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Update Donor Acknowledgment Email Template

Quick Start

📧 Customizing donor acknowledgments? Update the default donor acknowledgment email template to reflect your organization's branding and messaging.

  1. Navigate to Email Templates → 2. Find Donor Acknowledgment Template → 3. Edit content → 4. Save changes

What you'll accomplish: Customize the default donor acknowledgment email template to ensure professional, branded communications that reflect your organization's standards and messaging in about 10 minutes.

🚀 Quickstart​

  1. Navigate to Email Templates via App Launcher
  2. Find "Donor Acknowledgment Template - Default"
  3. Edit template content, subject, and formatting
  4. Save changes to activate customized template

⚠️ Before You Start​

📋 Prerequisites Checklist
  • You have appropriate administrative permissions
  • Access to Email Templates in Salesforce
  • Understanding of your organization's branding guidelines
  • Knowledge of donor acknowledgment messaging standards
  • Familiarity with HTML/text formatting for email templates

💡 Understanding Email Template Customization​

What Template Customization Enables:

  • Consistent branding across all donor communications
  • Professional messaging that reflects organizational standards
  • Personalized content using merge fields and dynamic data
  • Compliance inclusion of required tax and legal information

Template Components to Customize:

  • Subject line - Professional and consistent subject formatting
  • Header/branding - Organization logo and visual identity
  • Body content - Thank you message and donation details
  • Footer information - Contact details and legal disclaimers

Best Practice Considerations:

  • Professional tone - Grateful, warm, and appropriate for all donors
  • Legal compliance - Include required tax receipt information
  • Brand consistency - Match organizational communications standards
  • Personalization - Use merge fields for personalized acknowledgments

📘 Detailed Instructions​

Step 1: Access Email Templates​

  1. Click the App Launcher (9-dot grid icon)
  2. Type "Email Templates" in the search box
  3. Click on Email Templates from results
  4. Wait for email templates list to load

Step 2: Locate Donor Acknowledgment Template​

  1. Search for "Donor Acknowledgment Template - Default"
  2. Click on the template name to open
  3. Review current template content and structure
  4. Identify areas requiring customization

Step 3: Edit Template Content​

📝 Template Customization Areas

Key Areas to Customize:

  • Subject Line - Professional subject that identifies organization
  • Greeting - Personalized salutation using merge fields
  • Thank You Message - Heartfelt appreciation reflecting organization values
  • Donation Details - Amount, date, and purpose information
  • Tax Information - Required legal language for tax-deductible gifts
  • Organization Information - Contact details and mission connection
  • Footer - Unsubscribe links and legal disclaimers

Common Merge Fields:

  • {!Donor_Name} - Personalizes greeting
  • {!Donation_Amount} - Shows gift amount
  • {!Donation_Date} - Displays gift date
  • {!Organization_Name} - Organization branding
  • {!Tax_ID} - Required for tax receipts

Customize Template Elements:

  1. Click Edit or the pencil icon next to the field to modify
  2. Update Subject Line with organization-specific formatting
  3. Modify Body Content to reflect organizational voice and branding
  4. Add/Update Merge Fields for personalization
  5. Include Required Information such as tax receipt language
  6. Update Footer with current contact information

Step 4: Format and Style Template​

Professional Formatting:

  1. Use HTML formatting for professional appearance
  2. Include organization colors and branding elements
  3. Structure content with clear sections and headers
  4. Ensure mobile compatibility for email viewing

Template Testing:

  • Preview template with sample data
  • Check formatting across different email clients
  • Verify merge fields populate correctly
  • Test responsive design for mobile devices

Step 5: Save and Activate Changes​

  1. Review all template content for accuracy
  2. Check spelling and grammar throughout
  3. Verify merge field syntax is correct
  4. Click Save to activate the updated template

✅ How to Know It Worked​

Success Indicators:

  • ✅ Template saves without validation errors
  • ✅ Preview shows updated content and formatting
  • ✅ Merge fields display sample data correctly
  • ✅ Branding and messaging reflect organizational standards

Testing the Updated Template:

  • Send test acknowledgment using preview functionality
  • Review email appearance in different email clients
  • Verify personalization works with merge fields
  • Confirm professional presentation meets organizational standards

🆘 Troubleshooting​

❌ Cannot Find Email Template

Problem: "Donor Acknowledgment Template - Default" not visible

Contact your System Administrator to verify:

  • ✅ Template exists - May need to be created first
  • ✅ Access permissions - Profile may need email template permissions
  • ✅ Template sharing - Template may not be shared with your profile
  • ✅ Correct template name - Verify exact template name
❌ Merge Fields Not Working

Problem: Merge fields not displaying data correctly

Solutions:

  • ✅ Check field syntax - Ensure proper merge field format
  • ✅ Verify field names - Confirm exact field API names
  • ✅ Test with data - Ensure fields contain data for testing
  • ✅ Review field permissions - Check field-level security
❌ Template Formatting Issues

Problem: Email template appears incorrectly formatted

Solutions:

  • ✅ Check HTML syntax - Verify proper HTML structure
  • ✅ Test across clients - Different email clients may display differently
  • ✅ Use inline CSS - Email clients prefer inline styling
  • ✅ Test mobile compatibility - Ensure responsive design
❌ Cannot Save Template Changes

Problem: Save button disabled or template won't save

Solutions:

  • ✅ Check permissions - Verify edit permissions for email templates
  • ✅ Validate content - Ensure no invalid HTML or merge field syntax
  • ✅ Review field limits - Check character limits on template fields
  • ✅ Clear cache - Try refreshing browser and attempting again

💡 Best Practices​

Email Template Best Practices
  • 🎨 Consistent Branding - Use organization colors, fonts, and logo consistently
  • 💬 Professional Tone - Maintain grateful, warm, and professional messaging
  • 📱 Mobile Optimization - Ensure templates work well on mobile devices
  • ⚖️ Legal Compliance - Include all required tax receipt and legal information
  • 🧪 Regular Testing - Test templates periodically with sample data
  • 📝 Version Control - Document template changes for audit purposes

Content Standards:

  • Personalization - Use merge fields to create personal connections
  • Clarity - Clear, concise messaging that's easy to understand
  • Gratitude - Express genuine appreciation for donor support
  • Information - Include all necessary donation and tax details

Technical Considerations:

  • HTML best practices - Use clean, valid HTML for email compatibility
  • Merge field testing - Regularly test merge fields with actual data
  • Template backup - Keep copies of template versions for rollback
  • Cross-client testing - Test appearance across major email clients

Organizational Alignment:

  • Brand guidelines - Follow organizational brand standards consistently
  • Message consistency - Align with other organizational communications
  • Legal review - Have legal team review tax and compliance language
  • Stakeholder approval - Get appropriate approvals for template changes

🔗 Related Actions​