Understanding Merge Tag Structure and Formatting

Merge tags containing:

| currency

format the underlying numeric value as currency.

For example:

{{gift.received_amount | currency}}

may take an underlying value such as:

1500

and display it as:

$1,500.00

Currency formatting adds the currency symbol, thousands separators, and decimal places so monetary values are easier to read in receipts, acknowledgments, pledge reminders, and other donor communications.

Currency formatting may be used with Gift amounts, fees, net amounts, deductible amounts, Soft Credit totals, Pledge balances, and other monetary values.

Date merge tags may include formatting instructions such as:

| date:"MMMM dd, yyyy"

For example:

{{donor.last_gift_date | date:"MMMM dd, yyyy"}}

The donor.last_gift_date portion identifies the field, while the formatting after the vertical bar tells DonorDock how the date should appear.

An underlying value may contain both a date and time:

6/6/2023 3:35:01 PM

With:

| date:"MMMM dd, yyyy"

the same value displays as:

June 06, 2023

The individual parts of the date format determine how the date is displayed:

Combined as:

MMMM dd, yyyy

the finished date appears as:

June 06, 2023

This provides a cleaner donor-facing date and removes extra information, such as the time of day, when it isn't needed.

Some phone number merge tags include:

| phone

For example:

{{donor.mobile_phone | phone}}

The | phone instruction tells DonorDock to apply the supported phone number formatting when the value is generated rather than displaying the underlying value as plain text.

This helps phone numbers appear more consistently within communications.

In addition to formatting how a merge tag value appears, DonorDock supports conditional formatting filters that let you add text before or after a merge tag only when that merge tag contains a value.

This is useful when a word, space, punctuation mark, or other piece of text should appear only when the associated field is populated.

The two conditional formatting filters are:

• prepend_if_value adds text before the merge tag value.

• append_if_value adds text after the merge tag value.

These filters can be used in both regular DonorDock templates and Microsoft Word templates.

⚠️ Keep the Entire Filter Inside the Double Braces Just like other merge tag formatting instructions, conditional filters are part of the merge tag itself.

The merge tag, the filter, and the text you want the filter to add must all remain inside the same set of double braces: {{ }}

For example:

{{gift.campaign.name | prepend_if_value:" for "}}

Add Text Before a Value with prepend_if_value

Use prepend_if_value when you want text to appear immediately before a merge tag, but only when the merge tag contains a value.

For example:

{{gift.campaign.name | prepend_if_value:" for "}}

If the Campaign is Annual Campaign, the generated result is:

for Annual Campaign

If the Campaign field is blank, the generated result is blank. The words for are not included.

This is especially useful when adding a merge tag to a sentence.

For example:

Your gift{{gift.campaign.name | prepend_if_value:" for "}} makes a difference.

If a Campaign is present, this will generate as:

Your gift for Annual Campaign makes a difference.

If the Campaign is blank:

Your gift makes a difference.

Because the preceding space and the word for are contained within the filter, they are only inserted when the Campaign has a value.

Add Text After a Value with append_if_value

Use append_if_value when you want text or punctuation to appear immediately after a merge tag, but only when the merge tag contains a value.

For example:

{{gift.campaign.name | append_if_value:","}}

If the Campaign is Annual Campaign, the generated result is:

Annual Campaign,

If the Campaign is blank, neither the Campaign name nor the comma is displayed. The text added by the filter can include spaces, punctuation, or words, depending on how the merge tag needs to fit into the surrounding content.

Using Both Filters Together

You can use prepend_if_value and append_if_value on the same merge tag.

Each filter is separated by a pipe |, and the entire expression remains inside the same set of double braces.

For example:

{{gift.campaign.name | prepend_if_value:" for " | append_if_value:"."}}

If the Campaign is Annual Campaign, the generated result is:

for Annual Campaign.

If the Campaign is blank, the entire result is blank. Neither for nor the period is displayed.

This can be especially helpful when an optional merge tag needs surrounding words or punctuation that should disappear along with the value when the field is empty.

Conditional Formatting vs. Automation Logic

These filters provide conditional formatting around an individual merge tag. They allow DonorDock to add specified text before or after a value only when that merge tag contains data, helping optional content read naturally without leaving behind unnecessary words, spaces, or punctuation.

They are not full If...Then...Else rules and do not change larger sections of a template based on the details of a gift or contact.

If you need entirely different content to be generated or sent based on specific gift details, such as the Campaign, Fund, Appeal, gift amount, or other criteria, consider using DonorDock Automations instead. With an Automation, you can use the gift details as conditions and direct qualifying gifts or donors into different workflows, each using the appropriate email or letter template.

In other words, conditional merge tag filters are best for adjusting small pieces of content within a template, while Automations are better when gift details should determine which template or communication is used.

Microsoft Word Templates

The same prepend_if_value and append_if_value syntax can be used in Microsoft Word templates.

When using these filters in Word, make sure the quotation marks around the text being added remain straight double quotes:

"

Microsoft Word may automatically replace straight quotation marks with curved or “smart” quotation marks. Curved quotation marks can prevent DonorDock from interpreting the filter correctly.

For example, this should remain:

{{gift.campaign.name | prepend_if_value:" for "}}

with straight quotation marks around for.

Remember

Conditional formatting follows the same basic structure as other merge tag formatting:

{{merge_tag | filter:"formatting instructions"}}