Templates are Word documents that you can customize with your organization's own language and CommunitySuite merge fields. The example templates in this article provide starting points with merge fields already configured that you can download, customize, and upload to your site. Templates can be tested in your Sandbox site to ensure they work correctly before uploading them in your Live site.
Who: Donor services teams, communications staff, grant or scholarship administrators, finance staff, or any CommunitySuite users who create or modify templates for tax receipts, grant letters, fund statements, checks, and other documents.
Use Example Templates to:
- Create a new template that has merge fields already configured, such as tax receipts, grant letters, fund statements, checks, invoices, and more.
- Identify available merge fields for different template types before building custom templates.
- Update existing templates with additional merge fields or formatting changes.
Identify Available Merge Fields
Template links titled with "All Fields" contain the complete list of available merge fields for that template type. Use these templates as a reference when building custom templates or to see all possible fields you can include.
For example, Tax Receipt - All Fields shows every merge field available for tax receipt templates, while Tax Receipt Example is pre-configured as a letter with commonly used merge fields included.
"Error - Missing Test Condition" in Example Templates
Some example templates have conditional merge fields in them using the IF function. This function results in an "Error! Missing test condition." message to appear in the place of the merge field while viewing it in the document.
Right-click on Error! Missing test condition message and then click Update Field to display the underlying conditional statement.
Once uploaded to CommunitySuite, the template field will populate with the appropriate information based on the data.
To view the merge field instead of the error code once the template has been downloaded, press ALT+F9 when viewing the Word document or highlight the area and then right-click. This will bring up an option to then Toggle Field Codes.
You may also see False as a value that appears. Microsoft Word IF statements compare two values and display content based on the result. If the result is true (the data meet the criteria), the True value or content displays. If the result is false (the data do not meet the criteria), the False value displays.
Right-click on the false value and then click Update Field to show the true value and close the toggled-open merge field.
Template Conditions includes detailed information about conditional formatting.
Download Example Templates
To download an example template from this article and customize it for your site:
1. Click the name of a template and it will open in a new tab.
2. Click the Download button in the upper-right corner of the screen.
These example templates provide starting points for customization. For a comprehensive resource about working with templates in CommunitySuite, including what they are and how to create, upload, and test templates, see Templates Overview.
Available Example Templates for Download
Checks
Check templates are used when system defaults for check printing formats do not fit your check stock. CommunitySuite supports multiple custom check templates that can be assigned at the account record. Additional available formats include 59085, FIMS, Quickbooks, and Non-System Check templates.
Check Scholarship Format Example
Check with Grant Letter Example
59085 Format
The image below displays what the template looks like when there are more than four vouchers on a check.
The image below displays what the template looks like with four or fewer vouchers per check.
FIMS Format
The image below displays what the template looks like when there are more than four vouchers on a check.
The image below displays what the template looks like with four or fewer vouchers per check.
Quickbooks Format
The image below displays what the template looks like when there are more than four vouchers on a check.
The image below displays what the template looks like with four or fewer vouchers per check.
Non-System Check
The image below displays what the template looks like when there are more than four vouchers on a check.
The image below displays what the template looks like with four or fewer vouchers per check.
Envelopes
Envelope templates generate address information for fund statement recipients, tax receipts, tributes, check batches, and more.
Event Ticket Receipts
Event Ticket Receipt templates send confirmation of event registration to attendees. These templates can be assigned to specific campaigns and are separate from tax receipts generated for donation amounts included with event registrations.
Fund Statements
Fund Statement templates compile information about a fund's activity to share with fund advisors.
Fund Statement - Basic with YTD Column
Fund Statement with Optional Sections
Fund Statement with Optional Sections and YTD Column
Grant Award Letters
Grant Award Letters can be generated when a grant is created, which makes them useful for pre-communication to grantees before grant checks are posted. Grant award letters are found in the Grant Award Letter Bucket and can be emailed or printed.
Grant Card
Grant Cards are digital gift cards that can be used on the Giving Hub. The Grant Card - All Fields resource provides all of the available merge fields so that you can build a receipt template for those transactions.
Grant Letters
Grant Letters are generated when grant checks are posted to notify recipients of their award. Once generated, the grant letter is found in the Grants Document Bucket and is attached to the grant record.
Advanced Grant Letter templates consolidate multiple awards on one check, while the Grant Letter templates generate individual letters per grant. Grant Letter and Advanced Grant Letter templates have different merge fields and are not interchangeable.
Grant Letter Anonymous Example
Grant Letter DAF Grant with Donor Thank You
Grant Letter DAF with Conditions Example
Internal Grant Letters
Internal Grant Letters notify fund advisors of the receiving fund that a grant has been awarded from another fund.
Invoices
When your organization needs to collect a non-charitable payment from a customer, an invoice is created so it can be applied to the incoming payment. Invoice templates are required within CommunitySuite in order to use the invoice function.
Loan
Loan templates notify loan recipients of loan terms. These templates are not used for loan invoices, which use the normal system invoice template, and are processed individually from the loan record.
Opportunity Letters
Opportunity Letter templates generate letters to profiles that have an open opportunity.
Pledge/Promise Payments
Pledge/Promise Payment templates send reminders to donors about upcoming or overdue pledge payments.
Scholarship Award Letters
Scholarship Award Letters can be generated when a scholarship is created, which makes them useful for pre-communication to students before the grant check for the scholarship is posted.
Scholarship Letters
Scholarship Letters are generated when grant checks for scholarships are posted to notify students of their award. Scholarship Letter Advanced templates consolidate multiple awards on one check, while regular templates generate individual letters per scholarship. Scholarship Letter and Advanced Scholarship Letter templates have different merge fields and are not interchangeable.
Scholarship Letter - All Fields
Tax Receipts
A tax receipt will be generated for any donation, or payment with a donation amount, unless No Tax Receipt is selected on the donation.
Tax Receipt with Conditions Example
Tax Receipt - Gift Acknowledgement
Tax Receipt Advised & IRA Rollover Gift Acknowledgment
Transfer Requests
Transfer Request templates send notifications to investment advisors set on an account about transfer requests being made.
Tribute Letters
Tribute Letter in Honor templates send notifications to the Add Notify profile that is listed in the Notify section on a tribute record. The Notify Profile might be the honoree or a family member.
Tribute Letter in Memory templates send notifications to families about donations that have been made in memory of a person. The Notify Profile might be the honoree or a family member of the person being memorialized.
Tribute letters are separate from tax receipts sent to the donor that made the tribute gift. Each tribute letter type (honor or memory) uses a separate template with unique merge fields that cannot be interchanged.
Yearly Tax Receipts
Yearly Tax Receipt templates consolidate all donations from a single profile within a specified time frame into one receipt document. These are typically generated at calendar year end for annual donor tax documentation.