Tag Archives: marketing

In this post, we talk to Cait, a hospitality manager and athletic instructor, in New Orleans, LA, who donates $10 each month to WWNO, the New Orleans Public Radio station.

The Cause: WWNO, New Orleans Public Radio | See how public radio stations use Bloomerang to move their missions forward.

The Donation: $10/month

What inspired you to make a donation to WWNO?

WWNO has been a huge part of my life since I was a child. I’ve been listening to NPR* since I was a teenager, and it’s my constant news source as an adult. I am a firm supporter of public radio since it often provides local updates like emergency services or breaking news and connects us to international issues.

*Editor’s note: WWNO is an NPR member station

Were you familiar with WWNO before donating?

Very familiar.

Why did you donate $10/month? How did you decide on the amount you donated?

I wanted to donate monthly but never had the financial means to do so. During their last fundraiser, I decided there was no time like the present. The $10 monthly donation felt sustainable, even if there was a crisis and I was a little more strapped for money.

When you make a donation, what do you expect to happen next? Why?

Nothing.

How did WWNO acknowledge the donation? How did you feel about that acknowledgement?

For example, if the receipt confirmation email arrived immediately, you might have felt confident that you gave to an organization that operates efficiently.

I did receive an email immediately thanking me for my donation, but that was about it. It was automated for sure. I don’t really get any updates about the organization or how the money is being spent. I actually sit on the board for a nonprofit, and we make it a point to let people know where their donations are going so I do find that a little unusual. That said, it doesn’t take away from my love and passion for the organization itself. I will continue to donate and support them.

Do you intend to donate to WWNO again in the future?

Absolutely.

What would inspire you to make another donation to WWNO? What would inspire you to increase your donation amount?

I often donate to nonprofits for yahrzeits (the anniversary of a death). For example, I’ll be making a donation to the American Bird Conservatory in memory of my grandparents this year. If I find an organization that supports something I’m passionate about, I will make a donation. My husband and I often donate to Doctors Without Borders because they partner with a speedrunning community we are part of. We also try to find organizations that align with our Jewish values.

If I had the funds to do so, I would increase a donation amount or I would make another donation if the organization had a goal they were working towards. For example, I would make a separate donation if they needed $1,000 for new equipment.

Is there anything you’d like to add that would help WWNO better understand why you donated or that would make you feel more valued?

It takes a small amount of time to reach out and let your donors know, no matter how small their gifts, how much you appreciate them. I get examples of where my money is going by public radio still existing but for most nonprofits, showing what your donation goes to is really helpful. 

The post Why I Donated: Why I Give $10 Every Month To My Local Public Radio Station appeared first on Bloomerang.

This article originally appeared in Bloomerang. See the original article here.

I’m guessing you put a lot of effort into crafting your nonprofit’s email messages. You carefully consider the subject line and preview pane, email copy, images and design, and call to action. At least I hope you do!

And you can learn how to do this here, here, and here.

However, a quality email message, be it an appeal, thank you, gratitude report, or other call to action, isn’t the whole story. 

Standing alone, the best email in the world won’t accomplish much.  

• Won’t get your message across.
• Won’t improve your branding.
• Won’t persuade people to take your desired action.
• Won’t get shared with constituent networks. 
• Won’t move people along a continuum of connection with you – from awareness… to interest… to engagement… to investment.

Unless the email is paired with a very important action… people must open your email.

And guess what?

Despite what you may think, here’s the ugly truth. 

Mostly, people won’t open your email.

It’s not because it isn’t high quality.

It’s because most people are swamped with emails. 

Here are some vital statistics:

• Employed people receive an average of 126 emails/day to their business in-box. The average person has 1.75 email accounts. Many folks have a professional account, a personal account and an ‘extra’ account they use to sign up for stuff. So that’s 200, 300, 400 or more emails/day to wade through!  
• GenZ receive an average of 20 emails/day, though they may be no more likely to open your email and/or act on it (especially if it’s urgent) because they visit their inbox infrequently.
• The average nonprofit email open rate is 23%. So more than three-quarters of the folks on your list will never see your beautifully crafted, compelling message.
• 85% of all emails are spam.

