RE Data with Word Merge

Change is hard. It's especially hard when the change is happening to processes that have been around for awhile, you're comfortable with, and perhaps even like. This feels to be the case for most Blackbaud hosted customers with the change to Raiser's Edge and Microsoft Office integrations. Believe me when I say I was more than a bit hysterical when I got the news back in December. But I talked it through with colleagues and clients alike and came out the other side of my panic state ready for the change and even a bit excited about it.

One of the hardest things about change is the management of the change. So, let's manage some of it together starting with some changes in how you will run donor acknowledgment letters after February 28, 2022.

Depending on which Raiser's Edge version you are using you will have different options for how to facilitate the new workflows for Microsoft Office apps. Today I'd like to walk through one of the options for mail merges available to everyone. It's what I call the old-school-new-school option - exporting your gift data from Raiser's Edge and then merging your letters using your local Word.

In this post we're looking at donor acknowledgement letters, but similar steps will apply to other types of mailings you've been producing out of Raiser's Edge that are merged with Word -  think tribute letters and pledge reminders.

Here's how to do a simple mail merge which produces the same letter for every person or organization in the list.

1. Using your regular donor acknowledgment file in RE Mail configure it to capture the gifts that need to be acknowledged. Perhaps you've used a date range in the RE Mail file or maybe you've typically attached a query of gifts to the file. This part of the process will not change.
2. Export the data as a CSV file using the Export button in the lower right corner of the RE Mail file. This part may be new for some of you.
   
3. When prompted, save the file - this will be a CSV file - to a location of your choosing on your computer or a shared folder. Select Export Now.
4. Open Microsoft Word. Write the text of your letter or use a letter you've already created.
5. From Mailings, click Select Recipients and then Use an Existing List. Select the CSV file you exported in Step 3. Click Open and then Okay.
   
6. Now for merging Raiser's Edge fields from your exported CSV file into the Word document. In your Word document, place your cursor where you would like to insert a Raiser's Edge field. Select Insert Merge Field and insert the desired field. Repeat this process for every field you would like to insert into your letter.
   
7. Select Finish & Merge and then Edit Individual Documents. Quickly spot check your letters.
   
8. After you've proofed your work, print your letters.
9. Save your letters.

For a good number of Blackbaud hosted customers this old-school-new-school process for producing donor acknowledgement letters will be the easiest to implement, start using, and manage.

This link will take you to an editable version of this post. Feel free to download it, use it as is, or edit it for use in your policies and procedures documentation.

Watch this space for more helpful resources to manage the upcoming changes in your Raiser's Edge/Microsoft Office workflows.