Moving from Paper Yahrzeit Letters to Yahrzeit Emails

Create an Email Yahrzeit Template

Because traditional yahrzeit paper letters are printed on or with simulated letterhead, most shuls will want to use the MailBuilder feature of ShulCloud to make a great looking HTML yahrzeit email. So, transitioning from Word letter to MailBuilder emails is covered here.

Access Your Existing Word Letter Template

If a yahrzeit letter Word template set up already, borrow its content to hit the ground running. Here is how to download it:

1. Navigate to Admin > My Lists > Word Templates.
2. Select the desired yahrzeit Word template from the list.
3. Select the link under the template's Name to download the Word template file.
4. Open it and print a copy for reference later in this process.

Start the Mailing

1. Navigate to Communications > Legacy Mail.
2. Select Create New Mail.
3. In Step 1, select Email as the mode, Lifecycles as the mailing list, and Yahrzeit as the Lifecycle Type; next choose a date range for observance notifications. 
4. Select Continue.
5. In Step 2, Select Add All Subscribers.
6. Select Continue. 
7. In Step 3, select Mail Builder as the Type of Email, enter your email address as the Override Email field in the Testing Options section, then select Continue
   • This allows for proofreading of the emails and reduces the risk of sending them to recipients prematurely.
8. In Step 4, fill in the fields shown (as it will be needed for testing), then select Launch MailBuilder.

Note: There is a link at the bottom of this article that walks through the general process of sending yahrzeit emails (just not with MailBuilder)

Create and Save the Mail Builder Yahrzeit Email Template

1. Once MailBuilder is launched, select a template from the options provided. 
   1. The following templates are provided by ShulCloud
      
2. Select Choose _____ on the template to continue.
3. If creating a customized template to reuse for Yahrzeits, once the mailing is built and customized, select Template and Save As Template to save and have a template to reuse.
   
4. Enter a Template Name and select Save Template. 
   

Tips & Tricks

• Save early and often as changes are made.
• Use a different name so earlier versions can be access if needed.
• Delete unwanted templates in the template gallery by clicking the X that appears in the upper right corner of each Saved Template. 

Enter Text and Tokens (Merge Fields) into the Template

If using a previously saved Word Template,

1. Highlight and delete any existing text from the main text block of the  template (or drag and drop a new text block if necessary
2. Highlight and copy the main text of the downloaded Word template to the computer's clipboard, if available
3. Paste the Word template text, if available, into the email template (note that formatting like bold will not transfer into Mail Builder)

Note: Tokens (Merge Fields) for word documents are DIFFERENT than for emails.

If starting from scratch, 

1. Begin by typing in the contents of the Yahrzeit notification letter in the content area.
2. Click into a text block so the editor toolbar appears
   
3. Choose Tokens from the toolbar, make a selection from the dropdown, then select OK

TIP: If you have Word merge fields in your email template text, you can highlight it before choosing a token. Doing so will replace the selected text with the token.

Tokens are arranged in the dropdown into groups such as Lifecycle Dates, Yahrzeit, and Recipient. It may be helpful to browse that list of tokens to gain familiarity.

Things to keep in mind:

• At this time, tokens for the recipient’s mailing address are not available, so that aspect of a printed letter cannot be duplicated in an email message
• Long-form dates must be constructed from their individual elements, such a day name, month name, day, and year (see example below)
• Tokens appear in a bold courier (typewriter) font with a yellow background but will share the same formatting as the surrounding text when emails are generated (see example below)

Sample Letter Elements

Here is an example of what the body of an email like look like in the Mail Builder editor.

Notice how long-form dates need to be spelled out in multiple tokens. For a Shabbat observance date in the form like Friday, March 20, 2025, insert the four tokens shown above that follow "Shabbat evening service on." While that may look daunting, it does give flexibility in how the dates are displayed.  

Asking for Donations

In many communities, it is customary to suggest that the recipient make a donation to the shul in the memory of their loved one. If the shul accepts online payments via ShulCloud, make it quick and easy for the recipient to make such a donation by linking to the Donate page or special form/page that your shul has created for donations. The link could be a text link your message or a button that you drag and drop onto your email template from the Blocks tab of Mail Builder.

Test Your Template

1. Choose Done to exit Mail Builder and return to Step 4.
2. Select Continue twice to reach Step 6
3. In Step 6, scroll down to the bottom, enter an email address in the Test Email Address box, then select SEND TEST EMAIL.

 

Tip: if you have not received an email after a few minutes, check that in Step 2 you have at least one recipient added.

Check the inbox of the email listed. To make changes, return to Step 4, launch Mail Builder, make the necessary edits, and ensure the template is re-saved.

Related Resources

• Creating Emails with the MailBuilder
• Yahrzeit Email
• Yahrzeit Letter Sample - MAILBUILDER