In our work with fundraisers from organizations of all shapes and sizes, there are very few questions we get as often as this one:
“How much e-mail should we send?”
While I know it would be infinitely easier to say “twice a month” or “every third Thursday” or “when the moon is half full”, the real answer is….it depends.
There are benchmarks for what other organizations are doing, including this study on communications from the NonProfit Marketing Guide for 2014. This survey of over 2,100 nonprofits shows that a third (33%) of all nonprofits plan to e-mail fundraising or advocacy appeals at least monthly in 2014. More than half (59%) plan to send e-newsletters at least once a month.
And while that gives you some parameters to measure against your work, the frequency of your e-mail communication really depends on the answers to these 7 questions:
1. How does e-mail fit into your organization’s overall strategy?
Does your organization use e-mail to coordinate volunteers? Gather signatures? Give up-to-date information on an evolving issue? Offer classes?
Your frequency of e-mail communication with supporters will depend on how your organization is using e-mail in its work. There isn’t a “right answer”. Some organizations just naturally lend themselves to organizing online - and some don’t.
2. How are you using e-mail to increase your overall fundraising results?
Is your organization trying to get new donors? Increase retention? Convert event donors? Launch a major gifts program? The amount of e-mail you send will vary depending on your audience and objectives. In fact, not all of these objectives even lend themselves to e-mail fundraising.
3. What other channels of communication are you using in your fundraising?
Do you send direct mail? Reach out by telephone? Use social media? Is e-mail just one of a variety of channels you are using to reach out to your community or is it the only channel of communication?
4. Do you have an agreement with your supporters about the amount of e-mail that you send?
Have you told your supporters that your e-newsletter would be monthly? Or that they would only receive one appeal per quarter? You need to honor any promises you made to your donors before you make any changes to your e-mail frequency.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t increase the amount of e-mail that you send. You just have to make the case for more e-mail contact (what will the donor get out of this increased communication?) and allow the donor to make their own choice through managing their preferences or opting in to the new offering.
5. How often are you able to produce good content for your e-mail?
Lots of e-mail is no substitution for good e-mail! You have to have the content (a compelling thing to say), solid writing skills, and the technical ability to create well-designed e-mail that will inspire people to act.
6. Do you have the infrastructure in place to keep track of the online relationships you are building with your donors?
Are you able to segment donors to create e-mail streams that speak directly to your donors’ interests and involvement with your organization? (Think volunteers, major donors, monthly donors, etc.)
Are you able to offer options for the kind of e-mail and the amount of e-mail they get from your organization? Do you have the systems in place to follow through on their wishes?
The more you are able to provide e-mail content that is speaking right to a specific audience, the more potential you have for building an engaged e-mail community that wants to hear from you more.
7. Does your organization have the commitment and patience to test and make adjustments to your e-mail strategy?
Like so much in fundraising, a robust e-mail program takes dedication over the long term. You need a plan, the ability to test new things, and the patience to fail in order to see what works for your organization’s key audiences. If you’re not willing to put sustained effort into e-mail for the long-term, you might as well not build up your frequency!
What are your answers to these questions? What conclusions do they help you derive for your e-mail program?
