Excel Source File for Mail Merge¶

The mail merge feature in Microsoft Word merges a source (data) file that contains names and addresses with a document that contains a letter to create personalized letters for each volunteer. Volgistics can be used to create an Excel spreadsheet file with volunteer names and address to use as the source (data) file for mail merge.

Step 1. Create an Excel Spreadsheet File to Use as the Source (Data) File¶

1. Choose Reports from the menu.
2. Expand Excel spreadsheet.
3. Select Names and addresses (stock).
4. Click the Run it button.
5. On the Include page, indicate whether all volunteers or only certain volunteers should be included in the mail merge. For example, mail merge can be limited to just the volunteers with a specific Type or Flag, or to include only those who belong to a particular Set.
6. Click the Run Now button.

Step 2. Save the Spreadsheet to the Computer¶

The spreadsheet will be sent to the Volgistics Mailbox within a few minutes. When this spreadsheet file arrives in the mailbox, save it to the computer, like this:

1. Select Mailbox from the menu.
2. Right-click on the link to the spreadsheet created above, and then click Save target as.
3. Choose a place on the computer to save the file. If the file is saved to the desktop, it can be easier to find again later.

Step 3. Perform the Mail Merge¶

Now perform the mail merge in Word. When asked to choose the source (data) file for the mail merge, select the Excel file saved to your desktop. All of the names and addresses saved to the Excel file will be merged with the Word document.

Note that the specific steps for doing mail merge in Microsoft Word vary from one version of Word to another. Search for 'mail merge' in Microsoft Office help to find mail merge instructions for the appropriate version of Word, or speak to a technical staff person responsible for supporting Microsoft Office products for the organization.