Merge tags are placeholders like /CreatorFirstName or /AwardAmount that Dapple fills with the right details when a message is sent. Type / in any message or template to pick one. Dapple has 19 merge tags in five groups: the applicant, you, your organisation, the date and time, and — new with Funding — award payments. Write one template and every applicant gets their own name, award amount and payment details.
Why use merge tags?
Personalisation at scale — greet every applicant by first name, not "Dear Applicant".
Efficiency — write a template once and reuse it across every project and round.
Accuracy — Dapple inserts the right value, so there are no typos or wrong amounts.
Consistency — your organisation name, logo and sign-off look the same whoever sends the message.
Which merge tags are available?
Applicant, sender, organisation, and date and time tags work in every message. Funding tags are covered in the next section.
Merge tag | What it inserts | Example |
/CreatorName | The applicant's full name | Priya Sharma |
/CreatorFirstName | The applicant's first name | Priya |
/CreatorLastName | The applicant's last name | Sharma |
/CreatorEmail | The applicant's email address | |
/MyName | Your full name (the person sending) | Sam Okafor |
/MyFirstName | Your first name | Sam |
/MyLastName | Your last name | Okafor |
/MyEmail | Your email address | |
/OrganisationName | Your organisation's name | Riverside Arts Trust |
/OrganisationLogo | Your organisation's logo | (logo image) |
/CurrentDate | Today's date | 10 October 2026 |
/CurrentTime | The current time | 14:32 |
/CurrentDateTime | Today's date and time together | 10 October 2026, 14:32 |
/SubmissionTitle | The title of the submission | The Road Untaken |
Applicant tags start with Creator because that's their name in the picker. They fill in the applicant's details.
The list grows over time. Type / in the message editor to see the latest set — anything in the dropdown is available.
Which merge tags can I use for awards and payments?
Funding adds six merge tags for messages to awardees — applicants who've been given an award. Use them to tell awardees what they've been awarded, when they'll be paid and when a payment has gone out.
Merge tag | What it inserts | Example |
/AwardAmount | The awardee's total award | £5,000 |
/NextPaymentAmount | The amount of their next scheduled payment | £2,500 |
/NextPaymentDate | The due date of their next scheduled payment | 1 December 2026 |
/PaymentAmount | The amount of the payment you're recording or reminding about | £2,500 |
/PaymentDueDate | The due date of that payment | 1 November 2026 |
/PaymentReference | The reference you entered when you marked the payment as paid | GRANT-0412 |
Funding tags only fill in for applicants who have an award. Use them in award and payment messages, not in general messages to everyone on a project.
When should I use each Funding merge tag?
Message | Tags to use | Example line |
Award confirmation | /AwardAmount | You've been awarded /AwardAmount. |
Payment schedule update | /NextPaymentAmount, /NextPaymentDate | Your next payment of /NextPaymentAmount is due on /NextPaymentDate. |
Payment reminder | /PaymentAmount, /PaymentDueDate | Your payment of /PaymentAmount is due on /PaymentDueDate. |
Payment sent | /PaymentAmount, /PaymentReference | We've sent /PaymentAmount with the reference /PaymentReference. |
When you mark a payment as paid, the Record as paid window suggests /PaymentAmount and /PaymentReference. Together they let the awardee match your message to their bank statement.
How do I greet an applicant by their first name?
Use /CreatorFirstName in your greeting. "Hi /CreatorFirstName," becomes "Hi Priya," when the message is sent. Pick the name tag that matches the tone:
Use this tag | When | Example |
/CreatorFirstName | Greetings, updates, reminders and most day-to-day messages | Hi Priya, thanks for applying. |
/CreatorName | Formal messages — award letters, certificates, anything printed or forwarded | This confirms that Priya Sharma has been awarded £5,000. |
/CreatorLastName | Formal greetings by surname | Dear Ms Sharma — add the title yourself. |
The same applies to your name: /MyFirstName for a friendly sign-off ("Best, Sam"), /MyName for a formal one ("Sam Okafor, Programme Manager").
How do I add a merge tag to a message?
Open the message editor — the Messages tab on a submission, or the bulk-message composer.
Place the cursor where you want the detail to appear.
Type / to open the list of merge tags.
Click the tag you want, such as CreatorFirstName or AwardAmount.
Send. Dapple replaces each tag with the right value for each recipient.
How do I add merge tags to a template?
Open Settings → Organisation Settings and choose the Message Templates tab.
Create a template or edit an existing one.
Add merge tags anywhere — subject line, greeting, body or sign-off.
Click Save.
A template with /CreatorFirstName in the greeting and /MyFirstName in the sign-off works for every applicant and every teammate who sends it. Build a "Payment sent" template with /PaymentAmount and /PaymentReference before your first payment run.
How do I use the SubmissionTitle merge tag?
The /SubmissionTitle merge tag adds the submission’s title to your message. Type / in the message editor and choose SubmissionTitle. The tag only works once you’ve switched on submission titles for the project. To do that, set one Short field on your submission form as the title field, or add a title manually from the Info panel on each submission. Until a submission has a title, the merge tag is left blank, so write sentences that still read properly without it. For example, “Your submission /SubmissionTitle has been shortlisted” becomes “Your submission has been shortlisted.” Titles aren’t added to submissions that came in before you set the title field, so set it up before your form goes live. For details, see How to give every submission a title.
How do the date and time tags work?
Date and time tags fill in when the message is sent — not when the template was written.
Merge tag | Use it for |
/CurrentDate | Dated letters and confirmations — "We received your application on /CurrentDate." |
/CurrentTime | Messages where the time of day matters on its own |
/CurrentDateTime | Full timestamps — receipts and confirmations |
For payment dates, use /NextPaymentDate or /PaymentDueDate instead. /CurrentDate is always the sending date.
Best practice
Use /CreatorFirstName in greetings. Keep /CreatorName for formal or printable messages.
Use a greeting, a sign-off and one or two details in the body. Don't put a tag on every line.
Send every template to yourself first to check each tag fills in correctly.
Test Funding templates on a submission that has an award, so the payment tags have values.
Pair /PaymentAmount with /PaymentReference in "Payment sent" messages so awardees can match the payment.
Set your organisation name and logo in Settings → Organisation before using /OrganisationName and /OrganisationLogo.