Cool Things in Communications Using Word Mail Merge
Cool Things in Communications Using Word Mail Merge
Evelynne Blatt Centenary College 4 Year Private
Agenda •
Outreach: Why and What
•
Centenary College: Why and What
•
Walkthroughs
•
Examples
•
Sharing (We Don’t Call It Stealing) of Ideas
Outreach is About Reaching People Expectations are all set by Amazon and Google •
Everything is personalized
•
Everything is specific to the recipient
•
Information is expected when it’s needed
Outreach is Marketing for Your Institution Things to consider: •
Enrollment Management/Strategic Enrollment Management
•
One Stop/Combined Offices
•
Tailor information to recipient
•
Provide framework for a response or action
•
Allow families time to process information and ask educated questions
Types of Outreach •
Forms (Yes, even verification forms)
•
Information sheets
•
Posters
•
Bulletin boards
•
Presentations
•
Letters
•
E-mails
•
Phone calls
•
Messages (NetPartner or others)
•
Notices on dorm room doors
•
What else?
What Do You Want To Communicate? •
Missing information
•
•
Follow-up for missing information
Pell Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU)
•
Subsidized Usage Limit Applies (SULA) 150%
•
Loan aggregate warnings
•
ISIR comments
•
Next steps
•
Grade level changes
•
• •
Costs
Aid Financial Aid Disclosure (Shopping Sheet) information
•
Consumer information
•
Admissions information
Things To Consider •
Fields or messages
•
Short or long award letter
•
Message groupings
•
Web versus letter message
•
Initial versus Follow-up notices
•
Make it pretty •
Color/Letterhead
•
Paragraph/Page borders
•
Text boxes
•
Images
OUR WHYS AND WHATS
Why We Redesigned our Award Notice •
Coordinate with timeframe in Admissions
•
Comply with goals of Financial Aid Disclosure (Shopping Sheet) •
Transparency
•
Providing cost estimates
•
Provide payment options tailored to student type
•
Encourage loan awareness
•
Differentiate grants, work, and loans
What We Did (Tried to Do) •
Push students to NetPartner
•
Communicate missing information
•
Mirror some of the Financial Aid Disclosure (Shopping Sheet) •
Breakdown of types of aid
•
Estimated out-of-pocket costs
•
Demonstrate that financial aid doesn’t pay for it all
•
Connect financial aid with payment options
Our Award Letter Sections •
Welcome and Missing Information
•
Part 1: Your Financial Aid Eligibility
•
Part 2: Your Estimated Charges and Payments
•
Part 3: Your Payment Options
•
Part 4: Important Messages
WALKTHROUGHS
Communicate Missing Information Considerations •
We didn’t want to list actual missing information on the letter
•
We didn’t want to create a separate Award letter for those with or without missing information
•
We didn’t want the missing information to be part of the “letter”
Outcome •
Created text box for missing information message
•
Used if…then…else… statements in Microsoft Word to translate missing information block
Tips for Letters (E-mails, Too) •
F1 – Help
•
Alt-F9 in Word to show field codes
•
Learn how to “text box”
•
Put multiple students in batch letter creation and execute after each change
•
Some people may have this down to a science; normal people don’t – be normal – it’s okay
•
Test something, change something, test something, change something…
Missing Information Box •
Insert text box
•
Make it pretty
•
If…then…else
•
•
If: there is missing information
•
Then: tell them about it
•
Else: tell them there isn’t
Test it – Test it – Test it and test it some more!
Insert Text Box Insert > Text Box > Simple Text Box
Make Text Box Pretty Format > Change Shape > Folded Corner
Begin If…Then…Else… Mailings > Rules > If…Then…Else…
Missing Information If…Then…Else It takes practice – check out all of the delivered fields – imagine the possibilities!
Test Missing Info If…Then...Else •
Remember Alt-F9
•
Test it with students who do and do not have missing information
•
Test for sizing
•
Test for location (will it show through a window envelope)?
•
Does it take up too much space?
•
Try it in different locations on the letter
When It’s Not Already There: Float-in Fields Work out the variations (Estimated Charges) •
Tuition and Fees only (not on-campus)
Your estimated tuition and fees:
•
Tuition and Fees and Room and Board (on-campus)
Your estimated tuition and fees: Your estimated room and board charges:
•
Find or create fields •
Find them if you can – no, really…
•
Create them if you can’t – once you create the field, you have to populate it and keep it updated
Find Float-in Fields Define your fields •
Tuition and Fees (S:TUITFEES)
•
Room and Board (S:ROOM-BD)
But now, how do you know when to include the room and board? •
Trigger for use of Room and Board
•
FAFSA housing field: F-HOUSING
Insert Float-in Fields •
Administration > Letters
•
Select fields from dropdown box
Insert “Always There” Float-in Field Type “always there” sentence and insert field
Mailings > Insert Merge Field
Insert “Always There” Float-in Field, cont.
