nonprofit newsletters new

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.

Nonprofit Newsletters That Engage

How to use email newsletters to raise awareness, strengthen

your relationships and help achieve your mission.

Agenda

The Key to An Engaging Newsletter

Why an Online Newsletter is Essential

The Right Content and Frequency

Design Tips That Drive Response

Getting Into The Email Inbox and Opened

Understanding and Using Email Reports

(Bonus Content: Getting Supporters Signed Up)

Reallyquick and easy;

highly impactful.


The Key to Engaging Newsletters

■ Not to get immediate action

■ Information focused rather than to just get action

■ Demonstrates the impact your organization is making

■ Keeps your organization in your supporters mind

Do You Have the Right Mindset?

Newsletters build relationships, retention and

loyalty.

Members will provide support when they are

ready.

3Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.

Informative newsletter to

potential supporters

Gets and keeps them opening

Understands and connects to your

cause

Initiates action

(donation/advocacy)

The Importance of an Engaging Newsletter

59% of people need to hear something about a specific organization 3 - 5 times to believe that information is likely to be true. – Edelman Trustbarometer 2011

Initial Action Doesn’t Get You The Biggest Payoff

New supporters cost 10 times more than keeping existing ones

It’s 5 times easier to win back a lost supporter than to find a new one

Loyal supporters generate referrals!

It takes an average of 7 touches before an action occurs.

An engaging newsletter is even more important for current supporters.

Gets New Supporters


The Importance of an Engaging Newsletter

Supporters want information In 2010 42% of nonprofits had donors ask to be updated on how their

contributions were spent. A significant increase from 32% in 2008. – 2010

State of the Nonprofit Industry Survey

Information helps supporters feel connected The #1 reason existing donors stopped giving to a particular charity is

that they no longer felt connected to the organization (57.7%). – 2008 Bank of

America Survey

Information lets supporters see that their donation is making an impact

Just less than 20% of donors believe that their donations make a major impact on the organizations they support. – 2008 Bank of America Survey

Informative newsletter to

existing supporters

Keeps them connected

Deepens their interest

Repeat action

(donation/advocacy)

Word of mouth -referrals!

Keeps The Supporters You Have


Nonprofit Newsletter Success Story

Center for Adoption and Education (C.A.S.E.)Constant Contact member since 2005List size: 5,588Open rate: 26.74%Website: http://www.adoptionsupport.org

Benefits of Informative content: Makes this organization a trusted source for

information

The referrals generated have been invaluable to their mission

“Our informational newsletter has become a trustworthy communication that our readers love to share – across the country.”

“As a result, we do get a range of referrals –from individuals who want and need our adoption-sensitive books to professional organizations who otherwise would not have known about the professional and community programs we offer.”

- Michelle Lovejoy, Director of Community Education


http://www.adoptionsupport.org/

Online, Paper or Both?

It’s Cost-effective: Direct Mail costs 20 TIMES as much as email

Email ROI: $43.62 returned for every $1 spent Source: Direct Marketing Association 2009

Email is a powerful compliment to direct mail

Allows for more regular communication

Keeps supporters more informed and engaged

Allows for personalized/segmented messages

Trackability provides new insights

Reaches new people and raises awareness

Many of your supporters prefer and use email: 91% of Internet users between 18 and 64 send or read email. Source: Email

Stat Center

Email usage up 22% among 55-64 years old and up 28% among 65 and older. Source: The 2010 U.S. Digital Year in Review by comScore

Communications technology preferences continue to shift among donors of all ages with 69% now preferring electronic over print communication. There is more interest in receiving information electronically, particularly among donors 65 to 74. Source: Cygnus Donor Survey 2011

E-newsletters are the most important communication tool for nonprofits in 2011,

followed by website, direct mail, in-person events, Facebook, and

media relations/PR.

Source: 2011 Nonprofit Marketing Guide


Engaging Newsletter Content

Have Relevant Content By Segmenting

What different groups of supporters do you communicate with?DonorsVolunteersBoard MembersEvent attendees

“80% of recipients Stop Reading emails they have

signed up for because they deem them Irrelevant.”

– Study by the Ad Agency Quris

Capture supporter information needed to segment your list and be relevant.

