Does anyone have a "Mail List Request" Form?

Eleonore Buet · November 2016

I am trying to create a form I can pass out so that when someone needs a mailing list, they fill it out. It specifies the type of mailing, fields needed etc...

Just trying to see if there is one out there, or any ideas on that.

Thanks!

Christine Adams · November 2016

Eleonore,

How many requests do you currently have per month? We have between 50-60 a month across campus and decided to use a help desk software to help us manage all of the requests. Depending on the type of request - email, report, mailing, event, etc. it will change the questions it asks the customer. It is teamsupport.com.

Eleonore Buet · November 2016

Thank you for the suggestion! We only do a few requests per month, depending on the month there may be a few more. I don't think they'll spring to add software for it, unfortunetly, but I need something so that there is a written record of what was requested, and what they want exactly, so that everyone is on the same page.

Thanks!!

Jen Claudy · November 2016

At a previous job, I put together an Excel "form" with multiple tabs for different types of requests (lists, mailings, reports, etc.). Spent a lot of time on it, and it was never really used. What ended up happening was that someone would fill out parts of the form, submit it, and then I'd have to schedule a meeting to review it, and essentially fill it out in that meeting. Which quickly morphed into someone simply scheduling an Outlook Appointment with me about an upcoming request, we'd discuss what they needed and also what they wanted and then I'd go back, do a little planning and figuring, and put together a production plan/schedule. That would be sent in writing via email, which basically summarized the entire job including all deadlines and things like bulk mail or first class, etc. If I missed something, it would then be resolved by phone or email, or if it was big, another meeting. This worked pretty well, because the requestor didn't have to read thru the whole form and figure out what information needed to be included (and still end up missing most of it), we still had something in writing (my production plan), and if the request was in any way not feasible (or not reasonable), I could easily cc my boss to bring him into the loop. It also meant that most of my coworkers started to use the same terminology, because they were referencing my production plans, and gradually started to include a lot of the details that they wouldn't think about before this system was in place. The form they found frustrating, and then I was frustrated because it was incomplete...or they started ignoring it. And the time we spent meeting was probably the same or less than the time it would have taken them to fill out the form and me to decipher it.

If you have very basic needs (at that job, most everything was pretty complex), a form might do okay. I would suggest setting up a form in MS Word. I've done several at this job, just not for RE projects, and can send you a template to work with if you'd like... We started out with forms in Word then print to a pdf, then create a form using Adobe Acrobat, but the problem is that any little change required going back to Word and then re-doing that whole process.

Tom Klimchak · November 2016

A quick Google search for "advancement services list request form" will yield you some results and samples you can begin to work from. I suspect each organization will have different needs and processes.

Years ago we had a one-page form with about 30 questions and checkboxes. Then it expanded to 50 questions, then 120+ checkboxes on both sides of a piece of paper. Then we gave up

and just said "Email requests to Tom... and he'll call you with more questions."

Now we're putting together two different export "templates" that have 95% of all the fields anyone would ever need (so we're not reinventing the wheel each time) and we're going to put together an online form that will mostly ask large, open-ended questions like "What do you wish to do with this list?" and "What population would you like?".... And let people type in whatever they want. After we get the request we inform everyone that we'll call (or meet) with them to discuss the specifics. It's amazing how the form request doesn't usually match the "real" request when you actually talk to someone. We still track all our "jobs" in MS Access and we give each request a "job #" so we can refer back to "Job #2134" instead of "that mailing for the Education department where we took out the grad students."

So I would suggest using a simple form to capture the initial request, communicating directly with the requester, taking notes on what's needed and using a job number tracking system to make things simpler (for you)... Good luck!

Eleonore Buet · November 2016

OK, thanks!! Yea I can see how that would get complicated. I am only working with 2 people, and just want a simple form that establishes some kind of written record. Any template you have would definitely be welcome!! Thank you!!

Eleonore Buet · November 2016

Wow, that was just the wording I needed for the search, thank you. Yes, I am definitely trying to keep it very simple. I mostly want this to make the requestor stop and think about the complexity of the mailing list, and think through the criteria. So often it's just," I need alumni", but not much thought on the rest of the process.

This is helpful,. thanks!!

Daniel Bayer · November 2016

We had a whole thread about this a while back in Best Practices (I think). Here's a link to the Google form I made for my current org. Creating this form (which I first did in a previous position), was easily the best idea I have ever come up with. It really only works if you have a Gmail account, though, I think, even though you can set up notifications to go to your work email. But it's really easy to set up, and has streamlined the process immensely.

Eleonore Buet · November 2016

That is awesome, thank you!!!

Elizabeth Rich · November 2016

Google Forms.

Jessica Thrift 2 · November 2016

This is the form we use. We have switched between more detailed/complex forms, and this more narrative style, and this seems to work better.

Eleonore Buet · November 2016

You guys have been amazing. I really appreciate the feedback, truly. We are a small organization, so there are not a lot of people who will be using it. But I have been hired to create procedures, and clean up the database. I have always used a form like this, and think it helps peopel think about what they really need. Just want to keep it simple though.

Here is what I have. I have not converted it yet, it's still in the word doc as I finalize the text. Any feedback is welcome. Or if someone wants to use it as well.

Thanks!

Katherine Mannion · November 2016

Here's the form that i use. It's super simple, but for me it gets the job done. Most mailings/label requests are pretty much the same every time. For bigger mailings (Annual Fund, Alumni Magazine) that are more complicated or more costly, I have my Director and /or President sign off on them once all the criteria has been determined. I also jot down (right on the form) the name of the Query/Export I used to create the mailing, because I'm terrible at remembering what I named things! Finally, I keep the forms in a folder so that I can refer back if someone questions, and it's happened, and I was REALLY happy that I could say who asked for it and what I did.

Eleonore Buet · November 2016

Thanks, Katherine!

I am not seeing the attachment you mention. For that matter, I don't see the attachment I put on to my reply yesterday either. Am I missing them somehow?

Katherine Mannion · December 2016

Weird. I can see it....

Cathleen Mai · December 2016

Here is what we use..

Deb Dressely · December 2016

We created this one. I'll try to upload it, feel free to use and change as fits your needs. We always follow up with a face to face conversation to make sure we fully understand the request and can offer suggestions.

Karen Hartt · December 2016

Hi Eleanore.

I've attached the form we use here at the Maine Commuinty Foundation.

Lori Kroening · December 2016

Here is the form that we use at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. We tried to be thorough without making the form too complicated, and we have revised it several times. However we often need to contact the person requesting the list for clarification.

Terri Taylor · December 2016

My colleague has created a request website that you can forward as a link for pretty much all the types of requests including lists, research, etc. I can give you his information. My email is ttaylor@srufoundation.org. It is an amazing tool.

Heather MacKenzie · December 2016

Eleanore, I'm so glad you asked about this! We're in the process of making our form better and I am getting so many ideas from you all. I love the mind-meld going on here!

My form, in it's current incarnation, is attached, hopefully.

Does anyone have a "Mail List Request" Form?

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