Cover letters

Though cover letters are similar to bulletins, you'll want to use them for messages that:

• Appeal to all donors: You can only have one cover letter published at a time

• Require additional formatting options: Cover letters include options for image alignment, merge fields, different fonts, and more

• Deserve special attention: Cover letters appear one the first page of each donor report and at the top of the Welcome page in the Donor Portal

When you want to update specific donors or provide updates over time, use a bulletin instead.

Merge fields let you personalize the information included in a cover letter.

Before using merge fields, however, you need to tell your system how to create those merge fields:

1. Go to Site, Settings, Stewardship Contact Imports.

2. Select the Configuration tab.

3. Under Contact Import Settings, configure the following fields:

   • Name: Typically used as a less formal option for addressing your contact

   • Address Block fields: Used to show a contact's address in the following order

     {{Address Block Contact Name}}

     {{Address Block Line 1}}

     {{Address Block Line 2}}

     {{Address Block City}}, {{Address Block State}} {{Address Block Zip Code}}

   • Contact Salutation: Typically used as a formal greeting to a contact

4. Select Update Import Fields.

Tip: Make sure you set up merge fields before including them in a published cover letter.

If you're a system admin or a stewardship system admin, you can create cover letters.

To create a new cover letter:

1. Go to Stewardship, Cover Letters.

2. Select Add cover letter.

3. Enter a Title and a Thumbnail Image (shown as a preview of the letter in the Donor Portal).

4. Fill out the Text field, including:

   • Text: See available options in the toolbar and under Format

   • Images:

     • To add an image, select Insert, Image

     • To change the appearance, alignment, or other aspects of your image, use the text formatting options

   • Merge fields: To personalize your letter with merge fields, select Insert, Merge Fields.

5. Select Save.

To include this letter in the Donor Portal and future donor reports, select then Publish.

Note: You can only have one cover letter published at a time.

On Stewardship, Cover Letters, you can see all existing cover letters in your system:

• To sort by a column, select the column heading

• To see a content-only preview, select then View

• To remove a cover letter from the Donor Portal and future donor reports, select then Unpublish

Tip: To see how your cover letter appears to donors, go to a donor contact's record and select View as Donor.