Make all fields accessible in Mail functions

In tab "2: Fields to Include" in Mail there have been arbitrary decisions made on what fields would be available to use in a Merge. If the field I want to use is not listed I must use Export to create the merge, preventing me from taking advantage of things like marking gifts as receipted.

All mail functions should have a full field list available as we do in Export.

  • Guest
  • Jan 31 2012
  • Reviewed: Voting Open
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  • Guest commented
    October 20, 2023 15:20

    Requesting last gift field in mail tab. URGENT need for mailings needing gift arrays based on last gift amount. How have others been pulling clean mailings all this time with gift information included? It's simply not possible.

  • Guest commented
    January 28, 2022 17:04

    Tribute First and Last Name would be helpful to have as options to include. When we thank a donor for a tribute gift we like to include who they made the gift in honour or memory of.

  • Macy Land commented
    November 17, 2021 16:28

    Yes! Set up as is, mail is much more convoluted than it needs to be.

  • Diane Smith commented
    August 25, 2021 21:08

    Long overdue. We need to have benefit information available to move to eReceipting.

    At least offering the same fields as available in donor acknowledgements would help us.

  • Joanne DelCarpine commented
    August 25, 2021 19:48

    Long overdue

  • Admin
    David Springer commented
    August 25, 2021 19:11

    Changing the status of this idea to Voting Open because it's been reviewed. While not currently planned, this will remain open for voting and future consideration as a change.

    Please note that this only represents expanding the list of available fields within mail functions, and doesn't reflect any other changes to the mailing process. If other changes are desired outside of additional fields outside of making the fields from Export available in Mail, please create separate suggestions for those.

  • Guest commented
    June 22, 2021 12:05

    For all the reasons already listed, this would be incredibly useful. Currently limited by the fields available with no way to add more. This list has started to dictate how we put our TY letters together. Very uncreative way of working. Please consider full field list.

  • Ilse Larsen commented
    March 31, 2020 14:12

    AGREED! I'm looking to very simply add the field FUND to an email gift acknowledgement in Online Express. It seems silly that even very basic fields aren't available for to use in merges. This seems like such an easy fix. WHY IS THIS 8 YEARS OLD AND STILL NOT ADDRESSED?!

  • Susan Fioribello commented
    December 31, 2019 09:56

    Making event information would greatly help. example of usage: "Thank you attending {Event Name} on {event date} at {event location}." Your gift of {amount} for {number of units} {unit description] is greatly appreciated. {receipt amount} of your gift is tax deductible."

  • Marie Tiemersma Eakin commented
    November 19, 2019 16:20

    Yes!  Event participant attributes would be so helpful for acknowledgement letters.

  • Guest commented
    November 10, 2019 22:44

    I can’t believe this has not even been addressed in over 7 years! No unique Gift ID field available for mail merge! I’m just at a loss for words (no pun intended).

  • Guest commented
    March 29, 2019 18:36

    I agree. The Mail module should incorporate more data fields such as the stock issuers name, median price, total value, value at the time of sale, issuer symbol etc. It would also help if data fields such as the first gift date are available to include in the letter. Currently that's a limitation in RE. I hope the next edition supports this.

  • Guest commented
    February 06, 2019 12:35

    Phone and email fields please in RE> Mail> Quick letters. We would like to create segmented emails in the same way we create segmented mailing lists. Many thanks

  • Joanna Gallant commented
    January 16, 2019 18:36

    I need donor email address AND phone number printed on Honour/Memorial acknowledgment cards

  • Guest commented
    August 28, 2018 19:00

    It's somewhat disheartening that this still hasn't been addressed by Blackbaud. You can't list the Benefits or their count like you can in Export, are extremely limited in what you can include from a Tribute's record, can't include any of the stock information that Export readily supplies.

     

    How hard is it exactly to allow these fields that this still hasn't been fixed more than 5 years later?

  • Elizabeth Baur commented
    March 24, 2017 17:44

    I need more summary fields available in "Fields to include" in the Donor Acknowledgment Letter." We like to communicate with our donors what they have given in 2017 (so far), 2016, and 2015 separately. Currently I can only tell them what they've given YTD this calendar year, fiscal year, or from specific date. 

  • Rachel Bailey commented
    February 23, 2017 19:19

    I need the Letter conditional field to be available when choosing "per donor" on the Fields to include tab of Donor Acknowledgment Letters.  We have donors that give multiple checks on the same day all receiving the same letter code and we need that to roll up into one letter instead of 35-50 that we then have to manually edit.

  • Guest commented
    January 24, 2017 16:52

    This same issue used to have over 2,000 votes, and the votes and most of the comments then disappeared. The core problem is RE's silo-based file structure, rather than being a true relational database. We can capture all of the detailed info imaginable, we just cannot use it. The 'Emperor's New Clothes' syndrome - for those who understand the file structure well enough to handle work-arounds and unbelievably complex queries, it is job security. For the rest it is constant pressure from above to get basic functionality out of a  relatively expensive software package that boasts of bells-and-whistles when it can't deliver on basics. RE is designed to archive data, not to use it.

  • Katie Donaldson commented
    June 14, 2016 12:58

    I agree, I have just been trying to set up a number of letters but unable to select the fields required so have had to set these up through Export instead.

  • Guest commented
    April 14, 2016 18:54

    At the very least, we need all of the salutation fields, so we would have "Recognition Name" available for letters. Need to be able to identify a contact name linked to a specific gift within organizations, so the thank you goes to the right person.

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