Using Merge Tokens in GC Outreach

Merge tokens personalize your outreach emails by pulling data about each recipient from GiveCampus or from the CSV file you upload.

Where to find merge tokens: Click the {x} icon in the email builder. You'll see all standard tokens plus any custom tokens from your recipient CSV.

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How Merge Tokens Work

Two data sources:

1. GiveCampus platform data (constituent records, gifts, registrations)
2. Your CSV upload (custom fields you include in the recipient list)

If a token can't find data (no match in GiveCampus or blank field), it displays as blank in the email.

Troubleshooting: Wrong names appearing in emails

If your email displays an incorrect first or last name, check which data source the token is using and how the recipient is matched to a constituent record.

Why this happens

• $Const_First_Name$ behavior: This token pulls the name from the matched constituent record in GiveCampus and falls back to your CSV only if there is no match. If a match is found, it will use that record’s name—even if your CSV has a different value.
• Segments and email matching: When using Segments, recipients are mapped to constituent records based on email. If an email matches a different constituent than expected, $Const_First_Name$ will pull that person’s name.
• Duplicate emails: If multiple constituent records share the same email address, tokens may display the wrong name.

How to guarantee the exact name you want

• Use CSV-based tokens for precision: $Csv_Recipient_First_Name$ and $Csv_Recipient_Last_Name$ pull the name directly from your CSV upload, ensuring the expected salutation.
• For critical communications: Prefer CSV-based tokens over constituent-based tokens to maximize accuracy.

Practical setup tips

• Build the salutation with CSV tokens: For example, "Hi $Csv_Recipient_First_Name$," ensures the greeting uses the value from your file.
• If using $Const_First_Name$: Confirm that each recipient email maps correctly to the intended constituent, and avoid situations where multiple records share the same email.

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Token Reference Guide

Name and Contact Tokens

$Const_First_Name$

Pulls first name from the matched constituent record in GiveCampus. Falls back to the first name in your CSV if no match is found. Note: If you upload a CSV with a preferred first name, be sure to use $Csv_Recipient_First_Name$ instead.

$Const_Last_Name$

Pulls last name from the matched constituent record in GiveCampus. Falls back to the last name in your CSV if no match is found.

$Csv_Recipient_First_Name$

Pulls the first name exactly as uploaded in your CSV. Use this when you want precise control over how names appear.

$Csv_Recipient_Last_Name$

Pulls the last name exactly as uploaded in your CSV. Use this when you want precise control over how names appear.

$Csv_Recipient_Email$

Inserts the recipient's email address from your CSV into the email content.

$Pref_First_Name$

Pulls the preferred first name from your data importer. Falls back to $Const_First_Name$ if blank.

$Const_Address$

Pulls the constituent address tied to the external ID in your recipient list. Blank if no match or no address on file.

$Spouse_First_Name$

Pulls the first name of a spouse relationship added to the constituent record in GiveCampus.

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Giving and Donor Tokens

$Donor_Name$

Displays the donor name from the most recent gift made on GiveCampus.

$Donor_and_Joint_Name$

Displays both the primary donor and joint donor names (if applicable) from the most recent gift.

$Last_Donation_Amount$

Shows the dollar amount of the most recent gift.

$Last_Gift_Date$

Shows the date of the most recent gift.

$Last_Gift_Designation$

Shows the designation (fund name) of the most recent gift.

$Designation(s)_and_Amount$

Shows all designations and amounts from the most recent gift. Does not include joint donor gifts.

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Recurring Giving Tokens

$Recur_Gift_Installment_Amount$

Shows the installment amount for an active recurring gift.

$Recur_Gift_Freq$

Shows the frequency (monthly, quarterly, etc.) of an active recurring gift.

$Recur_Gift_End_Date$

Shows the end date of an active recurring gift.

$Recur_Gift_Total_Amount$

Shows the total amount a recurring subscription will reach by its end date.

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Event Registration Tokens

$EventRegistrant_First_Name$

Displays the first name from the most recent event registration. Dynamic if you build a segment from a specific event (e.g., "All Registrants").

$EventRegistrant_Last_Name$

Displays the last name from the most recent event registration. Dynamic if you build a segment from a specific event.

$Event_Ticket_Type(s)$

Lists all ticket types associated with the registrant based on email or external ID match.

$Guest_First_Name$

Displays the first name of individual guests added to an event registration.

$Guest_Last_Name$

Displays the last name of individual guests added to an event registration.

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Class Year Token

$Pref_Class_Year$

Displays the class year uploaded via your data importer for matched constituents. Blank if no match or no class year on file.

Advocate merge tokens

The $Advocate_First_Name$ token retrieves the advocate's first name from advocacy records. Use this token when your outreach targets advocates, as it pulls data directly from your advocacy sources.

