Donors

WARNING: Your Fundraising Communications are Too Pretty

Creative is great. I see lots of beautiful newsletters, web pages and email appeals. They have great design, colors, photos and even videos. But they have a problem.

Yes, there’s a way to Get Your Nonprofit’s Email Opened

You had me at hello.

That’s what your constituents should think and feel when your email arrives in their inbox.

Hello is a way to call attention… a greeting… an invitation to a dialogue. Does your email do that? Does it easily capture your intended reader’s attention? Does it greet them warmly? Does it encourage interaction with you?

If your emails aren’t getting the open rates you’d like, it’s time to take charge!

8 Ways to Find Your Nonprofit’s Perfect Holiday Email Subject Line

We’re entering prime gift giving season.  The tinsel is up, the craft fairs and sample sales are on, and the retail stores are gearing up for what they hope will be huge crowds. Whether this makes your blood run hot or cold, there’s no stopping it. The “hunt” for the perfect gift is on!

Guess what?  Your nonprofit has the perfect gift! All you have to do is sell it. Here’s how…

Get Your Nonprofit Email Opened – Take a Quack at it!

A quack at it?

Yes! Because I’m guessing you don’t have your ducks lined up to make this year’s email appeal worth all your effort.  What do I mean? I mean the lion’s share of folk receiving your email is simply going to hit ‘delete.’ And that’s just not going to pay your bills.

You need to get all your duckies in a row. And I know exactly which two are missing.

How One Nonprofit Got Warren Buffet to Invest through Crowd Fundraising

Fresh Look – Crowd Fundraising Trend

Crowd fundraising offers a huge new opportunity for nonprofits to acquire new donors and expand their base of support. Thus far it’s mostly been used for peer-to-peer campaigns, but one nonprofit recently employed it in a very clever new way.

What’s the ‘Oh Goody!’ Rule of Email Appeals, and Why Do You Need It?

Oh Goody! I got email from Top Cat.

Chances are good that when you open your email box a majority of the messages are of little interest to you. You don’t know who they’re from, they look like junk, or they’re coming from someone who doesn’t interest you enough to compel you to open their message.  If you have time, maybe you will.  If you don’t, maybe you’ll hit “delete.”

You don’t want your e-appeal to wind up in the trash heap. To avoid this, you need to use the ‘Oh Goody’ Rule.

Why You May Not Have Time for an Email Campaign

Are you giving yourself time to sleep on it and channel your superhero?

I was playing around on Mashable yesterday and happened on The Key to More Successful Email Campaigns: Time.  Since I recently offered you Top 10 Tips for Successful Nonprofit E-Appeals (and the big 11^th is coming on Monday – you’ve still got time to guess what it is and win a free e-appeal review!), I thought I’d share this with you as a nice complement.

It’s something that should be a no-brainer; but, as Pooh describes it, sometimes we all can be “a Bear of No Brain at All.” How can we be the Best Bear in all the World?

Top 10 Tips for Successful Nonprofit E-Appeals

Planning any special e-mail campaigns before the end of the fiscal year? This summer?  If not, think about it. An e-campaign costs pennies on the dollar compared with print marketing. And the right message at the right time to the right market can empower your supporters to help you change the world.

Your success will be measured not by how many you send, but by how many get opened; then how many answer your call to action. Here are 10 basic tips to assure your email engages your audience. Oh, and I left an 11^th tip out on purpose.  It’s something that’s super important. If you think you know what it is, contact me with your guess. I’ll pick randomly from among the correct answers – the winner gets a 50-minute top-level review of their next e-appeal (a $200 value), at no cost.

Quick Fix for Your Year-End Email Appeal. It’s Not too Late!

Let’s take it from the T O P. D O  C A R E about what you’re trying to achieve.  Get it opened, read and acted on. Remember your primary purposes: (1) Get it open; (2) Get it read; (3) Get the donation.  Do not – I repeat, do not!—deviate from these primary purposes. I’m…