Friend Raising Online

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Friend Raising Online

• How to Publish e-Newsletters with IMPACT!

• Session 1
• Closing the Communication Gap
• Receiving Donations Online
• Overcoming the Obstacles
• Using the Right tools
• Measuring Results

May 1, 2007 12pm-1pm EST Presented by Larry
Crane LarryCrane_at_prolifica.org
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About Us

• Equipping nonprofit organizations
• to be prolific in doing good works.
• Grant Writing Research
• Social Entrepreneurship
• E-Newsletter Publishing

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Friend Raising Online

• How to Publish e-Newsletters with IMPACT!

I M P A C T
nspire others to invest in your work otivate
volunteers romote awareness of your cause sk
supporters to friend-raise ommunicate with
stakeholders ell how you are making a difference
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Communicating Online

• Two-way communication
• Get to know your audience
• Interactive
• www.surveymonkey.com
• Large scale reach
• Cost-effective
• Fast

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Topics of Interest
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Topics for Session 1

• Closing the Communication Gap
• Receiving Donations Online
• Getting Started With E-Newsletters
• Overcoming the Obstacles
• Measuring Results of E-mail Campaigns
• Using the Right Tools
• The Subject Line
• Resources
• Best Practices

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Topics for Future Webinars

• List-Building Strategies
• What Makes Interesting Copy?
• Telling Stories Digitally
• Inspiring Donors Online
• Best E-Newsletter Formats
• How to Avoid Being Flagged As SPAM
• Publishing Frequency
• Selecting the Right Bulk E-Mail Service (ESP)
• ePhilanthropy Regulation

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Outcomes of E-Newsletter Campaigns

• Inform Stakeholders
• Donors
• Volunteers
• Prospects
• Clients / Patrons
• The Community
• Raise Awareness for your Cause
• Cultivate Relationships
• Turn Prospects into Donors
• Increase Donations (online other)
• Increase Gift Size
• Increase Frequency of Giving

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Show Me the Money!!
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Ready, Aim, Aim

• Identify
• Who you want to reach
• The Call to Action
• Motivating Message

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Attributes of Donor Prospects

• Aware
• Interested
• Involved
• Concerned
• Committed
• Capable
• Accessible
• Experienced
• Seeking Fulfillment

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Closing the Communication Gap

• Education Stewardship
• Cultivate Relationships First
• Solicit Support Second

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Ladder of Effective Solicitation

• Ranked from most to least effective
• Face to Face
• Personal Letter, with Telephone Follow-up
• Personal Letter, without Telephone Follow-up
• Personal Call, with Follow-up Letter
• Personal Call, without Follow-up Letter
• Personalized Letter
• Direct Mail / E-mail
• Telemarketing
• Special Events
• Media (Advertising)

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Receiving Online Donations

• Online Donation Tools
• Network for Good
• http//www.networkforgood.org
• PayPal
• http//www.paypal.com
• Others?
• See Selecting An Online Donation Tool article
  available at www.FriendRaisingOnline.com,
  Resources

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Typical Internet Strategy
If We Build It They Will Come
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Three Rules of Email
1 Resources spent on e-mail strategies are
more valuable than the same resources spent on
Web strategies. 2 A Web site built around
an e-mail strategy is more valuable than a Web
site built around itself. 3 Email-oriented
thinking will yield better strategic thinking
overall.
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Repeat After Me
E-mail is more important than my web
site! The Gilbert E-Mail Manifesto Michael
Gilbert
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Why People Dont Give

• Top 2 Reasons
• Have not been asked
• Inadequate communication

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Placement

• Subscribe to our Newsletter
• - On Your Homepage
• - Above the Fold

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Capture Website Visitors
Visit www.prolifica.org for example
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Publishing an e-Newsletter?
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Obstacles
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Format
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Is E-Mail Harder Than it Looks?

• E-mail Newsletters, also called Bulk E-Mail or
  Commercial E-mail are a different animal than
  your everyday interpersonal e-mail

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Characteristics of Commercial E-mail

• When done correctly, e-mail newsletters are
• Sent Singly to each Recipient
• Have Tracking Beacons Embedded
• Have Significant Design Elements, usually based
  in HTML
• Have an Opt-Out Mechanism
• Cannot be Retracted or Recalled
• Most Importantly, the Typical Commercial E-Mail
  Hits in Volumes to Trigger a Whole Host of
  Consequence

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Hazards of Bulk E-Mail

• Most importantly, the typical Commercial E-Mail
  hits Inbox provider gateways in volumes that can
  trigger a host of potential consequences
• As low as 100 messages can trip Inbox filters
• Bulk sender at 1,000 messages per day

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Measuring ROI of E-mail Campaigns

• Average Online Gift Size (Total Raised
  Online)/( of Donations)
• Response Rate ( of people who took action)/(
  of Recipients)
• of Recipients (Total of e-mails sent) (
  of Bounces)
• Bounce bounces back to sender because
• Recipients mailbox was full
• Attachment size too large
• Connection problem
• Invalid e-mail address
• Average Message Open Rate
• ( of HTML e-mails opened) / ( of who received
  the HTML version)
• Average Message Click-Through Rate
• ( of who clicked link) / ( who received
  email)

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Why You Need ESP!

• E-mail Service Providers (ESP) offer
• Increased Deliverability
• Enhanced Tracking Reporting
• Latest Technology
• Automated Handling of Subscriber, Bounces
  Unsubscribe

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Email Service Providers (ESPs)

• Constant Contact
• Convio / GetActive
• Blackbaud
• Campaigner
• AWebber
• Listrack
• Groupmail (free?)
• Patron Mail (Arts)

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E-Newsletter Publishing Service
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Concentric Fundraising
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The Subject Line

• One Purpose to get the prospect to open the
  e-mail
• Short Sweet
• Be Specific
• Write It Last
• Take Some Time
• Test It!

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Resources

• Grants
• www.att.com/foundation
• Corporate Sponsors

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Best Practices

• eNonprofits Benchmarks Study
• - MR Strategic Services
• Budget for Success
• Grow your email list
• Anticipate track list churn
• Test Optimizing day of the week for launch

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QA
Larry Crane LarryCrane_at_prolifica.org