Google Docs Mail Merge using Autocrat

(This article is currently incorrect and needs an update.). See the article on Email Mail Merge using YAMM for an alternative.

An Email Mail Merge will let you create a Google Sheet with source information and a Google Docs with Mail Merge Fields to create personalized Google Docs for forms or letters.

Before You Start

In order to set up your account for Mail Merges, you will need to install a plugin for Google Sheets that will allow us to do a Email Mail Merge.  This plugin is called Autocrat.  Here is a link to it: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/autocrat/ppgnklghfnlijoafjjkpoakpjjpdkgdj?hl=en-US.  This plugin is free.

Create your Template Google Doc

Go to your Google Docs and create a new Google Doc to use as your template for Mail Merge.  For your Mail Merge fields, put in <<Field>>, where "Field" will match your Mail Merge Record table.  When you are creating the template, you can close out of it.  See the example.

Create Your Mail Merge Record Table

Create a new (or use an existing) Google Sheet for your Mail Merge records.  You must have a column for each of the fields you used in your Draft Email, and you must have a column titled "Email Address" which is used by the Mail Merge to know where to send the email.  If there is no column named "Email Address", it will ask you which column has the email and it will rename that column to "Email Address".

Start the Mail Merge

1. In your Google Sheet, go to Add-ons -> Yet Another Mail Merge -> Start Mail Merge.  It will take a few seconds for the Add-on to launch.

2. When it asks you to buy more quota, just click Skip.

   1. In the Draft drop down box, select your draft email for the Mail Merge.  For Sender name and Send from, enter your own name and email address.

   2. Click Send me a test email to make sure everything looks right.  You will receive a test email about how the email will look with all of the fields populated.

   3. Once you have verified that everything looks right, click Send Emails to complete the Mail Merge.

   4. Once the emails have been sent, you will get a popup message letting you know how many emails were sent successfully.

   5. A new column will get added to the Google Sheet called "Merge status".  It will mark off which emails were (or were not) sent successfully.