Insert If…Then…Else for Room and Board If F-HOUSING = On Campus…Then ROOMBOARD…Else Nothing (have to enter the Room and Board field later)
Adding the Room and Board Field Find each piece (if, then, and else) and add the Room and Board field to the appropriate piece
Spacing and Test Room and Board •
Remember Alt-F9
•
Test it with students who do and do not have room and board
•
Test for sizing
•
Test for line breaks before and after
•
Test for location
•
Does it take up too much space?
Where Did We Go From Here? •
•
Created some calculated fields in custom data •
On-campus balance/no loans
•
On-campus balance with loans
•
Not on-campus balance/no loans
•
Not on-campus balance with loans
•
If dependent, payment options included Parent PLUS. If not, Parent PLUS not included
•
Headings for Grants and Scholarships, Work-Study, Federal Student Loans, Other Loans
•
Total aid package in paragraph
•
FAFSA received/not received paragraph
On-campus or not wording
EXAMPLES
Example: Missing Information
Example: Missing Information Code { IF {MERGEFIELD float_in_04_FHOUSING } “” "Your financial aid awards may not be final. Please review the Documents section of NetPartner and submit all missing items immediately so that we can finalize your awards." " We have received all information that we need to finalize your awards. Please review the messages section of NetPartner regularly for important messages about your financial aid awards." }
Example: FAFSA Received/Not Received
Example: FAFSA Received/Not Field Codes { IF {MERGEFIELD float_in_12_ISIR-DATA-VALID} = “No” " Your financial aid awards do not include any federal loans nor any federal, state, or institutional grants because we have not received your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can complete your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov." "If you believe that you made a mistake on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or if you have unusual circumstances that may not be reflected on the FAFSA, please review the Change in Circumstances Form in the Forms section of our website for the process to update or correct your FAFSA." }
Example: On Campus or Not
Example: On Campus or Not Field Codes { IF {MERGEFIELD float_in_04_FHOUSING } = “On Campus” "You indicated that you would be living on campus. If your housing plans change, please notify our office immediately as this may affect your financial aid awards." "You indicated that you would be living off campus or with your parents. If your housing plans change, please notify our office immediately as this may affect your financial aid awards." }
**Note that you cannot type in the }s or the fields. You have to use the functions**
Example: Estimated Costs
Example: Estimated Costs Field Codes Estimated Tuition and Fees for the Award Year: { MERGEFIELD floan_in_02_STUITFEES \# $,0} { IF { MERGEFIELD floa_in_04_FHOUSING } = “On Campus” “Estimated Room and Board for the Award Year: { MERGEFIELD S_ROOM_BD \# $,0} Estimated Annual Charges for Award Year: { MERGEFIELD floan_in_01_TFRB \# $,0} ““ “}
Resources •
PowerFAIDS – Chapter 12 rules!
•
Mail Merge training online
•
Test database (save working versions under different names)
•
Google (YouTube)
•
Sharing
Sharing •
Tell me your secrets and I will tell you mine…
Session Evaluation Using the Session Number, please complete the session evaluation by: 1.
Scanning the QR code and submitting the online evaluation:
2.
Submitting the online evaluation at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2014PFConf Session
3.
Returning the paper evaluation
Trademarks College Board, CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, INAS, PowerFAIDS and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. inspiring minds is a trademark owned by the College Board. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, Word, Excel, and SQL Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Screen shot(s) reprinted by permission from Microsoft Corporation. Copyright © 2014 by The College Board. All rights reserved. The College Board has prepared this document for use only by personnel, licensees, and customers. The information contained herein is protected by copyright. No part of this document may be reproduced, translated, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, without prior written permission from the College Board. THE COLLEGE BOARD SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR TECHNICAL OR EDITORIAL ERRORS OR OMISSIONS CONTAINED HEREIN; NOR FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS MATERIAL. This publication contains material related to the Federal Title IV student aid programs. While we believe that the information contained herein is accurate and factual, this publication has not been reviewed or approved by the U.S. Department of Education. The College Board reserves the right to revise this document and/or change product features or specifications without advance notice.