Use your sign up forms to let them identify themselves

Use surveys to know their interests and passions

What are their interests/preferences?Email/direct mail/social mediaFrequency preferenceEventsVolunteer opportunitiesCertain programsActivism



Post list options that will tell you which group sign-ups fit in.

Just exploring your work, a volunteer, a donor, board member etc.

Lists/Segments

Use Your Newsletter Sign-up

Form to Segment


Provide existing subscribers an email with a link to your sign-up form.

Don’t have a sign up box/form?

Use Constant Contact’s free customizable sign up box

and form:

Keep It Simple

Collecting email address, name and main interest will let you start sending engaging communications.

About 1/3 of nonprofits made it hard to subscribe.

– Return Path Nonprofit Study: Telling Stories, Building Relationships 2009

http://constantcontact.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/constantcontact.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1641

Once they click “submit” they are

automatically added into the list(s)

they selected.






Send within 24 hours of sign up to make an immediate connection There may be a delay in getting your next newsletter

Automatically sent out if using Constant Contact sign up form

You’ve been successfully subscribed to our informative

newsletter. Once a month we will keep you in the know of

environmental updates and opportunities for action.

Want to get updates even more specific to your

interests? Take a couple minutes to let us know your

interests and passions.

Use a Welcome Email to Learn More

Tips: Send the same survey to the people already on

your list to segment them. Good starting point - survey template: “Nonprofit

Pack – Donor/Volunteer Interests”

62% of nonprofits organizations started the relationships with subscribers off right by sending a welcome message.

90% sent them within 24 hours. Source: Return Path Study: Telling Stories, Building Relationships 2009

Include a link to a simple survey to know supporters’ interests and passions and quickly segment them



Using the Results of Your Simple Subscriber Survey

Ask questions that will help you segment:

Which ways would you like the organization to communicate with you?

What frequency do you prefer?

Which programs are you most interested in?

Which types of information would you like to receive from our organization?

Responses are tallied for you with online surveys

Save people with similar interests as a separate list

Tip: You can easily filter on multiple responses to create more defined lists, for example:

One List = Those interested in Email channel, Program A, and Stories11Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.


Target Content to Your Segments

Create lists/groups with similar interests Supporters can add themselves through

your sign up form

You can add people from your survey

results

Send a newsletter to different groups based on their interests

Tips to keep it simple:

Create your general newsletter

Use the copy feature

Add in a block or two that is unique for each group or just re-prioritize the content

Re-creates your newsletter exactly and the copy is completely editable.

Duplicates are managed for you


Engaging Newsletter Content: Customer Spotlight

Camp Ronald McDonald for Good TimesOpen Rate: 38.6%Website: campronaldmcdonald.org

■ Segmenting■ Segments their contacts into groups:

volunteer, donor, and supporter lists.

■ Tracking engagement■ Use reporting to see who the first person is to

open an email

■ Saving money and time■ Camp constituents love the nonprofits cost

savings on printing and staffing

■ Keeping supporters engaged

“We have 600 volunteers in our database, but they’re not all active. It’s a great way to keep

the information flowing out there.”

David Garry, Volunteer Coordinator


Sending Newsletters That Engage

Getting the Frequency Right

How Often To Send

■ Your goal is to keep supporters engaged

■ At least quarterly

■ Updating supporters twice a year isn’t enough to keep them engaged and keep your organization top of mind

How frequently are other nonprofits emailing? #1 - Monthly (43%)

#2 - Every other week (17%)

#3 - Quarterly (16%)-2011 Nonprofit Marketing Guide

Tip: Do you have an 8 page newsletter that you send twice a year? Divide it into a quarterly, more timely email communication. Shorter communications are more likely to be read and shared.

■ Frequency should be driven by:

■ How often can you produce fresh, interesting, relevant content?

■ What your supporters groups want

■ How often do they want updates?

■ Use your subscriber survey to find out


Frequency that Works

Tocqueville Society Email - Quarterly Tax Volunteers Email - Monthly


Frequency that Works

Young Leaders Society Email - Twice Monthly Board of Directors Email – Monthly


Content That Engages Supporters

Keep Track of Everyday Content

Listen to and keep a log of what donors/volunteers/board members are asking about.

Having a hard time getting good content?

Sign Up For Regular Content Feeds (RSS)

Sign up for a topic closely related to your mission –human rights, violence prevention, literacy, climate change, etc.

