiple times per day. When it works, custom fields like Active Package, Attendance Total, and Location Status stay current in Grow, and workflows trigger based on those field changes. When it does not work, contacts get stuck: membership purchases do not trigger welcome sequences, attendance does not update visit counters, and pipeline cards stop moving.

Sync gaps account for roughly 20% of troubleshooting tickets. The tricky part is that the sync can fail partially: some fields update while others do not, or some contacts sync while others at the same location are missed.

What it looks like

• A contact purchased a membership in Core but Grow still shows their Active Package as the old intro offer.
• A contact attended a class but their Attendance Total in Grow has not changed.
• A contact's Location Status in Grow says “Active” but they cancelled in Core days ago.
• A workflow that should have triggered on “Active Package changed” never fired.
• The contact's timeline shows no Integration sync entries for the past 24+ hours.
• Custom fields are updating for some contacts at a location but not others.

How the sync works

Understanding the sync mechanism helps explain why it breaks. The Core to Grow Integration page covers this in full, but the key points for troubleshooting:

• Sync direction: Core pushes data to Grow. Grow never writes back to Core. This means if you manually edit a synced field in Grow, the next sync will overwrite your edit with whatever Core has.
• Sync frequency: multiple times per day, not real-time. There is a natural delay between something happening in Core and it appearing in Grow.
• Sync scope: each sync pushes ALL mapped custom fields for the contact, not just the ones that changed. This is why sync bounces can inflate visit counters (see Pipeline Inaccuracy).
• Trigger mechanism: workflows respond to field changes detected during a sync. If a field value is the same as the last sync, no workflow triggers.

Common sync gap scenarios

Active Package not updating after purchase

The most impactful sync gap. A contact buys a membership or intro offer in Core, but Grow's Active Package field does not update. Without the Active Package change, workflows like the Intro Offer Status Update never fire, and the contact does not enter the pipeline or receive their welcome sequence.

How to diagnose

1. In Core: confirm the purchase exists. Open the member's profile, go to the Payments tab, verify the package is active with the correct Begin Date.
2. In Grow: open the contact's profile. Check the Active Package custom field. If it is empty or shows an old package, the sync has not pushed the update.
3. Check sync history: in the contact's activity timeline, look for recent Integration sync entries. If the most recent sync is more than 24 hours old, the sync may be stalled for this contact.
4. Check other contacts: pick 2 or 3 other active contacts at the same location and check their sync history. If ALL contacts are missing recent syncs, the issue is location-wide. If only this contact is affected, the issue is contact-specific.

Resolution

As a temporary workaround while waiting for the sync to catch up, you can manually update the Active Package custom field in Grow to trigger the downstream workflows. Be aware that the next sync from Core will overwrite whatever you entered, so this only works if the Core data is correct and just has not synced yet.

Attendance Total not updating after a class

A contact attended a class but their Attendance Total in Grow has not incremented. This means the visit counter workflow did not fire, and if they are on an intro offer, their pipeline card did not advance.

How to diagnose

1. In Core: verify the class shows as “Attended” in their Past Sessions. If it shows as “Booked” or “Cancelled,” the attendance was not marked.
2. In Grow: check the Attendance Total field. Note the current value.
3. Wait for sync: if the class happened within the last few hours, the sync may not have run yet. Check again after 6 to 12 hours.
4. If still not updated after 24 hours: check the contact's timeline for recent Integration sync entries. If syncs are happening but Attendance Total is not changing, the integration may be pushing the field but with the old value.

Resolution

If the sync is running but the attendance count is wrong, the issue is on Core's side. Verify the class is properly marked as Attended in Core (not just Booked). If the class shows as Attended in Core but Grow is not reflecting it after 24+ hours, escalate to HQ.

Location Status not updating after cancellation

A member cancels their membership in Core, but Grow still shows them as Active. This can cause them to continue receiving membership nurture emails and milestone notifications even after they have left.

How to diagnose

1. In Core: check the member's Location Status. It should show the cancelled state (Inactive, Frozen, or similar).
2. In Grow: check the Location Status custom field. If it still says “Active,” the sync has not pushed the status change.
3. Check tag state: check whether the contact still has the active - membership tag. The Inactivity Detection workflow should strip this tag when the status changes, but if the status never synced, the tag stays.

Resolution

Manually update the Location Status field in Grow to match Core. Then manually remove the active - membership tag if it is still present. The membership nurture workflows check for this tag before sending, so removing it will stop further messages.

How to check if the sync is running

Fields that sync vs fields that do not

Not every custom field in Grow is synced from Core. Some are set by workflows within Grow itself. Knowing which is which saves time: if a non-synced field is wrong, the issue is a workflow problem (not a sync problem).

The full list of field mappings is covered on the Core to Grow Integration page.