A donor named Margaret gives $500, lists her husband as her spouse, and gets a thank-you letter addressed to “Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hale.” She was the one who gave. That letter will probably get a polite phone call, and depending on the donor, a less polite one.
Altru doesn’t decide who should come first in a joint name based on who made the gift. It uses whatever addressee and salutation formats are set as defaults, applied to whichever person is the primary constituent. So fixing this is mostly about choosing better defaults and cleaning up the records that already have the wrong ones.
Why the wrong name ends up on the envelope
Addressees and salutations in Altru are built from name format templates. A template is a pattern like “Mr. and Mrs. [Spouse first] [Spouse last]” or “[First] and [Spouse first] [Last].” When a constituent is added, or a spouse relationship is created, Altru assigns the default formats your organization has configured.
The trouble comes from three things:
- The default is one-size-fits-all. As far as we know, Altru doesn’t pick a different joint format based on the gender or title of the primary constituent. If your default joint format was designed around a husband as the primary, every record with a wife as the primary inherits a pattern that doesn’t fit.
- Traditional formats lean on the husband’s name. “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith” only works one way. Apply it to a record where Jane is primary and you get either Jane’s name in the wrong slot or her husband’s name standing in for both.
- Defaults are applied when the record or relationship is created. Changing the default later generally won’t rewrite formats already saved on existing constituents. Test this in your own database before assuming either way.
Pick a default that works for anyone as primary
The easiest fix is to stop using a joint format that depends on who’s primary. A few patterns read well no matter who is listed first:
- Addressee: “Jane and John Smith” (primary first name, spouse first name, shared last name). For couples with different last names, “Jane Smith and John Lee.”
- Formal addressee: “Ms. Jane Smith and Mr. John Smith.” It’s longer, but it names both people and puts the primary first.
- Salutation: “Dear Jane and John.” Informal salutations avoid title problems completely, and most acknowledgment letters already read that way.
Before you change anything, check that the template you want exists in your name format configuration. If it doesn’t, an administrator with configuration rights can usually add a new format. If you can’t find where that lives in your version, Blackbaud support can tell you, and it’s worth asking whether there’s a way to set different defaults for different situations. We’re not aware of a gender-based default, but your support contact can confirm.
Decide who should be primary
Format choice only gets you partway. If the person who actually engages with you (gives, renews, volunteers, attends) is entered as the spouse instead of the primary constituent, even a neutral format puts her second. Agree on a rule for the gift entry team, such as “the person whose name is on the payment or the membership form is the primary.” Then add it to whatever cheat sheet your data entry and front desk staff use.
Cleaning up existing records
New defaults handle new records. For the existing ones:
- Find the affected records. Build a constituent query that returns individuals with a spouse, along with their primary addressee and salutation. Filter for formats containing the husband-first pattern, or for records where the primary constituent’s title is Mrs., Ms., Dr., or similar and the joint addressee starts with “Mr. and Mrs.”
- Look at the list before changing anything. Some donors really do prefer “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith,” and those preferences are sometimes recorded on purpose. If your team keeps notes on name preferences, exclude those records.
- Update in the most efficient way your setup allows. For a few dozen records, editing each constituent’s name formats is fine. For hundreds, ask Blackbaud support whether a global change or import can update name formats in your environment, and try it on a small batch first.
- Check the downstream outputs. Run a sample acknowledgment, a membership renewal mailing, and an export to whatever your mail house uses. Make sure the corrected format is the one each output actually pulls. Some letters or exports may point to a specific format type instead of the primary addressee.
Things that commonly trip people up
- Households vs. individuals. A household record can have its own name, separate from the individual’s addressee. If mailings go to households, check that the household name is right too.
- Titles left blank. A formal format with a missing title produces gaps like ” and Mr. John Smith.” Informal formats avoid this.
- Deceased or former spouses. When a spouse relationship ends, confirm that the joint formats were updated. Otherwise a widow may keep getting mail addressed to both of them, and that hurts more than a mixed-up title.
- Letters with hard-coded names. If a letter template builds the salutation itself instead of using the constituent’s salutation, fixing the record won’t change the letter. Check the template.
Quick answers
Can Altru automatically use a different joint format when the primary is a woman?
Not that we’re aware of. Using one neutral default that works for either spouse is more reliable than counting on conditional logic. Confirm with Blackbaud support if this matters for your setup.
Will changing the default fix my existing records?
Usually not. Defaults apply when formats are assigned. Plan on a query-driven cleanup for records that already exist.
What’s the safest salutation?
First names: “Dear Jane and John.” It avoids titles, works for any couple, and matches the tone most acknowledgment letters already use.