Creates a pool of content for articles in your newsletter

Examples – Twitter, Google, CNN, NPR


Tip: How many times is the word YOU in your newsletter?

Listen via Twitter for valuable content Go to search.twitter.com, search on keyword

about your industry, organization or topic of interest.


Having a Hard Time Getting Content?

Make Your Newsletter Interactive

■ Insert Polls and share results

■ Insert a link to let them ask you questions

and have a “Q&A” section to answer

■ Insert a “Tell Us What You Want”

section

■ Ask what they like and don’t like

■ Include an option for them to sign up to be a

guest columnist

18


Use Content You Already Have Connect your supporters with specific content on:

Website

Blog

Youtube channelVideo in email increase

clicks by 2-3 times (Forrester)

Video increases subscriber engagement by 20-200%. (Visible Gains)

Video results in a 75% reduction of opt-out rate. (Eloqua)

Facebook page

Those age 55 and up is the fastest growing segment of Facebookusers. (comScore 2010 U.S. Digital

Year in Review)


Get started with social media

http://www.socialquickstarter.com

http://www.socialquickstarter.com/

Can You Promote in Your Newsletter?

As long as you’re providing informational content, readers won’t mind some promotion.

What is a good balance?


85% Informational15% Promotional

“When subscribers read about the new book in the newsletter, they forwarded it to others and helped us generate hundreds of pre-sales as well as connected us to professionals at the

local and state levels who could get this important book into the hands of foster children.”

- Michelle Lovejoy, Director of Community Education

C.A.S.E used their online newsletter to bring attention to its new book W.I.S.E. Up! For

children in foster care.


“Over-solicitation” was the second most-reported reason why donors stop giving (32%). – Cygnus Donor Survey 2011


Easily Identify What Content is Working and What Content Is Not

Ask Supporters for Feedback

■ Ask supporters what they like

■ Ask supporters what they don’t like

Tip: Good starting point - survey template: “Nonprofit Pack –Newsletter Feedback”

Use the Results of Your Clicks Report

Click to see who clicked on a link and easily create lists of people with similar interests.

Identify hot topics


Newsletter Design Tips that Drive Response

Benefits of Providing Engaging Content

1. Increases awareness of your organization

2. Grows your list

Make it Easy for Subscribers to Share the Information Place “Forward” links/buttons near the Top of the newsletter

Place “Share” bar at the Top of the newsletter

Make It Easy For Friends to Sign Up Have a visible “Sign up” box in your newsletter

Make Your Newsletters Go Viral

Allows your subscribers who are on social media to share the information with their social networks.



■ Table of Contents

■ Education focused

■ Encourages forwards

■ Encourages Sign ups

Most nonprofits are using viral components in their emails.

Source: Return Path Nonprofit Study -Telling Stories, Building Relationships 2009

Make your Newsletters Go Viral


Design Guidelines-Personalization

Quickly Include Personalization

What information do you have beyond email address? City and State

Event in city

First Name

Name

City

Level of membership

Amount last donated

Program of interest

Name of event they attended

How long they have been a supporter



Use Hot Spots

Top left and right corners generally

have the highest click rates.

Bottom – after reading the valuable content, feature more information about your programs and options to support your mission.

Test different layouts with your audience. They may have a different behavior than you expected.



Make it an easy read

■ Use one or two columns (depending on amount of content)

■ Ideal number of articles is up to 5

■ Have visual separation between topics

■ Borders between each section

■ Use headlines

■ Include bolding and bullets

■ Add links

■ Say just enough to get the reader interested, then use links.

Users spend 51 seconds reading the average newsletter.

– Nielsen Norman Group Report: Email Newsletter Usability

How much are you saying?



Use teaser paragraphs and link to the full content stored somewhere else.

■ On your blog or Facebook business page

■ On your website (just as easy as adding an image)

Content on a page of your site

Word or PDF document hosted on your site

■ On another website (e.g. CNN)

■ Document hosted online (e.g. Constant Contact)

Keep it Short By Adding Links

When readers click they will see a new window with the webpage or document you choose.

Benefits of adding links:1. Easy to read2. Could drives traffic to your website3. Provides tracking – the clicks

report tells you who is clicking on what links!