Evelynne Blatt Centenary College 4 Year Private
Agenda •
Outreach: Why and What
•
Centenary College: Why and What
•
Walkthroughs
•
Examples
•
Sharing (We Don’t Call It Stealing) of Ideas
Outreach is About Reaching People Expectations are all set by Amazon and Google •
Everything is personalized
•
Everything is specific to the recipient
•
Information is expected when it’s needed
Outreach is Marketing for Your Institution Things to consider: •
Enrollment Management/Strategic Enrollment Management
•
One Stop/Combined Offices
•
Tailor information to recipient
•
Provide framework for a response or action
•
Allow families time to process information and ask educated questions
Types of Outreach •
Forms (Yes, even verification forms)
•
Information sheets
•
Posters
•
Bulletin boards
•
Presentations
•
Letters
•
E-mails
•
Phone calls
•
Messages (NetPartner or others)
•
Notices on dorm room doors
•
What else?
What Do You Want To Communicate? •
Missing information
•
•
Follow-up for missing information
Pell Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU)
•
Subsidized Usage Limit Applies (SULA) 150%
•
Loan aggregate warnings
•
ISIR comments
•
Next steps
•
Grade level changes
•
• •
Costs
Aid Financial Aid Disclosure (Shopping Sheet) information
•
Consumer information
•
Admissions information
Things To Consider •
Fields or messages
•
Short or long award letter
•
Message groupings
•
Web versus letter message
•
Initial versus Follow-up notices
•
Make it pretty •
Color/Letterhead
•
Paragraph/Page borders
•
Text boxes
•
Images
OUR WHYS AND WHATS
Why We Redesigned our Award Notice •
Coordinate with timeframe in Admissions
•
Comply with goals of Financial Aid Disclosure (Shopping Sheet) •
Transparency
•
Providing cost estimates
•
Provide payment options tailored to student type
•
Encourage loan awareness
•
Differentiate grants, work, and loans
What We Did (Tried to Do) •
Push students to NetPartner
•
Communicate missing information
•
Mirror some of the Financial Aid Disclosure (Shopping Sheet) •
Breakdown of types of aid
•
Estimated out-of-pocket costs
•
Demonstrate that financial aid doesn’t pay for it all
•
Connect financial aid with payment options
Our Award Letter Sections •
Welcome and Missing Information
•
Part 1: Your Financial Aid Eligibility
•
Part 2: Your Estimated Charges and Payments
•
Part 3: Your Payment Options
•
Part 4: Important Messages
WALKTHROUGHS
Communicate Missing Information Considerations •
We didn’t want to list actual missing information on the letter
•
We didn’t want to create a separate Award letter for those with or without missing information
•
We didn’t want the missing information to be part of the “letter”
Outcome •
Created text box for missing information message
•
Used if…then…else… statements in Microsoft Word to translate missing information block
Tips for Letters (E-mails, Too) •
F1 – Help
•
Alt-F9 in Word to show field codes
•
Learn how to “text box”
•
Put multiple students in batch letter creation and execute after each change
•
Some people may have this down to a science; normal people don’t – be normal – it’s okay
•
Test something, change something, test something, change something…
Missing Information Box •
Insert text box
•
Make it pretty
•
If…then…else
•
•
If: there is missing information
•
Then: tell them about it
•
Else: tell them there isn’t
Test it – Test it – Test it and test it some more!
Insert Text Box Insert > Text Box > Simple Text Box
Make Text Box Pretty Format > Change Shape > Folded Corner
Begin If…Then…Else… Mailings > Rules > If…Then…Else…
Missing Information If…Then…Else It takes practice – check out all of the delivered fields – imagine the possibilities!
Test Missing Info If…Then...Else •
Remember Alt-F9
•
Test it with students who do and do not have missing information
•
Test for sizing
•
Test for location (will it show through a window envelope)?
•
Does it take up too much space?
•
Try it in different locations on the letter
When It’s Not Already There: Float-in Fields Work out the variations (Estimated Charges) •
Tuition and Fees only (not on-campus)
Your estimated tuition and fees:
•
Tuition and Fees and Room and Board (on-campus)
Your estimated tuition and fees: Your estimated room and board charges:
•
Find or create fields •
Find them if you can – no, really…
•
Create them if you can’t – once you create the field, you have to populate it and keep it updated
Find Float-in Fields Define your fields •
Tuition and Fees (S:TUITFEES)
•
Room and Board (S:ROOM-BD)
But now, how do you know when to include the room and board? •
Trigger for use of Room and Board
•
FAFSA housing field: F-HOUSING
Insert Float-in Fields •
Administration > Letters
•
Select fields from dropdown box
Insert “Always There” Float-in Field Type “always there” sentence and insert field
Mailings > Insert Merge Field
Insert “Always There” Float-in Field, cont.
