Form Letters - FS Guide

• In Fireside, form letters are the starting point for all individual responses sent to constituents. All outbound messages require a form letter assignment, and in most cases, the form letter you draft and approve will be the final version you send. 

• To create a new form letter, navigate to Mailroom > Form Letters and click the “+” in the top-right corner.

  • Choose a template, and then click “Create.”

  • Give the form letter a name by clicking where it reads in italics “Form Letter Template.”

    • You will find this form by name in the future, so be as clear as possible, and provide enough info to differentiate it from similar form letters. 

    • Many offices have naming schemes like "117 - Broad Issue - Specific Issue/Bill – Pro” (Ex. 117 - EDU - HR 45 - Con).

  • Adding content to a form letter is as simple as clicking into the text on the left side of your screen and starting to type.

    • Edit: The “Edit” tab is where you edit the text of the form letter.

    • Print Preview: The “Print” tab allows you to get a preview of what the text will look like before it’s printed.

    • Send Test: The “Send Test” tab allows you to enter email addresses to get a preview of what your form letter will look like to a recipient. 

    • Print Test: The “Print Test” tab allows you to print a copy of the form letter to preview it.

  • Settings governing who is assigned the form letter, any issue codes associated with it, etc. can be found under the “Properties” tab.

  • Individual outbound messages have a similar setup to the form letter layout and give you the ability to customize individual messages to constituents

    • We generally recommend writing broader form letters that have the basic text needed to effectively address a constituent’s concerns, and then, if you wish to customize to cater to a specific inbound message, you can do so by opening up the individual message and editing there. This will keep your form letter library tidy and devoid of any custom messages you won’t use for any other constituent.