Before you run a correspondence process, we recommend you create a correspondence letter template in Microsoft Word. The letter template is the form merged with constituent data to create the correspondence your organization sends to constituents. For example, the letter may read “Dear [constituent name], Thank you for your recent visit to our organization. It was a pleasure to visit [spouse] as well.”
When you first create the letter template in Word, generate a header file to use in the template for merged fields. The header file exports in a comma-separated values (*.csv) format.
After you create the letter template, you must add the correspondence process. When you create the process, you select the letter template, output format, and selection of constituents to receive the correspondence. With the process, you can generate the merged correspondence for the selected constituents.
If you use Microsoft Word 2007, you can use the Blackbaud Communications add-in to easily select and insert merge fields from your database and add a correspondence process as you create a document for a mailing in Word. For information about this add-in, see Microsoft Word Add-in for Blackbaud Communications.