“Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Ruiz” lands on a renewal letter, and Dr. Priya Shah, who never took her husband’s name, notices. So does everyone she mentions it to. Addressee formatting for couples is a small detail that donors and members read as a signal of whether you actually know them.
The short version: Altru handles this through name formats, and a shared-surname format will produce the wrong result for couples with two last names. As far as we know, Altru does not pick a format for you based on whether the surnames match, so you need a second format and a reliable way to apply it. The rest of this covers setting up the formats, finding the records that need them, and keeping new records right.
How Altru builds an addressee
An addressee or salutation in Altru is not typed freehand on each record (although it can be). It is usually generated from a name format: a pattern made of name parts such as title, first name, last name, and the spouse’s corresponding fields. When a constituent has a spouse relationship, the format can pull from both people.
That is the source of the problem. A format built for traditional couples typically uses one last name for both people. Apply it to a couple with different surnames and one person’s name quietly disappears. Altru is doing exactly what the format says.
Name format options are configured by an administrator, and each constituent record can carry its own addressee and salutation selections. Exact screen names vary by version, so if you have not worked with them before, look in your Altru administration area for name format settings, and test any change on a sandbox or a single test record first.
Build formats for both cases
Before you touch any records, decide what “correct” looks like for your organization. A typical set:
- Same last name, formal: Mr. and Mrs. David Okafor, or Mr. and Mrs. Okafor
- Same last name, informal: David and Amara Okafor
- Different last names, formal: Dr. Priya Shah and Mr. Daniel Ruiz
- Different last names, informal: Priya Shah and Daniel Ruiz
- Salutation (either case): Dear Priya and Daniel
The key is that the different-surname formats spell out each person’s full name rather than sharing a last name. Many organizations also drop “Mr. and Mrs.” entirely and use the informal full-name version for everyone, which works for same-surname couples, different-surname couples, and same-sex couples without any special handling. If your board or major gifts team prefers formal titles for certain donors, keep the formal formats for those records only.
Also decide whose name goes first. Some organizations list the primary constituent first; others alphabetize or follow the couple’s stated preference. Whatever you choose, write it down so staff entering records by hand produce the same thing the formats do.
Apply the right format to the right couples
We are not aware of a setting that detects mismatched surnames and switches formats automatically. If you think your version has one, test it on a sandbox or confirm with Blackbaud support before relying on it. Otherwise, find those couples yourself.
- Query for spouse pairs. Build a constituent query that returns each constituent’s last name alongside their spouse’s last name, plus the current primary addressee and salutation.
- Filter for mismatches. Export the results and flag rows where the two last names differ. Watch for near-misses: hyphenated names, compound surnames, and records where one spouse’s last name field holds the other’s name by mistake.
- Review before you change. Some differences are data errors, not real differences. Fix the name first, then the format.
- Update the formats. Change the addressee and salutation on the flagged records, in small batches if you have many. Note on the record why it was changed.
- Spot-check output. Run a mailing list or acknowledgment preview against a handful of updated records and read the names out loud. Errors are obvious when you see them in letter form.
Keep it from drifting back
The cleanup is the easy part. The hard part is new records. Couples get added at the membership desk, through online forms, and through gift entry, and each path can apply the default format.
- Make the default inclusive. If your default addressee uses both full names, a couple with different surnames comes out right even when no one thinks about it. A same-surname couple just reads slightly less formal.
- Train the people who add spouses. One line in your data entry guide: “If the last names differ, choose the full-name format.” Put it where membership and development staff will see it.
- Save the audit query. Rerun the mismatch query monthly or before any big mailing. It takes minutes and catches whatever slipped through.
- Handle name changes. When someone updates a last name after marriage or divorce, the addressee does not always follow. Include “check the addressee” in your name-change procedure.
Quick answers
Can I just type the addressee by hand?
Yes, and for unusual cases that is often the right call. The downside is that a hand-typed addressee will not update if a name changes later, so keep those to a minimum and note them on the record.
What about households versus spouses?
Household naming and individual addressees can be separate settings. If you mail at the household level, check that the household name follows the same rules, or you may fix the individual records and still send “The Ruiz Household” to a couple named Shah and Ruiz.
Do these formats affect email?
Only if your email tool pulls the addressee or salutation field from Altru. If it uses first name alone, couples are handled however your email template handles them, so check that separately.
