Once you have started to create a receipt template and selected the option to create an email receipt, you will have the option to create one of two different types of receipts, either for a single gift (generally used in everyday receipting) or for multiple gifts (use this option to create monthly, quarterly, or annual statements). Once you have selected an option and begun work on your receipt, you will not be able to change this, so make sure you have selected the right type of receipt before starting.
Next, you can choose whether or not you'd like to attach a PDF receipt to the email being sent. If yes, check the box "Include Attached PDF Receipt". You can then choose which Mail Receipt Template you would like to use. You can select an existing PDF template or elect to create a new PDF template later. If you elect to make a template later, be sure to create the PDF template to ensure all pieces of your communication are sent out appropriately.
When sending a PDF receipt as an email attachment, you can still utilize the email receipt editor to edit the contents of the email the donor will receive. This will allow you to craft a warm thank-you message, including all of the same merge fields available in the receipt editor, and then direct donors to the attached PDF for the tax receipt.
If you have not selected a Mail Receipt Template to be attached, you can click Next in the lower right of the screen to select your Template. This gives you the option to continue creating a new template or to build a new one based on an existing template.
If you would like to create your new email receipt from scratch, continue with the default selection (your receipt name with (CURRENT) next to it). If you would like to create an email receipt similar to an existing template, select that template and then make any changes you want to make in the Customize screen.
Use the guidelines below to create your email receipt template, depending on the type.
Email Receipt - Single Gift
Email receipts will be built using the same templating tool used for Virtuous Marketing Emails. To get started, click and drag elements from the right side panels into the template. To change the layout of objects on the screen, click and drag elements from the rows tab.
Click and drag elements from the Content tab to add text blocks, images, and other objects to your template.
When adding a text block, click anywhere in the block to bring up the editing toolbar. Use the toolbar to format your text, including fonts and alignment, and click on Merge Tags to add in merge fields for Contact data or Gift data.
Email Receipt - Multiple Gifts
Email receipts for multiple gifts will also use the same editor and tools, so they share much in common with email receipts for single Gifts. The key difference is in how Gift data is treated. Since these receipts may include data for any number of Gifts, this data will be displayed in a table, as opposed to incorporating it into text via merge tags.
To create a Gift table, click on the Dynamic Content option on the Content menu and drag it to the appropriate location in your template.
Then, click on the table in the editor to display the table options on the right. There are five different Gift tables to choose from:
- Default Gift Table
- Detailed Gift Table
- Gift Designation Table
- Tribute Gift Table
- Premium Gift Table
Each table contains a pre-determined list of fields:
Default Gift Table
- Receipt ID
- Date
- Amount
- Tax-Deductible Amount
Detailed Gift Table
- Receipt ID
- Gift Type
- Date
- Amount
- Tax-Deductible Amount
- Projects (list of all Project splits)
- Premiums (list of all Premiums)
- Tribute
Gift Designation Table
- Receipt ID
- Date
- Amount
- Tax-Deductible Amount
- Designations (list of all Project splits)
Tribute Gift Table
- Receipt ID
- Date
- Amount
- Tax-Deductible Amount
- Tribute
Premium Gift Table
- Receipt ID
- Date
- Amount
- Tax-Deductible Amount
- Premiums
Depending on the table selected, it may be necessary to click on the Settings tab on the far right and increase the Content area width in order to clearly display all of the table data.
More advanced users comfortable with editing HTML can use the HTML content object to create more customized Gift tables, if desired.
Saving
You can manually save your progress at any time by clicking on the Actions button in the upper right. There, users can choose to save and continue working, or save and return to the main receipt screen. It is recommended that you save your work periodically to avoid losing any changes.
Use the Preview option to see what your email will look like, on a desktop screen or on a mobile device. Send a test email to see your email in your inbox and make sure it renders correctly. Note: Merge Fields and custom senders will not be populated for a test email.
Once you have finished putting your email together, click "Save and Go Back" to save your email and return to the main receipts screen.