This is in early access and, as such, will not appear in the Developer Docs where you see most of our API calls.
If you are looking to programmatically export data from Beacon, you are now able to make calls to start an export.
To do this, please use the same authorisation as you do in the developer docs here:
https://developers.beaconcrm.org/
To start an export, you do the following:
POST: account/{ACCOUNT_ID}/entity_export/triggerWhere {ACCOUNT_ID} is the ID of your charity (which you can see in the URL bar when you log into Beacon).
And you pass along the object:
{
"entity_export_template_id": 138
}Where 138 is the example of your Export Template.
This will then return you an object including the ID of the newly started Export Log:
{
"id": 751,
"name": "Example.csv",
"notes": null,
....etc.
This will also return the status (in_progress).
Using the ID that is returned, you can then make an API call to see the progress:
GET: account/{ACCOUNT_ID}/entity_exports?entity_export_id={EXPORT_ID}This is the same entity_exports endpoint as the docs but you can pass a query string.
You will then get an array which contains the result of the ID that is passed to you:
{
"results": [
{
"id": 751,
"name": "Extraordinary.csv",
"notes": null,
"format": "csv",
"progress": 100,
"start_at": "2025-10-08T11:11:26.600Z",
"status": "finished",
"error_code": null,
"user_id": null,
"created_at": "2025-10-08T11:11:26.601Z",
"updated_at": "2025-10-08T11:11:29.519Z",
"entity_type_id": 32369,
"entity_export_template_id": 138,
"url": "******"
}
]
}
There are 2 ways to see if it is finished: the status "finished" or the progress (where 100 is 100% complete).
The URL that is returned is the Export File link that is generated for you whenever you call this API endpoint. Note, this will automatically expire (same as the existing API says).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the URL not work when I use it?
It is likely that it has expired, try calling the URL to get the URL again.
Can I make changes to the Export Templates programatically?
Not right now, but we are working on this.
Can I use Zapier to make a periodic backup?
Yes, you can! Though don't forget GDPR/any appropriate legislation