NoHo Arts District

■ Good use of headers, bolding and links to assist with scanning

■ Two column layout to minimize scrolling

■ Table of contents helps with quick navigation

■ Clean white look and visual separation between each article



Give supporters the option to see Past Issues.

Including Links in Your Newsletter

Don’t miss an opportunity to get supporters to your website.

Make images clickable

Especially your logo



Accommodate Mobile Phones

Email remains the #1 activity on mobile devices increasing 41.6% in 2010. Source: Nielsen Net View

View on “Mobile Device” receives an average of 9% of email clicks. Source: Worldata Email usage Study Q4 2010


Created for you

You can Preview and Edit just the text version

Optimize the text version

– Make sure your Organization Name immediately appears

– Shorten up long URLs

– Free URL shortener: bitly.com


Optimize the Text Version

The text version is likely seen by about 15% of your list.

– Return Path 2007


Getting Into The Inbox

Engagement with Standard Email Programs(e.g. Outlook, Hotmail)

■ Not designed for sending to groups of people

■ Small nonprofits can’t build the sending reputation needed for high deliverability

Typical block rate: Nearly 21% of B to C email is not

delivered to the inbox Nearly 28% of B to B email is not

delivered to the inbox

Source: The Email Deliverability Benchmark Report, 2009 Return Path

■ No privacy of “To” line■ No control of Look/Feel

■ No Tracking – don’t know who is reading/engaging and with what content

■ Have to manually handle unsubscribes■ Bounces are not easy to track or manage


Designed to send to large groups of

people

High deliverability – a whole team dedicated to a strong sender reputation

Getting into the Inbox

Engagement with Email Service Providers (e.g. Constant Contact)

Personalized one-to-one feel Branded, design is visually engaging,

easier to read Can track opens and click throughs

and adjust content accordingly Unsubscribes managed for you Bounces categorized and easy to

manage

Typical delivery: Constant Contact sends over 2

billion emails a month 97% or higher deliverability


Getting into The Inbox

Avoid the Bulk/Junk Folder

Determine spam-like content before sending- Use the Spam Check feature

Ask subscribers to White List you

All capital letters in subject lineExcessive punctuation in subject lineATTACHMENTSExcessive ratio of IMAGES to text Red textExcessive use of “click here”Excessive use of $$ and other symbols

Things to

Avoid

Add our address

[email protected] to your

address book to make sure you

receive our informative updates.


Getting Your Newsletter Opened

The “From” Line – Use a Familiar From Name

■ Use what will be most recognizable

■ Organization name, campaign, initiative, acronym

■ May vary by the group you’re sending to

■ Shorter is better

■ Be consistent

60% of consumers say the

"from" line most often

determines whether they

open an email or delete it.

Source: DoubleClick

Habitat For Humanity 7 Shovels Needed By Saturday

Create Now Nathalie’ Story: Art Changed Her Bad

United Way Young Leaders Happy Hour

John Smith Donate Today!!!

Charities R Us Volunteers Needed


36


Some email programsdisplay From name + email

Some email programsDisplay From email only

The “From” Line – Use a Familiar From Email Address



The “Subject” line

■ Keep it short and simple

■ 5-8 words

■ Carry through the most important topic for each group

30% of consumers say the

“subject" line most often

determines whether they

open an email or delete it.

Source: DoubleClick

Habitat For Humanity 7 Shovels Needed By Saturday

Create Now Nathalie’ Story: Art Changed Her Bad

United Way Young Leaders Happy Hour

John Smith Donate Today!!!

Charities R Us Volunteers Needed

Before: Go Green Association Newsletter

After: How to Live in Harmony with Backyard Wildlife



Design for the Preview Pane

Maximize the top 2 – 4 inches

■ Use your brand

Visible logo and colors

■ Prevent scrolling left/right Width = 600 pixels

■ Have an headline/image to pull readers in

■ Have a Table of Contents Use as Anchor Tags to pull

them down

Re-word / add short

descriptions

33% of online customers use Preview Panes to view emails. - Marketing Sherpa 2008



Clear Branding – logo, colors, organization name

Clear tagline

Table of Contents


Before You Send Your Newsletter

Send A Test For Feedback

■ Is it going into the bulk folder?■ Avoiding spam like content / design

■ Is it clear who it is from?

■ Would you open it?

■ Do the links work?

