Birthday Card Correspondence vs Interactions
A guide for when to use one or the other.
Happy Birthday! Everyone loves to be remembered on their birthdays, especially our alumni and donors. GAIL has a specific module for handling the monthly data lists for this! Please reach out to Client Services for a quick walk through on this process. This process actually tags the alumni and donor records in GAIL as having received a birthday card from your unit, it will appear under the Communications tab on their records. If you are not using this process, please reach out so we can keep communications in the expected areas of GAIL. The Communications tab is meant to show every bulk mailer, without the need of having a ‘form letter’ type of document scanned into the GAIL system.
Enter Interactions: If your dean, development officer or department head wishes to create a handwritten specific note to a donor or alumnus that you feel would be beneficial to record (scan) in GAIL, this is when you could use the Interactions module as this module is intended for direct, specific, one on one communication with someone. Tip – If you plan to scan documents, notes, or cards into GAIL, be sure to scan them as ‘black and white’ as that practice requires less storage space in the system.
Generally, there is no need for using both modules (Correspondence & Interactions) to tag records with receiving a birthday card outside of the specialized, personalized messaging as outlined above.
Communications
Mailings for more than one person or for multiple audiences. Birthday cards, receipts, appeals, acknowledgements, events, etc.
Interactions
Personalized, individualized, or handwritten notes from development officers, deans, or department heads as a one-on-one communication; direct contact for prospect planning and plans.