Yes, you can increase the odds your email will be opened by crafting a super winning subject line and preview pane, but people are still busy. You’re not their priority.

So how can you increase the odds your message will be received?

Send email more often to better your odds.

This is pretty much common sense.

But we have a tendency to leave our common sense at the door when we cross the thresholds of our nonprofit offices. 

We fall prey to all sorts of myths and the calamity of opinion over knowledge. Does any of this sound familiar?

• Your boss says “People will be ticked off if we message them too much.
• Your marketing director says “We don’t want to risk people unsubscribing.”
• Your board member says “Let’s not bother people too much.”

What informs these opinions? Generally not much beyond what these folks feel personally, but I hope you know by now you are not your donors.

And, really, what does it matter if someone who doesn’t give to you unsubscribes? Sending email more often may lead to more unsubscribes, but that actually results in a cleaner, more targeted and engaged list. And it keeps you from wondering why you’re not raising more money from your 10,000 email list – which really should be whittled down to half that size.

REMINDER: It’s good practice to purge your list annually to remove folks who haven’t interacted with you in some time. You can choose the period, based on the size of your list and the number of times you email. If you email monthly or more, you can probably remove folks who haven’t opened anything for 12 – 18 months. Before you purge, email folks first, one or two last times, to ask if they’d like to remain on your list!

Your loyal supporters love to hear from you.

Truly, they do!

Provided the point of the email is not endless solicitation, but rather to:

• Show gratitude
• Offer something useful
• Report on impact they made possible

It makes people feel good when their affiliation with your cause and community, their personal values, and their sense of identity as a helpful human being are reinforced. This keeps the keeps the warm glow of giving going, making them more receptive to continuing to stay engaged with you. And when you do send a fundraising appeal, they’ll be receptive.

Keep priming the pump.

I often say “if you want gifts, give them.” To assure a steady flow of contributions, engage in a thoughtful cultivation strategy.

Need proof? The folks at NextAfter conducted a controlled experiment where they increased the number of emails sent to a client’s file. There were no additional solicitations, just feeding back and nurturing messages. The result? After six months they showed a 42% increase in online revenue from the group receiving the cultivation series.

More is more.

Practical advice: How often to message people?

Provided you’re offering up content that’s relevant, useful, hopeful, and inspiring, mail as often as you can afford to do so (taking into account both human and financial resources). I recommend:

• Quarterly appeal mailings (not including newsletters) is just about the minimum I’d recommend for any nonprofit if you want to stay top-of-mind.
• One or two emails monthly is certainly not out of bounds. As you expand services and need to raise more money, expanding the number of mailings you send makes a lot of sense.
• Layering on social media to reinforce the message in your mailing is generally a good idea. Have you ever heard the maxim that someone needs to see an ad seven times before it sticks? In our digitally revolutionized world, I’ve heard marketers say this number has increased to about 21 times!

Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what Erica Waasdorp of A Direct Solution has to say:

“I recommend at least four appeals per year with direct mail, at least one email per month, and then of course once you have email, you can do as much as you like on social media. For email, I like to see at least one email newsletter a month, and then one appeal a month; one story with a specific ask, but every organization is different. But you can do a lot more. I worked with an organization that mailed 15 times a year, and they make money every time.”

If you’re still getting resistance from your “powers that be,” gently lead them toward the truth of what is most effective in fundraising. Share articles like this one with them. They may still refuse to see it, but at least you’ll have fulfilled your responsibility.

The post Nonprofit Email Communication Truth: Quantity Is As Important As Quality appeared first on Bloomerang.

This article originally appeared in Bloomerang. See the original article here.

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