APPS:
Ryan @ Stonegate Management
Overview
✔️ No staff time used to send birthday cards
✔️ More cost-effective than buying supplies and doing this manually
Sending birthday cards from my business is easy because I don’t have to check the list every day or every week, figure out when to send them, write in each of them, order cards and envelopes and postage, pack them, put them in the mail, and worry about weekends and holidays and where they fall or if they were done.
I also don’t have to take up staff time to do it and I can change the design of the card any time. It works on weekends, holidays, and vacation days, and we all hated having to keep track of it. It is also cost-effective because I don’t have to buy any of the supplies, store them, or take the time to do it.
How it works
Every day the workflow triggers.
The date is formatted to match the spreadsheet format.
The workflow searches the mail date column (a formula for when to send the card based on days before the birthday date).
It loops through each record found.
Each record is sent to a print partner with fillable fields for the card and envelope.
The record is added to another sheet to mark that it was sent.
An email confirmation is sent to me so I can see whose birthdays are coming up.
💡 Tips and tricks
Spreadsheet dates: Make sure they are in a matching format so the search step finds the date match and pulls the row.
Looping: Ensure it triggers for all records found on that day.
Optional steps: The last two steps in the loop aren’t mandatory, but I include them to keep tabs on what is being sent and to make sure nothing is missed.
Internal test birthdays: I added 2–3 internal birthdays spread through the year so I can confirm cards are printed, sent, and received on time.
Error handling: Zapier sends an error email if something goes wrong. The print partner verifies addresses before sending—once I had an incorrect city, but Zapier flagged it, I fixed it, replayed the step, and the card still went out.
