Create and Send Donor Acknowledgments
Quick Start
📧 Ready to acknowledge donors? Execute the donor acknowledgment process to send professional donation receipts and thank you communications.
- Open donation opportunity → 2. Click "Send Donation Acknowledgments" → 3. Enable donor acknowledgment → 4. Verify details → 5. Send email
What you'll accomplish: Execute the complete donor acknowledgment process to send professional donation receipts and thank you communications, ensuring timely donor recognition and compliance in about 5 minutes.
🚀 Quickstart
- Navigate to donation opportunity record
- Click "Send Donation Acknowledgments" action
- Enable donor acknowledgment selection
- Verify donor name and email information
- Send acknowledgment email or preview
⚠️ Before You Start
📋 Prerequisites Checklist
- You have appropriate permissions for donation acknowledgments
- Access to Donation Acknowledgments app
- Donation opportunity is properly configured
- Donor information fields are populated
- Email templates are configured and tested
💡 Understanding Donor Acknowledgment Process
What Donor Acknowledgments Provide:
- Professional donation receipts with tax information
- Thank you communications to maintain donor relationships
- Compliance documentation for charitable contribution requirements
- Automated workflow for efficient donor stewardship
Acknowledgment Components:
- Donor recognition with personalized messaging
- Donation details including amount and purpose
- Tax receipt information for deductible contributions
- Organization branding and contact information
Process Workflow:
- Donation configured with proper donor information
- Acknowledgment initiated through Send Donation Acknowledgments
- Details verified for accuracy and completeness
- Email sent to donor with receipt and thank you
- Status updated to track acknowledgment completion
Quality Control
Always preview acknowledgment emails before sending to ensure professional presentation and accuracy of donation details.
📘 Detailed Instructions
Step 1: Access Donation Opportunity
- Navigate to the Donation Acknowledgments app
- Find the donation opportunity requiring acknowledgment
- Open the opportunity record
- Verify donation details are accurate and complete
Optional List View:
- Use "All Donations" list view to filter donation opportunities
- Review donation information tab for complete details
- Confirm donor configuration is ready for acknowledgment
Step 2: Launch Acknowledgment Process
- Locate the "Send Donation Acknowledgments" button on opportunity
- Click to launch acknowledgment flow interface
- Wait for acknowledgment options to load
- Prepare to configure acknowledgment settings
Step 3: Configure Acknowledgment Settings
📧 Donor Acknowledgment Configuration
Required Selections:
- Select Acknowledgments To Update - Toggle ON to enable configuration
- Donor - Toggle ON to enable donor acknowledgment processing
- Primary Contact - Optional lookup to populate donor name from contact
- Donor Name - Required field that appears in acknowledgment email
- Donor Email - Required field for email delivery
Field Relationships:
- Primary Contact → Donor Name (for convenience, not required)
- Donor Name → Email template (appears in acknowledgment)
- Donor Email → Delivery address (where acknowledgment is sent)
Important Notes:
- Primary Contact is for convenience only - Donor Name is what appears in email
- Both Donor Name and Email required to enable acknowledgment sending
- Preview functionality only requires Donor Name to be populated
Configure Donor Acknowledgment:
- Toggle ON "Select Acknowledgments To Update"
- Toggle ON "Donor" to enable donor acknowledgment
- Optionally use Primary Contact lookup to populate donor name
- Verify/Edit Donor Name exactly as it should appear in email
- Verify/Edit Donor Email address for delivery
Step 4: Verify Donor Information
Review Required Fields:
- Donor Name - Check spelling and formatting
- Donor Email - Verify email address accuracy
- Donation Amount - Confirm amount is correct
- GAU/Purpose - Verify fund designation is appropriate
Quality Control Checks:
- Professional formatting - Name appears appropriately
- Email deliverability - Email address is valid and current
- Donation accuracy - Amount and purpose match donor intent
- Template readiness - All required information is present
Step 5: Send or Preview Acknowledgment
📤 Sending Options
