Task Types

re: Task Types

rynetyme — Mon, 12 May 2014 20:27:23 GMT

That's perfect!! Thank you so much for the detailed response. God bless you and this ministry tool!

re: Task Types

Bob Mac Leod — Mon, 12 May 2014 20:22:10 GMT

rynetyme--

Good news! There is already a task type for exactly the situation you describe. A PRE-CALL LETTER is the task type for the letter you send in advance of your initial contact with a person. A SUPPORT LETTER is what is used when you are asking an existing ministry partner to give a gift of some kind (typically a special gift, and associated with a "Special Gift Appeal". A "LETTER" is any other personal communication, which typically means hand-written. This could be a 'letter', but it could also be a "Thinking of You" note card, a Sympathy card, etc.

This may be more than you asked for, but here's some more expansion on this topic...

If the 'letter' is *intended* as a Thank You, then typically the THANK task type would be used. As I see it, function always trumps form, so I use "Thank" task type for a Thank, regardless of how I completed the thank (letter, card, call, email). BUT, if the primary function is a different task type, then I choose that type and just mark it as a Thank in the Details tab. For example, if I personally visit a partner to thank him for a gift, then I record it as an APPOINTMENT, with the Thank box checked. Or if I send them a gift as a token of my appreciation for their part in my ministry, I record it as a PRESENT, with the Thank box checked. The gift was an *expression* of thanks, but the primary purpose was to send a Present. (Note the word "present" instead of a "gift"; this helps differentiate between a *gift* that a donor gives vs. a *present* implying a tangible object given to/from me.)

re: Task Types

rynetyme — Mon, 12 May 2014 20:05:19 GMT

Just curious would you consider the initial contact you make through a letter that details your ministry, what you are doing, and informs the potential you will be calling to set-up an appointment to talk about support and vision a "letter" or a "support letter" under the tasks? You mentioned "letter" was for more personal use, but that "support letter" was for someone who was already on your team. Thanks for the help.

re: Task Types

Bob Mac Leod — Sat, 01 May 2010 01:25:00 GMT

A new edition of TntMPD Help was posted today, with the task types updated as you suggested. There is also a topic specifically on "Mass Mailings" and the Newsletter task type.

re: Task Types

John Fleming — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:43:18 GMT

Troy and Friends: this page needs to be updated to show the latest version's list of tasks, including the new NEWSLETTER option, which I am grateful was added since "Letter" was somewhat ambiguous and the other task types didn't really seem to match up to a true newsletter mailing.