What's Newer: Editable And Customizable Name Formats!

Steve Stegelin

This #GivingTuesday, hopefully you'll acquire new donors who discover your organization in their quest to support a mission close to their heart. To help ensure personal and receptive interactions as you cultivate these new relationships, Raiser's Edge NXT recently introduced the ability to manage and customize name formats in the web view!

 
Name formats—aka addressess and salutations—define how an individual's name appears in communications.

• Addressees determine how their name appears with a mailing address, such as in an address block or on a mailing label. Traditionally, addressees are formal, complete with titles and any suffixes.
• Salutations determine how their name appears as a greeting in a letter or email. Depending on your relationship with the individual and the context of the communication, the salutation may be formal or informal.

In the database view, your organization can set up and manage standard patterns and types of name formats from Addressees/Salutations in Configuration.


Of course, an individual may request or show preference toward an addressee or salutation that doesn't match a standard pattern. To help respect these wishes and ensure you address someone how they prefer, you can now save custom name formats!

• To enter a personal addressee or salutation when you add the individual's record, you can now select Custom next to its field under Primary name formats, and enter the special name format to use. For more information, see the Constituents Help or Related Individuals and Organizations Help.
• To manage an individual's name formats, you can now select Edit, Name formats under Constituent summary or Summary.
  • Under Primary name formats, choose the individual's preferred addressee or salutation to use by default. To define a unique addressee or salutation, select Custom next to its field, and enter the name format to use.
  • Under Other name formats, choose any additional addressees or salutations to use, such as for specific types or tones of communication. To define a unique addressee or salutation for a specific type of communciation, select Custom next to its field, and enter the name format to use. To include an additional format, select Add a name format.

For more information, check out the Name Formats Help.

Stephen Kubasek

How do I get to the "configuration" settings to set up standard formats? I have searched the knowledgebase and help articles. I also looked through all of the settings within NXT that would seem to be the likely places for configuration of these features. I have admin rights, so there should not be any settings that I can't view. Thanks!

Steve Stegelin

Hey Stephen- The name format configuration settings appear in the database view. To view and manage the standard patterns, select 'Addressees/Salutations' in 'Config'. To add a new name format, select 'New Addr/Sal', and choose which fields and formatting options it includes. For more information, check out the Raiser's Edge Configuration & Security Guide at https://www.blackbaud.com/files/support/guides/re7/config.pdf. I hope that helps. Thanks!

Stephanie Crawley

Yay!  This sure makes life easier.  Hi Stephen Kubasek, you set up configurations for addressees and salutations in the database view in Config (Configuration), Addressees/Salutations.  You don't change or add to those settings in NXT.

Rachel Kave

Very Happy!  Thank you!

Jen Claudy

Is the [Custom] checkbox the NXT equivalent of 7's [Editable] checkbox?  Another terminology difference or an actual functionality difference?

Steve Stegelin

Good eye, Jen! The intent of the Editable and Custom checkboxes is indeed the same, so, yes, it’s safe to say that custom name formats in the web view are the same as ‘editable’ addressees and salutations in the database view. Thanks!