Merge fields are placeholders that get replaced with each recipient's actual data when the email sends.

Syntax

{{contact_first_name}} — replaced with the contact's first name. Always wrapped in double curly braces.

Common variables

Custom field merge

Any custom field is available as {{custom_FIELD_NAME}}, e.g. {{custom_donor_segment}}.

Defaults

Provide a fallback for missing data: {{contact_first_name|Friend}} falls back to "Friend" if no first name is on file. Always do this for the salutation — nothing reads worse than "Hi ,".

Validating before send

Hit Preview in the campaign or template editor. Tormano flags any merge field that doesn't resolve for at least one recipient.