How and when to use this token

• Use $Advocate_First_Name$ when your recipient list or segment is sourced from advocacy data (for example, advocate lists or advocate campaign segments). The token directly reads the advocate record and merges the first name into your email.
• If you upload advocates via CSV and need to use the exact text from your file, include CSV-based tokens instead. When working with an advocacy segment, prefer the advocate token.
• If a recipient is not an advocate or the advocacy record lacks a value, the token will render as blank. Plan a fallback salutation (for example, "Hi there").

Example

• Salutation for an advocacy send: "Hi $Advocate_First_Name$, thank you for sharing this campaign with your network."

Testing and troubleshooting

• If a test send shows blanks or token errors, confirm that recipients are correctly loaded as advocates or that the segment originates from advocacy data.
• If previewed names are unexpected, try a test upload using CSV tokens (for example, $Csv_Recipient_First_Name$) to verify the source data.
• Avoid using general recipient tokens (such as constituent or CSV-only tokens) in advocacy-specific segments unless you are sure those fields exist for every advocate.

Best practices

• Standardize on $Advocate_First_Name$ for advocacy outreach to ensure consistent personalization.
• If you must merge values that only exist in your CSV, upload the list directly and use CSV-based tokens.
• Build graceful fallback options into your email copy for tokens that might be blank.

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Custom Merge Tokens

You can add your own merge tokens by including custom columns in your recipient CSV.

Example: Add a column called "Custom_Campaign_Cause" with values like "BowlingTeam" or "First-Gen Scholarship" That column will appear as a selectable token in the email builder that merges in the unique field value for each recipient.

Learn how to add custom tokens via CSV upload

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Quick Use Cases

Thanking recent donors:

"Thank you for your $Last_Donation_Amount$ gift to $Last_Gift_Designation$ on $Last_Gift_Date$."

Event follow-up:

"Hi $EventRegistrant_First_Name$, thanks for registering for $Event_Ticket_Type(s)$."

Recurring giving stewardship:

"Your $Recur_Gift_Freq$ gift of $Recur_Gift_Installment_Amount$ is making a difference."

Personalized ask with custom token:

"$Pref_First_Name$, will you help us reach our $Campaign_Goal$?"

 

Reviewing merge token values before you send

GiveCampus provides a preview feature to show how each merge token will resolve for every recipient. Use this to catch missing or unexpected values before sending your outreach.

What you'll see and where

• In a text outreach, click the Review Merge Tokens button in the Preview tab's right-hand panel, located above the Send Outreach button. This button is also available in the email outreach preview page.
• The button appears only when the message includes at least one merge token and there is at least one recipient. Sequence-based outreaches do not display this button.

How the button behaves

1. When merge token substitutions are still computing, the button appears grayed out. It activates once the process is complete.
2. Clicking an active Review Merge Tokens button generates the review report and displays a confirmation: "Check your email for a Merge Token Review document when it is ready!"
3. If substitutions are incomplete when you click, the page shows: "Merge token substitutions have not yet been computed. Please try again once merge tokens are ready for review."

What you receive by email

The admin who initiated the review receives an email with a link to download a CSV file containing the token substitution preview.

CSV contents and ordering

• Text outreach CSV: The file starts with External ID, First Name, Last Name, Phone Number, and Email Address, followed by one column for each merge token used, sorted alphabetically. Rows are sorted by phone number.
• Email outreach CSV: The file starts with External ID and Email Address, followed by one column per merge token (sorted alphabetically). Rows are sorted by email address.

Use the CSV to verify each recipient's data, ensuring that all tokens resolve correctly before sending your outreach.

Frequently Asked Questions: 

Q: How do I upload a recipient list using custom merge tokens?

A: Prepare your recipient list as a CSV file and follow these steps:

1. Add each custom merge token as its own column, prefixed with "custom_" (e.g., custom_favorite_color).
2. Navigate to your Outreach draft and click Add Recipients.
3. Upload the CSV directly to the Outreach — not through Segments or constituent profiles.

📌 Note: Custom merge tokens are only available when uploading directly to an individual outreach, not through the Segments tool.

 

Gift Data Merge Tokens - Important Limitations

Common variations of this question

• Why is my last gift amount showing old data?
• Merge fields showing out of date gift information
• Last gift date token not updating
• Gift merge tokens showing empty fields

Gift data source limitations

Important: Gift-related merge tokens (like last gift amount and last gift date) only pull from gifts made directly through GiveCampus platforms, NOT from imported gift data.

This means:

• Gifts made through your GiveCampus giving forms and campaigns ✅ Will appear in tokens
• Gifts imported through School Level Data Importer ❌ Will NOT appear in tokens
• External gift data ❌ Will NOT appear in tokens

If you need imported gift data in emails

When you need to include gift information that isn't from GiveCampus:

1. Use custom merge fields - Include gift data columns in your recipient CSV upload

2. Upload as CSV recipients - Rather than using segments, upload a recipient list with custom gift data columns

3. Use Csv_ merge tokens - These pull from your uploaded file rather than platform data