1. Mail Merge wizardry
Making mass mailings
easy with Microsoft
Word’s
mail merge wizard

2. Goals of this session
At the end of this session, you will…
1.Understand the basics of a mail-merge.
2.Be able to create a data source and document of your own.
3.Successfully merge the documents.
4.Feel like a mail merge wizard!

3. About me
Susie Sargent
Advancement Professional with 13 years of Microsoft Office
experience.

4. Why I use Mail Merges
Susie Sargent
Advancement Professional with 13 years of Microsoft Office
experience.

5. Why I use Mail Merges
Susie Sargent
Advancement Professional with 13 years of Microsoft Office
experience.
Advancement=Fundraising

6. Why I use Mail Merges
Susie Sargent
Advancement Professional with 13 years of Microsoft Office
experience.
Asking for money, thanking donors
for money, inviting donors to
events, sending news to alumni,
personalizing messages…

7. What is a mail merge?

8. Getting Started: Word
Document
Open a new word document and begin composing your letter.

9. Composed: Word Document
When you finish composing the Word document (don’t forget
to save!) now note what fields you need in your data source.

10. Data Source: Table
Now you will open a new Word file (or Excel file, or database,
etc.). I will go to insert->table, and draw a table with seven
columns to map with the seven fields of variable info in my
letter. I type in the headings.

11. Data Source: Table
Fill in the data for each patron you wish to send a letter to…

12. Data Source: Table
When you finish your data list, save the document (don’t forget
under what name and where it is saved!)

13. Merge Document
Switch back to your letter. From the top dropdown menus,
select Mailings->Start mail merge. Choose the option “Stepby-step mail merge wizard.” The wizard will open up in a pop
up or to the right of your screen.

14. Merge Document
Make sure the “Letters” radio button is selected, then click on
Next: Starting document

15. Merge Document
Make sure the “Use current
document” radio button is selected,
then click on -> Next: Select
recipients

16. Merge Document
Make sure the “Use an existing list”
radio button is selected, then click on
Browse to search for the data file we
saved. Open the file.

17. Merge Document
Make sure the “Use an existing list” radio button is selected, then
click on Browse to search for the data file we saved. Open the file.
Depending on your version of Microsoft Word, you may get this box,
which gives you the option to select which records to include. Click
OK.

18. Merge Document
Click ->Next: Write your letter. Now, highlight the first field that you
would like to replace. That would be “Mailing Name.” From the
wizard, choose “More items” to select from. Click “Mailing_name”
and Insert.

19. Merge Document
Repeat this for other fields – Address, City, State and Zip, and so on
from the “More items” selection. Note you may have to adjust the
placement and spacing, as inserting these fields sometimes sets off
the formatting.

20. Merge Document
Select “Preview your letters” from the wizard to see how they look.
This gives you the opportunity to see if you need to go back a step
and adjust spacing, or catch any errors.

21. Merge Document
For example, I decide I want to call out the Title information with bold
in the original document, so I select “Previous: Write your letter” from
the wizard to go back and change the formatting.

22. Merge Document
I make my changes, and then I move forward to preview the merge
with my changes. I am satisfied, so I’m ready to hit the “Next:
Complete the merge” magic.

23. MergeD Document

24. MergeD Document
Now, you can immediately print your letters, or if you want to
review them and/or save them for another time, choose the
“Edit individual letters” option

25. Review your letters
Now, you can immediately print your letters, or if you want to
review them and/or save them for another time, choose the
“Edit individual letters” option. This will open a new document –
your merged letters!

26. Envelopes
We’re not done yet…unless you like hand-addressing your
envelopes!a new Word document.
1. Start
2. What next?

27. Envelopes
Select Envelopes instead of Letters

28. Envelopes
Click on “Envelope options” to set the size of your envelope (#10 is the
usual letter sized envelope

29. Envelopes
Type in your return address, as this will be the same on each
envelope.

30. Envelopes
Just like for the letters, you will select “Use
an existing list”. Browse to find the list you
saved for the letters, and select OK.

31. Envelopes
Just like the letters, you will arrange your
merge fields on the envelope from the “More
items…” selection. Then Next: Preview your
envelopes

32. Envelopes
Now you preview your letters. When it looks
good, select Next: Complete the merge

33. Envelopes

34. Further Resources
Microsoft Office Support: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294683