Acknowledgement Automation Kits Available

Kathryn Hall
Kathryn Hall Blackbaud Employee
Tenth Anniversary Kudos 5 Name Dropper Participant
in SKY Developer Announcements

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Microsoft Power Automate Modern Merge Automation Kit. This kit contains templates and guided tutorials to build automated acknowledgement processes that support your work in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT. It builds on a growing body of self-help tools for using the Microsoft Power Platform, including a template showcase, Skills Labs, and hands-on tutorials.

Designed to help you use innovative no-code/low-code techniques for automating your acknowledgement process end to end, the Modern Merge kit includes how-to steps for:
  • Generating a simple Gift Acknowledgement Letter based on a List in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT or Church Management
  • Setting up a ‘Create an Acknowledgement’ button from a Gift within Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT or Church Management
  • Building Microsoft Word Merge Templates for automation
  • Executing more complex Merge functions from scheduled Exports and Conditionals

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Is 2022 the year you harness the power of automation?

Exploring all the options you have available to you through the Microsoft Power Platform may have seemed too daunting in the past to begin. But how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!* This learning path gives you a way to start learning new skills that will expand your understanding of what is possible. The kit gives you the step-by-step instructions for automating your acknowledgements, and helps you apply new skills by building your own as you learn. The Skills Labs and Office Hours are there to support you in your efforts.


An investment in building Microsoft Power Automate-enabled acknowledgements today will give you insights into how much more you can do with the Microsoft Power Platform. Set the stage for a future in which you spend more of your time being strategic and less on executing repetitive manual tasks and processes. Learning and applying new skills can be exhilarating, fun, sometimes frustrating – and ultimately rewarding. You have the power to transform the way that your organization works and drive meaningful action and outreach for your mission.


(*I don't endorse or recommend eating elephants!)

Comments

  • Karen Diener
    Karen Diener Community All-Star
    Tenth Anniversary Kudos 5 First Reply Name Dropper

    Could you please clarify if Encodian will be free for all users? I see there is a free pricing tier as well as a free trial, but it is important for smaller organizations to know what they are potentially getting in to by setting this up.

    Although I always encourage learning new things, the investment of time to set this up may not be worth it if they will be faced with a fee that was not in the budget. Full transparency would be welcome.

    Thanks!

    Karen

  • Heather McLean
    Heather McLean
    Eighth Anniversary Kudos 3 Name Dropper Participant

    @Karen Diener - The free trial on Encodian is the most generous of the few options that are available. We spent a good amount of time debating alternatives and none offered the simplicity of this tool. We continue to vet alternatives and have also engaged Encodian and Microsoft directly to discuss options.

    For a small to medium size shop running weekly processes, the trial should be sufficient. Actions are based on how many times we call Flowr in the workflow. We are not using it inside any bulk operations (apply to each loops) so it is limited to 1 Action for merging the print-ready Word letter template and 1 Action for the envelopes [and in another flow we use it to parse JSON 1x]. This is more for ease of use for the person printing not to have to hit print multiple times on each file that is created so we can link it to the letter. If you only have a few letters, those Actions could be turned off anyways.

    You are right that it may not scale for high volume operations and we are not settled by that. I hope you come to the Skills Labs we are holding in January and February. We hope to have more specific information to share on alternatives by then. We've learned some interesting things about Word files and how they are programmed that limit programmatic options within the flow.

  • Nicole Holt
    Nicole Holt Community All-Star
    Tenth Anniversary Kudos 5 Name Dropper Participant

    I love Power Automate flows, but before I dive in--has the name formats issue been addressed? The last I heard, addressee/salutation was not an endpoint in the Blackbaud connector.

  • Heather McLean
    Heather McLean
    Eighth Anniversary Kudos 3 Name Dropper Participant

    Hi Nicole - Name formats have been included in the refactored Connector which should be shortly re-certified by Microsoft. We are planning to update the templates to reflect this change as soon as it is available.

  • Nicole Holt
    Nicole Holt Community All-Star
    Tenth Anniversary Kudos 5 Name Dropper Participant

    Thanks @Heather! Hoping that tribute endpoints make it into the refactored connector as well…

    Our existing letters rely a lot on if/then statements in the merge document. Hoping I can figure out how to accomplish that using the developer tab in Word!

  • Heather McLean
    Heather McLean
    Eighth Anniversary Kudos 3 Name Dropper Participant

    Nicole - we plan to release a tribute flow but it will rely on a scheduled import process for now. We have prioritized a list of endpoints based on the webview workflow gaps which is being evaluated. I cannot speak to a timeline for now.

  • Amy Schnarrenberger
    Amy Schnarrenberger
    Ninth Anniversary Name Dropper Participant Facilitator 1

    I would love to sign up for the Skills Labs, but when I follow the links in the Getting Started post I get an error that states that I cannot login. How do I get signed up?

  • Lindsey Rix
    Lindsey Rix Blackbaud Employee
    Tenth Anniversary Kudos 3 Name Dropper Participant

    Hi Amy, thanks for pointing out the issue. We fixed it earlier this week, so you can try to download the calendar file again. There's no registration or sign-up, just add to your calendar and attend!

  • Victoria Wong
    Victoria Wong
    Ninth Anniversary Kudos 2 Name Dropper Participant

    Hi Kathryn,

    Not sure if this is where I should ask this question. I downloaded the Power Automate Template and I am adapting my acknowledgment letters, and it is kind of working.

    I am wondering if you can tell me if the addressee and salutation fields are available? I was trying to populate the merge fields with dynamic content.

    Thank you so much!

    Vicky

  • Heather McLean
    Heather McLean
    Eighth Anniversary Kudos 3 Name Dropper Participant

    Victoria - Name formats are in the refactored connectors which should be re-certified by Microsoft very shortly (within a few weeks at most). We will post in community and provide updated guidance on how to update your flows to use them. Don't let this stop you from proceeding for now.

  • Therese Junker
    Therese Junker
    Ninth Anniversary Name Dropper Facilitator 1

    Have the name formats for addressee and salutation been addressed? I just followed the instructions for the simple acknowledgement letters and the template does not use these fields.

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