

This next bit might feel like unchartered waters if you're not familiar with Word fields. If you run the merge as is, the membership type merge field will return F, Fr, and I, which you'll probably want to avoid. So, let's replace that merge field with an IF field that can turn that meaningless data into something the members understand. However, the membership details in the Excel workbook-F, Fr, and I-might not mean anything to the new members. You can get around the lack of a pre-defined mapping field by inserting an unmapped merge field-so don't forget to insert both of those fields before you continue.Īt this point, all of the merge fields are in place, and you could run the merge. The pre-defined map is a shortcut that you'll want to take advantage of when possible, but it won't always have every field you need. There are no pre-defined fields for the membership number and membership type, but don't worry about that. Use Figure B as a guideline for completing the mapping process.įigure C: Replace the placeholders with merge fields. Word will match a few of the items for you: City, State, and Zip.

To do so, click Match Fields in the Write & Insert Field groups. Now that Word knows what type of merge you're running and where the details are coming from, it's time to map Word placeholders to Excel fields.

Then, identify the recipients: Click Select Recipients, choose Use an Existing List, identify the data source (the Excel workbook file), click Open, identify the appropriate sheet, and click OK. Identifying the type of merge is the first step: Click the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Start Mail Merge, and choose Letters. The characters in the Word document ( Figure A) denote spots where the mail merge will insert values from the Excel workbook. Figure A: Our mail merge depends on information in an Excel workbook.
