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Article ID: KB1379
Keyword Name: mail-merge, thank, receipt, batch, mass update, flag, donations, letter, write, template, thank-you
Created: October 25, 2017
Viewed: 15337

Write Thank You Letters (Receipts) to Donors and Flag them as Thanked




Click Here to view this article as a PDF.




Author: Kristenson, Joel

Last Updated: 2017-10-25





Overview


This article walks through the steps to thank donors for their donations, and “flag” them as thanked afterwards.



http://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/images/tip-icon.pngTip: Prefer video?  Click here to watch a short video on how to accomplish this task.






Steps


Navigate to the Thank You Letter – Contributions list.



This list will automatically populate with all donations that haven’t been marked as thanked.  You can filter the list further with a search query by criteria such as amount, date, event, etc.  In this example I had 9 records.



You can check and uncheck boxes in the first column for the donations you need to issue a thank-you receipt for.


Once the list you need is populated select File > Write Letter.



*If you have a letter that’s already saved as a template you can insert it by selecting File > Insert TemplateIn this example I typed out a new letter which I’ll save at the end after printing.


Compose your letter with your text, images, signature, spacing, etc.  You can select the different merge fields you need for your letter from the Insert Merge Field… drop-down.  Not all merge fields will work in the Thank You Letter list.



There are many merge fields you can utilize when writing these letters – these are a few of the common ones used for this type of letter:

· «MM/dd/yyyy»

· «FirstName»

· «LastName»

· «Home Address Block»

· «Amount Contribution»

· «Contribution Date»


Run a print preview by clicking [Print] > [Print Preview].



Page through the letters you’re printing to verify everything is accurate.  You can adjust the page settings (margins, type of paper, etc.) if necessary by clicking the [Page Settings] button on the top tool bar.



If you need to make further changes to the letter you can click [Cancel] in the bottom-right.  When you’re ready to print click the [Print] button, select which printer to use, and click [Print] to finish.  Mail your letters – you can use Trail Blazer to print envelopes and labels as well.



After printing and mailing your letters, return back to your list of donations in the Thank You Letter – Contributions list, and click File > Set Thank You Sent…



Click [OK] to proceed with the update.



Click [OK] again when you’re prompted that the update is complete.



The list will reflect that the donations have been flagged as thanked and the thank-you date will be set to the date that you ran the mass update.



Reset the list (if you entered search criteria), and then click [Search] to refresh the list which will display any remaining ‘un-thanked’ donation records.  In this example all 9 donations were thanked and the list dropped to zero.



Take a look at the related resources below for other articles and videos related to this topic.














Related Resources


Article: (Mail-Merge) – How to Write a Letter and Save it as a Template

Article: How to Print Envelopes

Article: How to Print Mail-Merge Address Labels

Article: Inserting Donation Transactions into a Mail-Merge Letter (Primarily for Nonprofits)

Article: How to Print Household Labels

Article: How to Track Soft Credits using Contribution Notifications – ONLY for Nonprofit Customers

Article: How to Create a Year-End Tax Letter Addressed to Individuals or the Entire Household using Merge Fields – Nonprofit Only

Video: Getting Started 107 – Writing Contribution Thank You Letters

Video: Year End Tax Letter

Video: Thank A Person Once For Multiple Contributions

Video: Donation Auto Responder with Merge Fields

Video: Write Letter – Edit Letter after Mail Merge

Video: Getting Started 106a – Entering Contributions (NON PROFIT ONLY)

Video Playlist: Letter Writing





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