Email Marketing to MaximizeOnline Giving Results

If you can’t say it in 140 characters, is it really worth saying?

“[Social networking sites and blogs have] overtaken personal Email to become the world’s fourth most popular online sector after search, portals and PC software applications.”

Global Faces and Networked Places Nielsen report, March 2009

You’ve got mail a friend request

“Email has had a good run as king of communications. But its reign is over.”

“Why Email No Longer Rules...”Jessica E. VascellaroWall Street Journal - Oct. 12, 2009

A rising tide lifts all postsThe number of worldwide email users will increase to almost 1.9 billion by 2013 compared with over 1.4 billion in 2009.

Email Statistics Report, 2009-2013The Radicati GroupMay 2009

Heavy social media users are also using email more.

NielsenWire“Is Social Media Impacting How Much We Email?”Sept. 28, 2009

While email use has been declining among college students for several years, this trend has reversed in 2009. The reason? Smartphones.

Mike Hanley, Director, Institute for Mobile Media Research

So is email having its last gasp?

The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. - Sincerely, Email

Email's ROI in 2009 was $43.52 for every dollar spent on it. Down from $45.06 in 2008 - DMA (2009, 2008)

Email drove an average of $0.14 in revenues per delivered message. - Epsilon "Q3 2008 Email Trends and Benchmark" (Jan 2009)

Email presently generates 21.6% of total revenue from campaigns. - Direct Marketing Association "The Integrated Marketing Media Mix" (2008)

The aggregate sum raised online by [113 universities responding, $58.5M raised] is equal to 1.4 percent of their total philanthropic support raised through all routes. - CASE survey (2009)

The Obama factor

Who herehasn’t heard...

“What can welearn from theObama campaign?”

The Obama factor

Who herehasn’t heard...

“What can welearn from theObama campaign?”

(Edelman Report: Social Pulpit)

What works or at UC Berkeley:e-newsletters14 E-Newsletters with some overlap:

Campus, Athletics (300K), Alumni Association, Schools

Berkeley Online:

95K alumni (21.23% open), 17K non-alum (22.94% open)

• top stories: budget cuts, extraordinary students,

YouTube links, athletics

• experimenting with localization

not a replacement for print

buried soft ask

What at UC Berkeley:e-newsletters

Buried soft ask:

What at UC Berkeley:e-newsletters

Buried soft ask:

What works or at UC Berkeley:email solicitations

• newsy, deadline-driven appeals

• end of year emails; tax benefit by 12/31

• reminders for regular donors

• class campaigns video/email

• track solicitation codes in online giving form

DM pitch, student/donor testimonials

expensive flash solicitations; flash for parents

flash with soft ask: great traffic, no gifts

What works or at UC Berkeley:email solicitationsCampaign # Mailed Response Gross Avg.

Class CampaignKick Off ’08(flash) April

21,167 .25% $5,545 $107

HomecomingPre-event ’09(email) Sept.

21,167 .24% $8,874 $171

Sophomore Reflects ’08(HTML) Sept.

110,599 .01% $1,950 $150

End of FY ’08(HTML) June

(End of Tax Y ’08)

77,098

(67,956)

.02%

(.12%)

$8,425

($40,585)

$496

($450)

What works at UC Berkeley:email solicitations

What at UC Berkeley:email solicitations

155,295 mailed, .01% response, $781 gross, $98 avg.

Elements of a successful email marketing campaign

• a solicitation policy • a plan (ideally, part of a larger marketing plan)• email addresses• segmentation and testing• delivery mechanism• a message that stands out and gets read• a call to action that translates into gifts• receipts, stewardship• measurable results

Frustrating elements of an email marketing campaign

Frustrating elements of an email marketing campaign

Elements:solicitation policy

• goals for sending email• limit on # of emails sent to alumni each month• how email will be used to solicit contributions• frequency/timing of emails across campus• tools available on campus• strategy for fixing bad/undeliverable email

Elements:solicitation policy, survey

Question 1: Does your campus have a formal

policy aimed at keeping departments from

deluging constituents with email?- No, it’s a free for all (20)- Yes, there’s a gatekeeper who reviews all (12)- Yes, gatekeeper for certain mass emails, such

as appeals (14)

Who is the gatekeeper for your outgoing emails?

How can you convince orgs to do away with

shadow databases?

Elements:solicitation policy, survey

Question 2: Does your campus have a formal policy that all campus mass emails must be sent through a single delivery mechanism (an email marketing engine, your online community, an outsourced vendor, etc.)

Analysis: Decentralization won 2 to 1

- Yes, we have a formal policy (15)- No, each department uses its own tool (29)- Advancement Services is not involved (6)

Elements:solicitation policy, surveyQuestion 3: Does your campus have a formal policy that, however mass emails are delivered, campus departments must keep email addresses (including opt-out requests) in sync with the Advancement database?

Voluntary compliance won by nearly 2 to 1.- Yes, we have a formal policy (14)- No, it's up to each department (27)- Advancement Services is not involved (7)

Who issues policy requiring compliance:- VP of Advancement- Advancement Services- External Affairs- Alumni Relations/Advancement- Advancement Services

Elements:an integrated marketing planConvio (CASE OS ’08)• World Wildlife Fund achieved a 40% better response rate via multi-channel campaign.

• University of Texas annual fund donors were sent an email

with Flash video before being solicited by phone; this approach improved the receptiveness to the telemarketing phone call and increased giving.

Rice • 1,600 young alumni donors• 45% new or lapsed• 9x more online donors than

direct mail; 3x more than telefund

email | microsite

Elements:email addresses

UC Berkeley has 430,714 Alumni; 150,809 email

addresses (35%)

Email Addresses by Class Year

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

Pre-1940

1940-49

1950-59

1960-69

1970-79

1980-89

1990-99

2000-09

Elements:email addresses

Strategies for securing emails

(Pursuant)

Elements:segmentation, testing, delivery

Elements:Message

• subject line

(use your org. name)• who is it from

(prof or recognizable alum)• timing

(T-Th; evening, FB-weekend)• who writes/edits/approves?• does the design work on multiple platforms?

(design for gmail, once you get it right, save

your template)• does message enhance or support other efforts?

Elements:Message

Fordham University esolicitationDonor acquisition piece that strives to make gifts feel personal and

connected to individual campaigns. Sent before launch of a

comprehensive campaign. (MainSpring)

Results:Open - 36%

View - 22%

Click - 1.3%

Elements:Message

UC Berkeley/Haas esolicitationInteractive messaging engages recipients (MainSpring)

13.1% estimated completion rate to giving buttons22.9% estimated completion rate to all of the buttons

Elements:call to action

• go straight to your giving form• divert no attention from your giving form• links vs. buttons (a small test)

Elements:receipts (Orbees)

Elements:stewardship

Connect without asking for anything - say Thanks!

(Pursuant)

Elements:measurable results

• open rate• click through rate• response rate

Tracking solicitation codes

UC Berkeley offers a solicitation code via a URL in

Give to Cal for an entire browser session

?sc=yoursolicationcode" at the end of any givetocal URL

https://givetocal.berkeley.edu/browse/?u=50&?sc=A125678

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