Mail Merging for Google Drive with autoCrat

I love Google Drive, but there are a few things that have still been quicker and easier for me to in Microsoft Office or iWork.  One of those things is a mail merge, which I can do in just a minute or two in Excel/Word.

A mail merge is used to pull data from a spreadsheet into a document, such as mailing labels, form letters, permission slips, or any template document that needs a unique piece of information on each one.

I used a Google Script called "autoCrat".  Here is more information about the script.

How it works:

1. Create a Google Spreadsheet with a column heading for each piece of information needed for the letter or other document.
2. Create a Google Document and use anchors wherever external information will be pulled from a spreadsheet.  
• Example:  Dear <<firstname>> <<lastname>>
• Note that anything contained in the <<>> tells the doc to go find information somewhere else and...
• Text within the <<>> must exactly match the column heading in the spreadsheet.
3. In the spreadsheet, click Tools-->Script Gallery and search for autoCrat.  Click the Install button. Now you will see an additional option added to your Spreadsheet
   
4. Click the autoCrat pull-down menu and select Run Initial Configuration. 
5. Follow prompts that walk through the script setup or use THIS step-by-step document as a guide.

This is very slick!  Give it a try or contact me if you want me to walk you through it.