Using Email in Fundraising: Top things to consider

 

So my last blog looked at why email should be used in fundraising and how it can be a great tool if you use it in partnership with other traditional channels like the telephone.

After a new report by IOF and marketing analysis firm by FastMap has recently claimed that donors prefer to be contacted by email, what better time is there to use this great communications channel to engage and sustain your donors:-

Opt-In Strategy- If you have a high volume of online sign-ups who haven’t opted in for phone communications, develop an email marketing strategy to encourage supporters to opt-in for telecommunications. Personalise the email to them, any particular cause they previously donated to? the channel in which they did it by etc? Also ask them questions, find out what motivates them and tailor future communications accordingly

Retires – Have a high volume of retired data with email addresses? Target them with tailored communications via email and monitor who opens what and where they click. You could also send email communications mid-campaign if you find supporters are not answering the call, an email to explain you’re trying to reach them with your contact number so supporters know when that number calls again, it’s one to pick up

Deeply Lapsed – Have a large data set of people who took part in a charity event a few years back? Re-engage with them via email tailoring your message around that event creating a sense of nostalgia prior to calling, ask them questions via an email survey so supporters feel more connected to the cause

Say Thank You, Now – We all know thanking our donors is key but how quickly we do this could really improve long term relationships, send thank you emails to your database 24 hours after they have provided a gift over the phone. Include share URLS in your email so that supporter can shout about their commitment to the cause to their social following

Follow Ups- This is more of an obvious email communication to adopt but something which shouldn’t be missed. If you have a list of supporters who have recently upgraded/started a Direct Debit with you don’t forget to not only thank them but to also keep them updated on how their donations are being spent. Supporters will love to see the outcome of their hard work and if you personalise and tailor your message, you can increase retention and inspire supporters to do more.

Thanks,

Sarah

Account Pell & Bales

Supporter Retention: Why Email is your best friend

 

Recently,  Fundraising Online held their annual fundraising conference #FRO16.

The series covered many inspiring topics around fundraising and marketing for nonprofits and took place over two days. One of the webinars I listened to was the informative session (you can register and download it here) on email marketing by @charitychap, Matt Collins. During his talk, Matt urged charities to become more acquainted with email as it is one of the top online communication channels we do not utilise enough.

Now, my background is Online Marketing so no one has a hard time convincing me of the greatness of email.It’s an effective way to reach out to your audience and has the flexibility to ever evolve along with your communication plan.

You can segment to your heart’s content to create tailored content and test, test and test again to make sure everything is performing at its optimum, from subject lines to CTA’s. During his talk Matt highlighted the success Ecommerce retailers have experienced through email and how charities could (and should) follow suit.

Matt also made provided us with some handy recommendations such as concise messaging, personalisation, clear CTA’s and A/B testing -all of which have proven to improve email performance in other sectors.

How to incorporate Email Marketing into your Telemarketing Strategy

Scratch that, we shouldn’t be thinking of ways to incorporate email into telemarketing, we should be working towards one holistic strategy where email and the telephone go hand in hand. Supporters use multiple methods of communication offering up numerous touch points and opportunities for charities to re-engage, provide tailored communication and most importantly, improve retention. This is something to think about when planning any campaign.

Sarah 

Account Director, Pell & Bales