Mail Merge
Step by Step
Mail Merge is a handy feature that incorporates data from both Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel and allows you to
create multiple documents at once, such as letters, saving you the time and effort of retyping the same letter over and
over. Here is an example of how to use it to create a letter thanking people who donated to a particular fund.
1.) Gathering Your Data
x The first thing you do is create an Excel spreadsheet, creating a header for each field such as First Name, Last
Name, Address, City, State, and Postal Code
(NOTE: It’s important to not refer to the postal code as a zip code, but more about that later).
x The field headers (ie first name, last name) are labeled separately so that you can filter them alphabetically if you
need to.
x You can also add additional headers, such as a donation amount. Be sure to label it something you’ll remember.
If you are using dollar amounts, change the type of number it is under ‘Number’ at the very top to ‘Text’ for every
dollar entry and manually type the dollar sign otherwise the dollar sign ($) will not show up in your letter.
, 2.) Prepare your letter in Microsoft Word. When creating a letter, it’s a good idea to insert a placeholder where the
information from the mail merge will be placed, ie [Address], [Amount].
3.) Under “Mailings” in Microsoft Word click on ‘Start Mail Merge’ and click on ‘Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard.’
Step by Step
Mail Merge is a handy feature that incorporates data from both Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel and allows you to
create multiple documents at once, such as letters, saving you the time and effort of retyping the same letter over and
over. Here is an example of how to use it to create a letter thanking people who donated to a particular fund.
1.) Gathering Your Data
x The first thing you do is create an Excel spreadsheet, creating a header for each field such as First Name, Last
Name, Address, City, State, and Postal Code
(NOTE: It’s important to not refer to the postal code as a zip code, but more about that later).
x The field headers (ie first name, last name) are labeled separately so that you can filter them alphabetically if you
need to.
x You can also add additional headers, such as a donation amount. Be sure to label it something you’ll remember.
If you are using dollar amounts, change the type of number it is under ‘Number’ at the very top to ‘Text’ for every
dollar entry and manually type the dollar sign otherwise the dollar sign ($) will not show up in your letter.
, 2.) Prepare your letter in Microsoft Word. When creating a letter, it’s a good idea to insert a placeholder where the
information from the mail merge will be placed, ie [Address], [Amount].
3.) Under “Mailings” in Microsoft Word click on ‘Start Mail Merge’ and click on ‘Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard.’