Insert If…Then…Else for Room and Board If F-HOUSING = On Campus…Then ROOMBOARD…Else Nothing (have to enter the Room and Board field later)
Adding the Room and Board Field Find each piece (if, then, and else) and add the Room and Board field to the appropriate piece
Spacing and Test Room and Board •
Remember Alt-F9
•
Test it with students who do and do not have room and board
•
Test for sizing
•
Test for line breaks before and after
•
Test for location
•
Does it take up too much space?
Where Did We Go From Here? •
•
Created some calculated fields in custom data •
On-campus balance/no loans
•
On-campus balance with loans
•
Not on-campus balance/no loans
•
Not on-campus balance with loans
•
If dependent, payment options included Parent PLUS. If not, Parent PLUS not included
•
Headings for Grants and Scholarships, Work-Study, Federal Student Loans, Other Loans
•
Total aid package in paragraph
•
FAFSA received/not received paragraph
On-campus or not wording
EXAMPLES
Example: Missing Information
Example: Missing Information Code { IF {MERGEFIELD float_in_04_FHOUSING } “” "Your financial aid awards may not be final. Please review the Documents section of NetPartner and submit all missing items immediately so that we can finalize your awards." " We have received all information that we need to finalize your awards. Please review the messages section of NetPartner regularly for important messages about your financial aid awards." }
Example: FAFSA Received/Not Received
Example: FAFSA Received/Not Field Codes { IF {MERGEFIELD float_in_12_ISIR-DATA-VALID} = “No” " Your financial aid awards do not include any federal loans nor any federal, state, or institutional grants because we have not received your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can complete your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov." "If you believe that you made a mistake on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or if you have unusual circumstances that may not be reflected on the FAFSA, please review the Change in Circumstances Form in the Forms section of our website for the process to update or correct your FAFSA." }
Example: On Campus or Not
Example: On Campus or Not Field Codes { IF {MERGEFIELD float_in_04_FHOUSING } = “On Campus” "You indicated that you would be living on campus. If your housing plans change, please notify our office immediately as this may affect your financial aid awards." "You indicated that you would be living off campus or with your parents. If your housing plans change, please notify our office immediately as this may affect your financial aid awards." }
**Note that you cannot type in the }s or the fields. You have to use the functions**
Example: Estimated Costs
Example: Estimated Costs Field Codes Estimated Tuition and Fees for the Award Year: { MERGEFIELD floan_in_02_STUITFEES \# $,0} { IF { MERGEFIELD floa_in_04_FHOUSING } = “On Campus” “Estimated Room and Board for the Award Year: { MERGEFIELD S_ROOM_BD \# $,0} Estimated Annual Charges for Award Year: { MERGEFIELD floan_in_01_TFRB \# $,0} ““ “}
Resources •
PowerFAIDS – Chapter 12 rules!
•
Mail Merge training online
•
Test database (save working versions under different names)
•
Google (YouTube)
•
Sharing
Sharing •
Tell me your secrets and I will tell you mine…
Session Evaluation Using the Session Number, please complete the session evaluation by: 1.
Scanning the QR code and submitting the online evaluation:
2.
Submitting the online evaluation at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2014PFConf Session
3.
Returning the paper evaluation
Trademarks College Board, CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, INAS, PowerFAIDS and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. inspiring minds is a trademark owned by the College Board. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, Word, Excel, and SQL Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Screen shot(s) reprinted by permission from Microsoft Corporation. Copyright © 2014 by The College Board. All rights reserved. The College Board has prepared this document for use only by personnel, licensees, and customers. The information contained herein is protected by copyright. No part of this document may be reproduced, translated, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, without prior written permission from the College Board. THE COLLEGE BOARD SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR TECHNICAL OR EDITORIAL ERRORS OR OMISSIONS CONTAINED HEREIN; NOR FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS MATERIAL. This publication contains material related to the Federal Title IV student aid programs. While we believe that the information contained herein is accurate and factual, this publication has not been reviewed or approved by the U.S. Department of Education. The College Board reserves the right to revise this document and/or change product features or specifications without advance notice.
