Where can we see a live demonstration of SmartLETTERS and sign up for the Early Access Program?
How much does SmartLETTERS cost?
£600 | $800 US | $1000 CAN per year.
When SmartLETTERS goes live, will we be able to trial it before purchasing?'
Yes, you can trial SmartLETTERS free for 30 days.
When will SmartLETTERS be available?
SmartLETTERS is currently in the Early Access phase. It will be available to purchase and trial in Q2 2022.
Sign up here to be notified.
We send over 500 letters a month. What do we need to send more?
SmartLETTERS enables you to send up to 500 letters every month. If you need to send more than 500 letters, you will be able to purchase a volume add-on.
SmartLETTERS is still in the Early Access Program (EAP); we need to collect more data before we set the pricing that relates to the volume of letters sent.
How do we set up templates?
SmartLETTERS comes with some starter templates. You can edit them yourself within Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Of course, you will be able to import your existing templates or start from scratch and build your own templates.
Which fields from Raiser’s Edge NXT can we merge into our letters?
Is it possible to make edits to the letters after they are generated?
Yes, we provide a custom-built quick editor that lets you edit your PDFs after they have been created. There is also an option to send emails to your drafts folder to make edits before you send.
We would prefer the print format to be Word rather than PDF. Do you have any plans to include a Word format for the finished file?
We have done some testing on this and we have found the processing time to be too long and unstable to provide a usable experience for our customers.
Are the above licence fees per organisation?
Yes, the licences are per organisation.
We enter our Gifts in the database view - will SmartLETTERS still work?
Any Gifts entered in the database will also show up when viewed via web view (Raiser’s Edge NXT) and, therefore, will be picked up and processed by SmartLETTERS.
Does any of what we do in SmartLetters goes into RE database view?
Any updates made by SmartLETTERS, such as adding Actions or marking Gifts as “Receipted” or “Acknowledged”, will also display in database view.
Can Custom fields / Attributes be pulled into letters?
Yes, you can add Constituent and Gift custom fields.
Can we run Pledge reminders through SmartLETTERS?
If you point the Gift list at Pledges and use appropriate merge fields, it may ‘just work’ but we have not tested this yet. However, we would be happy to work with a few clients through the EAP on this feature. Let us know if you are interested.
Is the receipt sent as an attachment in the email?
It is currently sent in the body of the email and as a PDF attachment.
Is the letter saved as an Action?
You can choose to save the letter as an Action. If so, it will be added as a PDF attachment with the Action category you have selected, as well as information on how it was sent.
When running a batch, can we set up a system to conditionally determine what template should be used (allowing you to run multiple letter types at the same time)? Or can we only run one template at once?
Yes, we have dynamic template selection for Gifts based on Appeal ID, Campaign ID, Fund ID, Gift letter (code), Gift custom field or Constituent custom fields as well as conditional sections in the template documents. This means you have a lot of customisation possibilities for Gift batches where the letter content will vary depending on the Gift/Constituent it relates to.
Are functions like IF, THEN and ELSE available in the template editor?
Yes, we have conditional merge sections available; the demo will show these.
Is there a workaround to pass through NXT? Even though we use batch in RE7 (we are Blackbaud-hosted on RE7)
If you are using NXT in any way, SmartLETTERS will work for you.
Is it possible to control WHEN SmartLETTERS marks the Gift as “Receipted”? In other words, we want to review all our receipts before we agree to mark them as “Receipted”.
You can run the process without the receipt option enabled, then run it again with the receipt option ticked. You can also, of course, run global changes or manually update receipts if you would prefer.
Are honour/memorial acknowledgement letters included?
We support these fields if the tribute information is moved to Gift attributes. When Blackbaud adds support for these fields natively in NXT (and their APIs), we will also look to add direct support.
I see that you're using PDFs. Is it possible to align these to print on pre-printed receipt forms? (e.g. we bring the letterhead, SmartLETTERS brings the copy)
Yes, it is just a case of carefully designing the template document to allow spaces for letterheads.
Are your Gift receipts different from annual end-of-year tax statements? Or do they serve that?
Yes, this feature is for running receipts or acknowledgements for Gifts. There are options within SmartSYNC (the upgrade of SmartLETTERS) that already allow for yearly giving statements but we may also add these features to SmartLETTERS, depending on interest.
