FUN - Pledge/Donation Merges

Overview

The Fundraising ‘Pledge/Donation Merges’ program can be used to create Word® Merge files that are suitable to be merged against templates for:

Pledge reminders.
Donation receipts.
Thank-you letters.

This means that your school can design reminder letters, thank-you letters and receipt formats in Word® and then use this program to select the appropriate data to merge from the database.

Output options available include:

An AMAS file.
A Word® merge text files.
A Word® merge Excel® file.
An email list
A combination of Word® Merge file and email list.

General Tab

Base the report on:	Individual pledges This option will include both individual pledges and pledges that have a payment schedule (based on the period and filters that you nominate directly below). Scheduled pledges This option will only include pledges that have a payment schedule (based on the period and filters that you nominate directly below). Donation receipts This option will include all donations received (based on the period and filters that you nominate directly below).
Donor	Use this filter to create a merge for a single donor. Otherwise, leave blank.
Dates	Use these fields to include pledges or donations for a nominated period.
Pledge Category	Use this filter to create a merge for one or more pledge categories. Otherwise, leave blank to include all pledge categories.
Appeal Code	Use this filter to create a merge for one or more appeals. Otherwise, leave blank to include all appeals.

Process Tab

Sort By

This will determine the data order for the merge files.

Formatting Options

Select 'Extra Fields' to include in the merge by highlighting them with a mouse-click.

Holding down the 'Shift' key while clicking on your options permits a range selection, holding down the 'Ctrl' key allows individual selection of additional fields.

Display Options

Include Cheque Drawer / Cardholder Name

This option is only available if you chose the 'Base the report on the 'Donation Receipts' option, on the 'General' tab.

If ticked, an additional 'drawer_name' column will be included in your merge file.

This only applies to receipts that have been entered through program Finance > Parent Accounts > Receipting > Receipts. There is an option in that program to enter a different name for the donation in the 'Drawer' field, e.g. a grandparent has paid a donation, and the Donor record is under the parent name.

One record per Donor/Pledge (Consolidated)

Or

One record per Donor (Consolidated)

This field will change based on the selection you made in the 'Base the report on:' option, on the 'General' tab.

If you chose 'Scheduled pledges', you can opt to have all the donations made by each donor against each pledge consolidated into a single figure (for the nominated date range).

If you chose 'Donation receipts', you can opt to have all the donations made by each donor consolidated into a single figure (for the nominated date range).

Important!

If you use this consolidation option, the number of fields in your merge file will be reduced. Any fields that are unique to individual pledge/donation records such as date, receipt number will not be included.

Output Options

AMAS File	This creates a file in a format that is suitable for uploading into certain AMAS (The Address Matching Approval System) software products. We currently support Postman®.
Word® Merge – TXT File	Generate a `.txt` file suitable for merging with a Word® letter or label template. Click the 'Word Merge File' Button. To include additional fields in your Word® Merge highlight the appropriate fields from the 'Additional Fields (Word® Merge only)'. Holding down the 'Shift' key while clicking on your options permits a range selection, holding down the 'Ctrl' key enables selection of discrete (individual) criterion.
Word Merge - Excel File	You would use this if you prefer to use Excel® as your source for merging with a Word® letter or label template. This can be a better option if you have commas in your data.
Email	A 'Generate Emails' screen will be displayed, and the 'Emails' field will list the email addresses of recipients. A semicolon will separate multiple email addresses. Use the 'Select All' button to highlight the email addresses displayed. Copy the email addresses from this field to the clipboard and paste them into your alternative email product (e.g. Outlook). For devices that prefer a comma as a separator, click the 'Use Comma Separator' box before copying to the clipboard. Alternatively, click the 'Email All' button to launch your school's email product. Very Important! Email addresses will be populated into the 'To' field of your alternative email product (i.e. recipients will see each other's email addresses). TASS does not recommend the use of this option. Some Browsers and Email Clients impose limits on data that can be transferred; we recommend that you check that all emails displayed have been transferred before sending. If your alternative email product fails to launch, please contact your system administrator. Click here for an Administrator Note. The use of the 'Email All' button requires a default Email Client be configured as a 'mailto' handler in your browser and operating system.
Word® Merge and email	This is for the scenario where you want to create an email for the donor pledges and donations that have valid email addresses and a Word® Merge for the rest. To achieve this tick the 'Email where possible' checkbox and click the 'Word Merge File' Button. This will create a `.txt` file for donor pledges and donations that don't have an email address. Then click the 'Email' button and the 'Copy Email List to Clipboard' button for the donor pledges and donations who do have email addresses.