Include email addresses in mail output?

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Mike Bidmead
Mike Bidmead ✭
Tenth Anniversary First Reply
in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT®: General Discussion
We are using the mail tab (via a quick letter) and we build multiple segments with differing criteria, however when choosing 'fileds to include' there is no opton to output an email address. I know we can save the static query and use this as the basis for an export but is that the best/only way to get email aadresses out? Bill Connors' book says at the start of the mailings chapter that Raiser's Edge 'is an excellent tool for creating the lists and providing the data needed for mailings and e-mails'. I'm just thinking that I've missed something if I can't get email addresses out of the mail tab functionality?
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  • Matt Page
    Matt Page ✭
    Tenth Anniversary Facilitator 2 Photogenic
    He said "excellent tool" rather than "powerful tool"???



    Are you contacting via post or via email?



    Also, do you have Online Express or Net Community? We don't but are thinking of getting Online Express and I would have assumed that this functionality would come as part of that.



    Matt
  • Mike Bidmead
    Mike Bidmead ✭
    Tenth Anniversary First Reply

    Matthew Page:

    He said "excellent tool" rather than "powerful tool"???



    Are you contacting via post or via email?



    Also, do you have Online Express or Net Community? We don't but are thinking of getting Online Express and I would have assumed that this functionality would come as part of that.



    Matt

    Yup, I was quoting directly from page 95 of the book :) We're looking to expand our charity's email communications so this would be a new email mailing. We do not have online express or net community, we would be using an external mailing house to send the actual emails - we'd just need to send them the data (names, email addresses, segment codes ideally).
  • Gina Gerhard
    Gina Gerhard ✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 3 Photogenic
    It looks like 'Cards' in mail does have the Segmentation feature and in Fields to Include you Output a phone number (hit Options to choose the phone type).  Could you possibly get what you need out of this?



    Otherwise you're probably stuck with creating the Output queries and running them through Export.



    There's an IdeaBank suggestion to have the segmentation functionality a part of Export as well as Mail.  

    If you'd like to VOTE FOR THIS SUGGESTION, it's named: 'Make segmentation feature in Mail also available in Export' and here's the link: http://rediscovery.uservoice.com/forums/137015-raiser-s-edge-discovery-topics/suggestions/5874218-make-segmentation-feature-in-mail-also-available-i
  • Mike Bidmead
    Mike Bidmead ✭
    Tenth Anniversary First Reply
    Thanks Gina. I can't see where you can define the segmentation via appeal cards though? I'm working with a hospice for a year as a consultant and this is my first time with Raiser's Edge, while it has some good functionality I'm really at a loss as to why it doesn't have emails tied into its mailings functionality. It's my experience that many charities/NFPs use mailing houses to actaully send out postal and email appeals and being able to produce the raw data whilst segmenting the data is a core requirement in my eyes. There's nothing mentioned in the mail guide and I'm starting to think it just doesn't even consider email as worthy of development - it's 2015!
  • Aldera Chisholm
    Aldera Chisholm ✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 2 Photogenic
    We use email pretty heavily but I always do it via export - especially as I can then create lists to upload to either our mail client, or the direct mail house that we work with. Mailings are really great for sending straigh-up letters, but to send nice rich emails you are going to be using an exterior service likely, so if all you need is a good list of emails, using Export can do that better than mail, in my opinion. 
  • Gina Gerhard
    Gina Gerhard ✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 3 Photogenic
    Mike - It wasn't the 'Appeal Cards', it was the one right below just named 'Cards'.

    It has a 7: Segment tab and in 2: Fields to Include, it lets you pull over a Phone number.



    Not sure if this will work, but you might play with it to see if it will work the way you want.



     
  • Mike Bidmead
    Mike Bidmead ✭
    Tenth Anniversary First Reply

    Gina Gerhard:

    Mike - It wasn't the 'Appeal Cards', it was the one right below just named 'Cards'.

    It has a 7: Segment tab and in 2: Fields to Include, it lets you pull over a Phone number.



    Not sure if this will work, but you might play with it to see if it will work the way you want.



     

    Sorry, my mistake.



    Doesn't look like you can output the segment code (package) via Cards, which after just digging deeper with the fundraising team means it won't be viable for our needs unfortunately. Thanks again for your input though, it's appreciated.
  • JoAnn Strommen
    JoAnn Strommen ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 4 Name Dropper Photogenic
    Is this something you need to use Quick Letters option for?  WIth several of the other Mail functions, there is an option to pull phone field.  It can be done in Donor Acknowledgement letters and Receipts.  Are you just trying to pull the info or segment using it?



    If it's possible in Mail, it sure is easier/better than having to run as an Export. :)

     
  • Gina Gerhard
    Gina Gerhard ✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 3 Photogenic
    JoAnn - I missed this before, but I yes now I do see phones in the Donor Acknowledment Letter but NOT in the regular Quick Letters for some reason.  That's why I suggested the weird 'Card' category because Phone is there also.



    If you only want to use segmentation and then generate output of emails, I suppose it wouldn't matter which category you chose as long as it had the segmentation feature and the Phone field.  

     

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