The multi-send function in Google mail provides the ability to perform a simple mail merge.
To use the multi-send feature in Google mail:
- Open a new email message
- Populate the To: line with addresses of Cedarville users. For example, this could be a list of addresses that have been copied from a spreadsheet column. Do not enter addresses into the CC or BC fields. Doing that will send a copy of each email to those addresses.
- Click on the multi-send button across the bottom of the window to enable the feature
- Type the @ sign inside the message portion to see what variables you can use within the message (firstname, lastname, fullname, email). For example, type Dear, then type the @ sign and the list will pop up. Click on firstname to select that variable. When the message is delivered, Gmail will insert the firstname of each user into that field.
- After you've completed the text of the email, click Continue. You'll have a chance to send a preview of the message to yourself. When you're ready, send the message to everyone. Gmail will send individual emails to each address and fill in the appropriate variables. Each recipient will only see their address as the recipient. They won't see the others.
You can find the Google documentation for this feature here.