Overview
Mail Merge letter generation in Bonterra CRM allows you to create personalized documents for your contacts or contributors by combining templates with data from your records. Once you've created and assigned Mail Merge templates, you can generate letters from various places in the system, including reports, contact lists, and individual records. This streamlined process eliminates the need for manual data entry and allows for efficient creation of acknowledgments, thank you letters, and other communications.
Getting Started
To generate letters using Mail Merge, you first need to have Mail Merge templates uploaded in the system. These templates can be assigned to individual contributions or contacts, or you can select a single template to use for multiple records at once. Depending on where you want to generate letters from, you'll need to navigate to either a report (Contribution Acknowledgment Report or Attributions and Soft Credits Report), My List, or an individual record.
Feature Details
Mail Merge letter generation can be performed in several different ways depending on your needs:
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From Reports: Generate letters for multiple contributors at once using either the templates assigned to each contribution or a single template for all selected records.
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From My List: Create personalized letters for multiple contacts based on the data fields you've included in your list.
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From Individual Records: Generate a letter for a single contact or acknowledgment for a specific contribution without having to run a full report.
When generating letters, the system will create merged document files that combine your template with data from your records. These files are saved in My Export Files, where you can download them and then print or distribute them as needed. The system can also automatically mark contributions as "thanked" or update contact history with a "Mailed" result, depending on your template settings.
Feature Navigation
Read more about:
- How do I generate letters from a report?
- How do I generate letters from My List?
- How do I generate a letter for a single contact?
- How do I generate acknowledgments for contributions?
- How do I generate letters for attributed contacts and soft credits?
Tracking your Success
When generating letters through Mail Merge, you have options to automatically mark contributions as "thanked" or update contact history with a "Mailed" result. These tracking features allow you to maintain accurate records of your communication with supporters and ensure no one receives duplicate acknowledgments. You can also view your export history in My Export Files to see which letters have been generated and when.
Next Steps
Now that you understand how to generate letters using Mail Merge, explore the detailed articles linked above to learn specific processes for different scenarios. Remember to first ensure your Mail Merge templates are properly set up with the necessary merge fields before generating letters.