Four ways to spruce up your nonprofit fundraising newsletter

While the focus of much of what I’ve written about nonprofit fundraising recently has focused on online fundraising and social media I thought today would be a great opportunity to give applause to the power of the newsletter which remains an important fundraising tool for so many charities. An article I recently read provided a short list of newsletter tips which I thought would be worth expanding upon.

The beauty of newsletter communication for nonprofits is the potential engagement level with your audience. Whilst it’s no bad thing to have Facebook page followers and Twitter fans the reality is that a newsletter audience will on average be not only more likely to share their findings but also to make donations. Therefore of prime importance is keeping your emails and newsletter programs in tip top condition to maximize effectiveness. These tips won’t all apply to your organization but ideally you’ll find a few that are valuable.

The strongest nonprofit marketing strategies are on a continual quest to find the right balance when approaching donors/sharing useful information. As I’ve written so many times the ideal scenario is one where you’re not afraid to try brand new tools & approaches, be bold about refining what you currently do and also to take the time to have usable metrics to see how each effort is performing and ideally compiling data/feedback from your audience.

The perfect blend of fundraising strategies will most likely always employ newsletters/e-newsletters within your overall approach. In fact most polls suggest that somewhere between 75 and 85 percent of nonprofits regularly send newsletters, which reiterates that despite all the very positive changes we continue to see with other tools and technology the trusty newsletter remains an important part of charity fundraising strategies.

PLANNING

Find a schedule that works for your organization and audience based upon your content and stick to it at all times.

Everyone is very busy these days but that includes your audience. If your newsletter distribution is erratic and uneven it becomes less likely to be read or acted upon. If your audience perceive your newsletter to be inconsistent or only sent when support is needed it loses impact. Plan the newsletter at least 30 days in advance and maintain a framework that you can work to each and every time. If you think your newsletter is too lengthy change the frequency of distribution and let the calendar be your friend by using fundraising events and cycles to drive the dates where you circulate information.

FOCUSED CONTENT

Use your newsletters to really get to the heart of what your nonprofit is both accomplishing and planning. 

Your newsletter should be connecting with an entirely different audience your normal online/offline communications. In short your subscribers are already vested with your organization and as such want to learn the deep and true stories about your charity. Inside information and personal stories are perfectly suitable as are richer studies about the difference the organization has made by using examples such as case studies. Engaged supporters stay engaged by knowing more about the work that you are doing. Don’t always wait for newsletters to share genuine updates, if something very special happens that can’t wait be sure to consider a free-standing email to you supporters.

THAT PERSONAL TOUCH

Never forget these are your supporters – and your friends with a common concern.

When a supporter receives correspondence from a nonprofit that they’ve chosen to follow there is already a relationship that has been formed and hopefully with that a bond of trust. As a result it’s important that what you write and share has a personal and friendly feel almost as if you are writing to a well established friend or relative. You’ve already begun the journey of sharing this important aspect of unity so avoid writing content that is cold or dry. Writing in a  tone that shares the success and is inclusive (look at what ‘we’ have achieved’) will resonate much longer. Consider that bond, if a supporter has backed the organization for years or decades then a conversational tone is not only deserved but it’s normal.

SIMPLICITY WINS

Assess the purpose of everything you write and structure your content directly towards that. 

The worst kind of writing is often guilty of trying to achieve far too much, we’ve all done it from time to time. The fear of forgetting something takes precedence over creating content that’s really palatable and beneficial with the end result being too much information that causes the reader to lose interest. This applies just as much to the newsletter as anywhere else. Focused information that is concise and clear will motivate the reader, a summary and conclusion will win readers and a personal message within the facts and updates is a winning approach. Photographs and graphics can convey information more succinctly than paragraph after paragraph at times, so use this option to provide flavour and personality to what you write. Even your subject line needs a simple focus – speak to your goals in the subject line – not just a simple ‘October Fundraising Results and Goals’ headline.

Thorough consideration of these ideas can help you bring your newsletter to the next level and make it more effective, even if your newsletter has a winning formula consider some of these steps if you haven’t refined your approach at all in a year or more. If you have other tips or comments please be sure to add them below.

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including PCI compliant inbound telephone fundraising, outbound telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery fundraising services, donation processing and receipting and direct mail fundraising services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all our business decisions  and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.