Advanced Mail Merging in The Raiser's Edge

12th October 2009

Gordon Mitchell, Senior Consultant

Gordon.mitchell@blackbaud.co.uk

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During this session we will discuss the following mail merges:

Conditional donor acknowledgement letters – automate different types of letters for different types of support

Mail Merge using export – create mailings with any information held in the database

Segmented direct mail pieces – better target mailings to your prospects

If…Then…Else statements – change any text in the body of the letter based on any information in the database

Introduction to nested If…Then…Else statements

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Conditional Mail Merge: Use information from the donation to have Raiser’s Edge assign a specific letter.

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Conditional Mail Merge: Choose the conditional value that you would like to base the letter on.

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Conditional Mail Merge: Add Merge fields and text as in a standard merge.

TIP: If you are creating multiple documents at one time you can cut and paste merge fields between

documents to save time

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Conditional Mail Merge: Create as many letters as required.

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Conditional Mail Merge: This will then produce a letter for each one of the ‘conditions’ met.

Standard

Mid Level

High Level

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Conditional Mail Merge: Things to remember...

• If you are using conditional acknowledgements ensure that you have a letter created for each of the possible conditions being used with the Donor Acknowledgement Mailing (Unless you specifically want certain donors to receive no letter).

• If you wish to edit your Conditional Letters these are stored within the Mailing. To edit these you must have an unacknowledged gift to ‘thank’

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Conditional Mail Merge using Export

Using Export allows you to place any filed in the merge document (and place the condition on any field). This includes Summary Information

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Conditional Mail Merge using Export

This allows you to further personalise your responses…

First Gift

More than one gift

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Segmentation: Use Segment to let Raiser’s Edge segment and de-dupe your mailings:

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Segmentation: Conditional Merging

Use the Package field from your segmentation as the condition – allowing you to create individual letters for each package

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If…Then…Else statements

Use If…Then…Else statements in Word to replace merge field information with a word phrase or paragraph – e.g. replacing the code for an Appeal or Fund. that would be unusable in a thank you letter, with a statement about the Appeal or gift designation

Additionally If…Then…Else statements can be used when one condition (Raiser’s Edge condition) is not enough

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If…Then…Else statements

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If…Then…Else statements: Construction

Merge field condition is based on

Merge field value

Statement if the merge field value is present “You have restricted…”

ELSE statement between the last set of quotes. This is what is displayed if the fund description merge field does not have the value of “Building Fund”

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If…Then…Else statements: Tips

TIP: Right Click on your If…Then…Else statement in Word to view the statement code

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If…Then…Else statements: Tips

TIP: Use ALT + F9 to view the code in the document and Edit correctly. This is important when creating

nested statements as code should be copied in this format. Press ALT + F9 again to exit this mode

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If…Then…Else statements: Tips

TIP: Right Click and select update fields to view the statement again within the document. If the

statement is working correctly the ‘else’ text should show in Word

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‘Nested’ If…Then…Else statements

An If…Then…Else statement essentially give you a choice of a merge field being one value or something else (e.g. City= “Glasgow” or “Else”)

If you wish there to be more choices for your merge field value then you need to ‘nest’ one merge field inside another. The 2nd statement should be placed within the else “ “ of the first statement

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‘Nested’ If…Then…Else statements

Press ALT + F9 to view the code of the original If…then…Else statement and copy the statement

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‘Nested’ If…Then…Else statements

Copy the statement into the else quotes of the original statement

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‘Nested’ If…Then…Else statements

Update the statement with the new field values and text (in bold above). Then press ALT + F9 to view in the document. If this nested statement is working correctly the “else” statement should show

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Questions?