How does this work with organisational records “specific contacts”?
We have added support for a chosen contact type to be used for organisations; if it is not present, the organisation address data is used instead.
Can we send letters to Constituents in their own chosen language? Is this based on a Constituent attribute?
This would require the record in RE to be marked with an appropriate language Custom field. You can then use this field in the dynamic template options to select different templates for each language.
Every time we need a new “Thank You receipt”, do we have to work through you or, once it is set-up, are we able to do it ourselves? Is this included in the contract or do we have to pay extra to set-up new receipts or documents?
You should, in most cases, be able to create a new document using our examples as a starting point without needing us. However, we do offer support as part of your SmartLETTERS package. For large work/support packages, we also offer a very popular ‘get you up and running’ add-on that covers most users’ needs in an economical way.
You have said that Q2 2022 is the earliest we could onboard. Can we begin using the program before onboarding?
We are running EAPs so, if you register your interest in participating in one of those, we may be able to include you. You can also concentrate on getting your templates ready - they all need storing in a Google Drive or OneDrive/Sharepoint folder. Naming schemes, as per the demo, can also be set up.
My organisation changes letters annually to keep them fresh. Are there additional annual fees for that process?
No, you edit them yourself using the template editor.
Can we add a query of Gifts we want “Receipted”?
SmartLETTERS is based on Gift and Constituent lists in RENXT. You can use database view to create queries but then you would need to create a RE NXT list based upon that query in order to use it with SmartLETTERS.
Can we add Gifts to SmartLETTERS based on a Gift query?
See answer above.
Can SmartLETTERS print membership cards?
Not yet, but please let us know if you need this functionality.
Where do the PDF archive letters get saved?
They are stored online for one day; you can download them from the notification email you receive and store them as you see fit.
Does SmartLETTERS support soft credit letters?
Not yet, but please vote for the idea at the end of the presentation.
In our organisation, we like to personalise our letters; can you turn off the email feature so that it always generates a printed document?
Yes, you can easily toggle the output options: email only, print only or both.
Is SmartLETTERS a SAAS solution or do we have to install this app locally?
It is SAAS so no install required.
Can we produce thank you letters for Pledges with no payment?
We believe this is supported but have not yet tested.
Can we set rules to use certain templates depending on Gift amount?
At the moment, you can set conditional segments within the template but not a different template document. It would be easy to add this feature though, if there is enough interest.
Is it possible to attach the letter to the Gift in RE?
SmartLETTERS currently adds the letter as an Action to RE along with the letter text, how it was sent and to whom. We are looking into the option of adding the letter as an attachment on the Gift.
Does the letter get saved to the Donor’s record?
We currently add the letter as an Action to RE together with the letter text, how it was sent and to whom.
How does the document look to the Donor in their email client?
Exactly as you see it in Google Docs or Microsoft Word - almost verbatim, other than the width resizing to fit their email client.
We base our letter templates on Appeals. Can we still use those?
Yes, SmartLETTERS supports Appeal ID, Campaign ID, Fund ID and Gift and Constituent custom fields.
Does SmartLETTERS support letters being sent to organisations that need to be hand signed (vs e-sign)?
Yes, you would download the PDF version of the letters to print and sign it.
Can soft creditors be included in the main Acknowledgment and not in a separate letter? For example, a spouse makes a donation and her husband is soft credited for the Gift but we only want to send them one letter.
It may work but we have not fully tested this yet. If not, it should be fairly easy to add.
Can we set up automated workflows for these letters?
If you choose the optional upgrade to SmartSYNC, you can set up schedules and a whole lot more.
Does SmartLETTERS support Fund ID or Fund description?
It supports both as merge fields.
Can there be several different Acknowledgment letters?
Yes, you can create as many templates as you like.
Can we choose multiple Funds to appear on the receipt?
Yes, but only if the Gift is split.
Can we use multiple letter codes/different letter wording in the same batch? Or would they all have to be the same in each batch?
Yes, you can use multiple codes.
Can the letter be reformated to include the receipt information at the bottom of the page within the body of the text instead?
Yes, using the Google Docs or Microsoft Word editor.