Just a few days ago I received a fund appeal letter from a worthy organization. It was well written, and listed a lot of accomplishments that this non-profit had carried out over the months.
Wouldn’t it be nice if I received a follow-up email from the same organization about five days later? The email could review a few points from the mailed appeal. It could have a donate button right in the email.
A simple technique for non-profits
The fact is, when people receive an appeal through the regular mail, they either make a payment right away, or put it in a “to do later” pile.
Now, if you’re like me, you know that we often never get around to the “to do” pile.
Wouldn’t an email reminder be an easy way to piggy-back on the mailed appeal, to get those people to give?
And yet, how many of the two million-plus non-profits in this country don’t have such a simple follow-up system?
If you don’t have an online system of keeping your public engaged, take a look at what’s happening online.
Online giving has gone up 7.9% compared to the year before. Overall giving has gone up 1.3%.
The chart above shows that online giving is going up faster than overall giving. It has increased 7.9% in April 2014, compared to April of 2013, based on a three-month rolling average. Overall giving has increased 1.3% over the same period. (This data is from Blackbaud, the fundraising software company.)
Online vs. traditional giving
Online giving hasn’t replaced mailed fund appeals and other methods – but they work best in tandem with each other. It’s like one hand shaking the other. Your mailed literature shows your web address. Your emails keep your public informed more often.
You can have segmented email lists, such as top givers, those interested in types of projects, and so on. You can draw in more friends and donors, and strengthen the relationships, by using your Facebook page and blog.
If you’d like to talk with me about what email and social media can do for your non-profit, I’d be happy to do so. Just go to our contact page.