■ How does the text version look?■ Shorten long URLs

Send Final Version To Staff First

■ Reminds your team of the content and when it is going out

■ Team can be ready for responses


Nonprofit Customer Spotlight: Before and After Newsletter

41

Friends of the ParksImproving Chicago’s Parks since 1975http://fotp.org/

The After: Recognizable from area Relevant subject line Two columns to fit more into the preview pane Image to pull the reader in More descriptive links Forward to friend button


http://fotp.org/

Checklist: Before You Send Your Newsletter…

Did you include your logo at the top of your email?

Does your organization name appear in text at the top of your email?

Are you using consistent background colors?

Does a clear headline appear in the preview pane?

Does a table of contents appear in the preview pane?

Did you include text descriptions for all of your images?

Did you make your images clickable?

Do you have a link to view your email as a webpage?

Did you ask your audience to add your email address to their address book?

Did you limit your email to up to 5 topics?

Did you use teaser paragraphs and include links to the rest of the content?

Did you include personalization and the word you?

Is there something that can better be expressed using a video?

Do you have forward to a friend, subscribe and share buttons in your email?

Did you avoid spam-like content with the spam checker?

Does your subject line highlight the most engaging content in the email?

Is your “from name” recognizable?

Did you preview the text version of your newsletter?42Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.

Extend the Life of Your Newsletter

Share Your Newsletter On Your Social Media Pages

Once you have sent your newsletter share it on your social media sites.


Nonprofit Newsletter Metrics

Tracking Supporter Engagement

Constant Contact’s Nonprofit Customer Averages

(all message types)

Open Rate – 20% Click Through Rate – 12.3%

Source: 2011 Convio Online Marketing Nonprofit Benchmark Index Study44Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.


45

Tracking Supporter Engagement



Tracking Engagement Trends

Quickly compare your current newsletter metrics to your past newsletters.



Using Engagement Trends To Improve Future Results

Compare open and click rates Which were the most/least successful?

Print out your best and worst performing newsletters What do they have in common?

Does your audience respond better to certain content, layouts, times? If you find that all the newsletters you’ve sent with “How To” articles had high click

rates, design future emails using that lesson.

Test ONE thing at a time

Subject Lines, headlines, link text, format, design - determine what best engages

your supporters


The Key to Newsletters

Have the Right Mindset

Informative newsletters to supporters:

Strengthen their connection to your organization

Increase retention

Increase support

Connected supporters generate referrals!

Remember: Newsletters are to inform, not to just get action.

It takes an average of 7 touches before an action occurs.


New supporters cost 10 times more than keeping existing ones.

Keeping existing supporters engaged is where the real payoff comes.

Join a Constant Contact expert and other nonprofits live to see how easy it is to create a professional-looking email newsletter, manage contacts, track results, as well as send your newsletter, and extend its social reach.

http://conta.cc/NPEMSlideTour

Your Next Best Steps

Register for Constant Contact’s “Email Marketing Live Tour”

Sign up for a free, 60-day trial of Constant Contact Email Marketing

Constant Contact has worked with over 100,000 nonprofits. Get free coaching and support, grow your email list, access over 400+ templates, and measure and track results.

http://conta.cc/NPEMSlide

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Bonus Content –Getting Supporters

Signed Up…

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc. 49

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Get Supporters Signed Up

Include Your E-Newsletter Signup Form Link Everywhere

Website pagesDonation confirmation pagesThank you lettersPaper newslettersSocial media sitesCurrent email newslettersSignup forms at eventsStaff’s email signature

76% of nonprofits placed the sign up form on the homepage. – Return Path Study:

Telling Stories, Building Relationships 2009

CONFIDENTIAL Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.

Email Signature

50

Website

Newsletter

Tip: Free customizable sign up box and form from Constant Contact - http://constantcontact.custhelp.com/cgi-

bin/constantcontact.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1641




Get Supporters Signed Up

Use Your Facebook Business Page

Add your own “Join our List” tab to continue the relationship through email

- Step by step directions for tab: http://constantcontact.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/constantcontact.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2620

Write a post encouraging supporters to sign up with a link to your sign up form.

74% Non-profits maintain a presence on Facebook; Associations 55%.-Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report, 2009






Tracking List Growth

Median annual list growth for nonprofit sector

20%

Source: 2011 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study

Tip: Sign up for a report


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