Mail & List Segmentation

For the BC Blackbaud Users Group

Tamara Wojdylo & Chelsey Ireland VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation

Introduction to Raiser’s Edge Mail

Today we are covering:

• Features in RE Mail

• Setting up a Mail parameter file

• Discuss how to segment a list

Navigate to Mail

Tasks in Mail

• Click “Mail” Icon

• All Mail tasks are

accessible from the

window next to RE

navigation bar

Features of Mail • Appeal Cards – prints a quick appeal summarizing the giving history and a suggested next gift amount

• Card – prints selected mailing information

• Donor Acknowledgement Letters – exports fields related to a constituent and their gift

• Envelopes – only mailing information

• Follow-up letters – exports fields for actions on a constituent’s record

• Honour/Memorial Acknowledgement Letters ($additional module$) – exports fields to send to acknowledgees for gifts made in honour/memory of someone

• Label Truncation Report – lists by font size, which addresses will be horizontally or vertically truncated on a given label type

• Labels – prints selected mailing information onto labels

• Name Tags – prints participant information

• Phonathon Forms – prints a brief summary of constituent and gifts

• Place Cards – prints participant information

• Quick Letters – exports a set number of fields as a data file that can be used in MS word to create a merged letter

• Receipt Report – shows which receipts are processed in a receipt run, given certain parameters

• Receipts – prints receipts for constituents who have given gifts and who have not yet received a receipt.

• Reissue Receipts – prints receipts again for constituents who have given gifts and received a receipt. What is the difference between Reissue and Reprint?

• Reminder Report – shows who was processed in a “Reminder run” given certain parameters

• Reminders – prints reminders for gifts/installments that have a balance and are overdue

• Reprint Receipts – prints new receipts for constituents who have given gifts and received a receipt. Do you reprint receipts from Mail or from the gift record?

Parameter Files

• For each mail task, you can create different parameter

files. Based on the purpose selected, you will have

access to different data tables for export.

• Data table = information kept on a specific tab of RE.

Parameter Files

• Most likely you will be selecting an existing parameter

file from a list, so today let’s review creating a “new”

parameter file for labels because it has more options

than quick letters.

• Quick letters is a fast way to create letters accessing

preselected fields automatically merging into a word

documents – downside is only allows access address &

constituent tables.

• Assumption that majority of users have MS office

integration for using Word Merge Wizard.

How to Create a New Parameter File 1. RE navigation bar > select Mail

2. Select Mail task > Quick Letters

3. Click New on the action bar located at the top of window

4. Setting up the parameter file - fill in specific details on the General, Fields to Include, Filters, Gift Types, Attributes, Individual Address, Organization Address and Format tabs, this will influence your export file. Save the file with a name relating to the current purpose, and if the export contains the correct fields for future mailing best to give it a functional name rather than an appeal/event specific name.

5. General: Create for Constituents, Include XYZ query, select type of processing Mail only to constituents marked ‘head of household”, important UNTICK inactive, deceased and no valid address. TICK create output query, only if you need this group later.

1: General

Purpose: select the group of records to be processed. Once base group

has been selected, further definition of the group is applied using the

other buttons, fields and checkboxes – via tabs beyond the General.

Head of Household Head of household processing - In your DB, likely there are couples who donate independently, so decision has to be made who is to receive the mailing?

When marked, the constituent with “head” checked off will be on this list (found on Spouse Tab). However this type of processing only occurs if both spouses qualify for this mailing.

Depending on organization policy, if directed to mail to first constituent found that implies the constituent who first shows up in the query. If preference is to include both partners, then use mail to both constituents separately.

2: Fields to Include When you bring

items over from the

left available fields to the

right fields to print…

if the option button is

black then there are

further choices to

consider.

Try to anticipate all export fields that might be used in your mailings

Options Button

Specifically relevant to how addressee, salutation & additional

addressee are exported and merged

3: Filters

• At VGH Foundation, contact status constituent attribute is used to reflect solicit codes allowing us

more flexibility, instead of RE designated solicit code fields. Exclusions vary for every mailing, so

filtering takes place on the Attributes tab (exclusions/inclusions) or outside RE, in excel - plus we

often send “Kill Files” to double check. A common request is to please ignore contact status that are

more than 3 years old, which is best managed under attributes than under solicit codes.

4: Attributes

• Method of targeting records, based on attributes of constituent, gift, membership,

participant, address or action records. Filter include or exclude

• On this tab, you can also add, update or delete attributes for the records.

5: Individual Address

Why do some records print without a valid address, only using constituent name?

6: Organization Address Why do all contacts at an organization get pulled into the mailing?

Default is set to all contact types, therefore you need to select the contact type to who is to receive this specific mailing.

Who is the correct contact?

Contact Types

Note: tick box check or uncheck print for each contact found, and decision required if mailing is intended to go to an individual who is also an organization contact. Donor’s perspective… wondering why they have been mailed twice?

7: Segment Tab

Prior to segmenting

a) Get your input queries sorted

Prior to Segmenting

b) Set up appeal & package codes

Prior to Segmenting

c) Decide to apply appeal_ID and package_ID at time of

list pulling or wait for backfeed file (also known as

importing a constituent appeal with the ACTUAL records

used by mailhouse, since there is significant manipulation

before mailing – manual adjustments, kill files etc…)

How to Segment

via January 2014 newsletter example

• New mail option Labels Note: not actually printing

labels, rather it’s a utility for list segmentation & output

query

January Newsletter Example Page 1

• For newsletter

mailing we are

going to

include… All

records

• Important to

remember to

create output

query (check

box)

January Newsletter Page 2

• Enter dynamic input

queries 001-00, appeal,

packages and use naming

convention for static output

queries. For speed & ease

in filling out this tab,

confirm input queries are

accurate in RE &

packages have been

added to appeal.

• Are you ready to press

Preview? If yes, then you

have some time to step

away from your computer

or work on something

outside of RE

January Newsletter page 3

Output query: a list without exclusions in the newsletter case, so we must use

SUB operator to create a final version of this list before exporting, unless all your

exclusions can be managed via the attributes tab.

Exclusions: only using contact status - do not solicit codes for since January 1,

minus 3 years.

Merge “Appeal output query” SUB “exclusions” FINAL

January Newsletter Export

• Using a standard “Mail Pull”

export, select final version of

newsletter query.

• Review output fields to

ensure all requirements are

included.

• Recommend to export

constituent attributes such as

contact status, to double

check exclusion criteria.

January Newsletter Export Detail

Adjust the output fields to

include the constituent

appeal bringing over only the

current appeal name &

packages

Now you are ready to export!

RE Database Manager & DM Data Expert Once the list has been segmented by RE manager, the direct mail team

members check the package codes in RE.

However the “real test” is once the data has been exported and spot

checks occur across the different package codes.

Depending on the type of mailing, a gift array matrix is applied to the

constituent’s last gift.

The mailings are NOT complete until the backfeed file has been uploaded

into RE. We strive to have this information current before the response

donations are returned.

Sample in House Data Request – January Newsletter

Sample Agency Data Request

• When working with

an agency this is

what your data

request might look

like

Sample DM data request con’t

Q & A

tamara.wojdylo@vghfoundation.ca

chelsey.ireland@vghfoundation.ca

Thanks for joining us!