How To Create A Newsletter That Donors Read and Respond To
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Sponsored by: A Service Of: How To Create A Newsletter That Donors Read and Respond To Sandy Rees February 20, 2013
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Are you spending precious time putting a newsletter together only to be disappointed by dismal results? Join us for this info-packed webinar to learn how to create a newsletter that communicates, educates, and raises money. You’ll learn how to plan content, what to include, and what to leave out. We’ll also talk about how to decide if your newsletter should be digital or print.
Transcript of How To Create A Newsletter That Donors Read and Respond To
Sponsored by: A Service
Of:
How To Create A Newsletter That Donors Read and Respond To
Sandy Rees
February 20, 2013
Sponsored by: A Service
Of:
Advising nonprofits in:
• Strategy
• Planning
• Organizational Development
www.synthesispartnership.com
(617) 969-1881
INTEGRATED PLANNING
Sponsored by: A Service
Of:
Affordable collaborative data
management in the cloud.
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Today’s Speaker
Sandy Rees Fundraising Coach
GetFullyFunded
Assisting with chat questions: Jamie Maloney, Nonprofit Webinars
Hosting:
Sam Frank, Synthesis Partnership
Sandy Rees, CFRE Fundraising Coach
www.GetFullyFunded.com
1. Fundraising is based on relationships.
2. Fundraising MUST be donor-based.
3. Effective donor communication is essential.
People read it
And respond to it
1. Decide what you want your newsletter to be.
2. Plan it.
3. Write it.
4. Send it.
5. Measure the results.
You can spend a lot of time on them.
They may not get read.
They might get trashed or deleted.
When done well, they create revenue and build relationships!
What is your newsletter’s purpose? ◦ Educational?
◦ Fundraising?
◦ Something else?
What call-to-action will your newsletter have?
Set priorities
Shift from being reactive to proactive
Achieve your goals
Reduce your stress
Be successful!
How often will you create and distribute your newsletter? ◦ Once a year?
◦ Twice a year?
◦ Quarterly?
◦ Monthly?
◦ Something else?
Will your newsletter be print or digital?
Who will you send it to? ◦ Entire mailing list?
◦ Donors?
Will you create and produce it in-house or outsource?
Grants Special Events Individual donors
(monthly giving,
direct mail, lapsed
donors, etc.)
Major gifts Marketing
(public
speaking,
media,
advertising,
etc.)
Communications
(newsletter, website,
annual report, etc.)
Other (vacations,
training, etc.)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
What are your goals for your newsletter?
Without a goal, we’d just run up and down the field all day and never score.
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely
Sign up 10 new volunteers for our program.
Raise $25,000 for operations.
Have 25 people visit our website this month.
Double the number of monthly givers.
Decide on the number of pages
Choose who will do the layout
Create a budget and a production schedule
Trim costs – talk to your printer for discounts
Don’t create a PDF file of your print newsletter and send it out!
How will you manage email addresses?
Will you send the whole newsletter in the email text, as an attachment, or link to it online?
Who will create and send the newsletter?
Once you know your schedule, plan out a year’s worth of content.
Keep it focused on the donor!
What does my donor want to read?
What is she interested in?
What does she care about?
Keep your mind focused on what is interesting to the reader - NOT what YOU think is interesting.
Story about one client or one family Client- or donor-focused articles Your organizational info: ◦ Mission Statement ◦ Board list ◦ Staff list ◦ Address ◦ Phone number ◦ Web site url
Acknowledgement/Words of thanks Wish list
Long letter from the Executive Director
Long letter from the Board Chair
Stories welcoming new staff members
New Board member bio
Industry awards you’ve won that no one will understand
Anything lengthy, boring, and full of jargon!
Up front!
Focus on 1 person or 1 family
Tell the “before” and “after”
Include 1 or 2 good photos
Close enough to connect with the person’s eyes
Focused on 1 person or 1 family
Tells 1 main thing with a few interesting details
“Before” and “after”
Your organization is a supporting character
Get to the “nut” right away, then flesh out the details of the story
“Thanks to you…” ◦ Media
◦ Businesses
◦ Churches
◦ Civic groups
◦ Scout troops
Public acknowledgement
Plants seeds
Include if you have space
Offers a unique way to give
Plants seeds
Great tool for giving people ideas
Include anything and everything!
Include a range of items from low cost to high
Include a dozen or so items
Include volunteers
Include name and contact info of the person to call to fill a wish
“Remember us in your will”
Encourage readers to visit your website.
“To read more about the Jones family or to hear their story in their own words, visit www…..”
Recruit a volunteer
Find an intern
Get pro-bono help
Recycle articles from old newsletters
Use articles from other organizations (with permission)
Use bits from brochures, your website, your annual report, grant proposals, etc.
Plan out a year’s worth of content
Create a production schedule
Grab stories when they come in
Keep a running list of ideas for content and filler
Newsletter in email?
Newsletter on website?
Newsletter as attachment?
Text only vs html
Name of your organization
Date
Organization Contact information
Subscribe link
Unsubscribe link
Keep the paragraphs short!
Sans serif font
Large enough font
Be careful of colors
Minimize scrolling
Minimize clicks
Send them a copy of your print newsletter
Unfolded
With a personal note
First class postage
Hand-addressed
Use a mail service like Constant Contact
Send a text and html version
Test for the best day
Use a “hooky” subject line
Publish consistently
Personalize it!
Don’t spam
How did you do?
Was it successful?
Should you do it again?
Keep your list clean!
Always be adding to your list
Use a donor-tracking software
Code the reply envelopes
Measure the % response ◦ (Total number gifts received / total number mailed) x
100 ◦ (10 gifts received/100 mailed) x 100 = 10% response
Measure the average gift size ◦ Total dollars received/number of gifts received ◦ $100 received/10 gifts = $10 average gift size
Actual results vs budget results
Mail service analytics
Measure Open Rate: How many newsletter emails were opened?
Which links were most clicked?
How many people clicked through to donate?
How many gifts were given?
Average gift size?
Sandy Rees, CFRE
www.GetFullyFunded.com
Sponsored by: A Service
Of:
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