Send Donor Acknowledgment Email:
- Requirements - Both Donor Name and Email must be populated
- Action - Sends acknowledgment directly to donor
- Result - Updates acknowledgment status and creates activity record
Send Donor Acknowledgment Preview:
- Requirements - Donor Name must be populated
- Action - Sends preview to current user's email
- Purpose - Quality control and template testing
Best Practice Workflow:
- Preview first - Always preview before sending to donor
- Review content - Check message, formatting, and details
- Send to donor - Once preview is approved, send actual acknowledgment
Choose Sending Option:
-
For Quality Control - Click "Send Donor Acknowledgment Preview"
- Review preview email for accuracy and professionalism
- Verify all donation details appear correctly
- Check message tone and branding
-
For Donor Delivery - Click "Send Donor Acknowledgment Email"
- Confirms acknowledgment is sent to donor
- Updates opportunity status automatically
- Creates activity record for tracking
✅ How to Know It Worked
Success Indicators:
- ✅ Acknowledgment flow completes without errors
- ✅ Confirmation message appears indicating successful sending
- ✅ Donor acknowledgment status updates to "Acknowledged"
- ✅ Activity record created showing email sent
Verification Steps:
- Check opportunity status for acknowledgment completion
- Review activity history for email sending record
- Verify donor received acknowledgment (if appropriate)
- Confirm template formatting appeared correctly
🆘 Troubleshooting
❌ Send Acknowledgment Button Disabled
Problem: Cannot click "Send Donor Acknowledgment Email" button
Solutions:
- ✅ Verify required fields - Both Donor Name and Email must be populated
- ✅ Check field format - Ensure email address is valid format
- ✅ Toggle settings - Ensure both acknowledgment toggles are ON
- ✅ Refresh interface - Try reloading acknowledgment flow
❌ Preview Email Not Received
Problem: Preview email doesn't arrive for review
Solutions:
- ✅ Check spam folder - Preview emails may be filtered
- ✅ Verify user email - Ensure your Salesforce user email is correct
- ✅ Wait for delivery - Email delivery may have slight delay
- ✅ Check email template - Verify template is properly configured
❌ Acknowledgment Flow Access Issues
Problem: Cannot access "Send Donation Acknowledgments" or flow fails
Contact your System Administrator to verify:
- ✅ Flow permissions - Access to donation acknowledgment flows
- ✅ App access - Donation Acknowledgments app visibility
- ✅ Field permissions - Access to acknowledgment fields
- ✅ Email permissions - Ability to send emails through Salesforce
❌ Template or Content Issues
Problem: Acknowledgment email content appears incorrect
Solutions:
- ✅ Check template mapping - Verify email template field references
- ✅ Review merge fields - Ensure all required data is available
- ✅ Test with preview - Use preview to identify template issues
- ✅ Verify opportunity data - Confirm all donation details are complete
💡 Best Practices
Donor Acknowledgment Best Practices
- 📧 Always Preview - Review acknowledgments before sending to donors
- ⏰ Timely Processing - Send acknowledgments promptly after donation receipt
- 📝 Accurate Information - Double-check donor names and email addresses
- 🎨 Professional Presentation - Ensure templates reflect organization standards
- 📊 Track Completion - Monitor acknowledgment status for all donations
- 🔍 Quality Control - Establish review process for acknowledgment quality
Processing Efficiency:
- Batch processing - Process multiple acknowledgments systematically
- Quality control - Establish consistent review procedures
- Template management - Keep email templates current and professional
- Status tracking - Monitor acknowledgment completion across all donations
Donor Relationship Management:
- Personalization - Use appropriate personalization in acknowledgments
- Timely response - Send acknowledgments within organizational timeframes
- Professional tone - Maintain consistent, grateful communication tone
- Follow-up planning - Consider additional stewardship communications
Compliance and Documentation:
- Tax receipt accuracy - Ensure all required tax information is included
- Record keeping - Maintain acknowledgment records for audit purposes
- Status tracking - Document acknowledgment completion for reporting
- Template compliance - Ensure templates meet legal and organizational requirements