How many fundraising emails does your organization send out each month?
One a week?
Less!?
Many nonprofit organizations I meet have email marketing calendars that are still tied to direct mail marketing impact calendars. Do we have a direct mail appeal or newsletter dropping? We should have a corresponding email. Maybe two.
I want to help you think about email marketing through a new lens. I want to help you think about email as a direct fundraising channel where frequency is king and content is queen.
Let me tell you a short story about one Masterworks client, and then give you three usable tips to change your email fundraising strategy.
The Story
In 2019, we worked to develop an email fundraising strategy that could disrupt and turbocharge the email channel in 2020 and beyond.
It has worked.
Over the past three fully completed calendar years (2020-2022), this client has sent 764 distinct fundraising emails. That’s an average of just more than 21 emails per month. This fundraising program was run concurrently with a robust marketing calendar of non-ask emails which included pieces whose job it is to tell stories, solicit feedback, inform about upcoming events, and invite into prayer.
Here’s a year-by-year peek at the over performance of the fundraising email program:
As we honed our strategy over the years, we were able to reduce spend and the total number of sends while increasing revenue per send. And increasing ROI.
There’s been a performance ramp years long, but the investment is paying off!
The Tips
Use Consistent Formats
We’ve seen that using a set of consistent formats helps set and then meet donor expectations in the inbox.
Have a format you use to tell stories and ask for money. Have a format that looks like social or display ads and ask for money. Have a format or two that look like they’re coming from your CEO’s inbox and ask for money.
Your formats should feature a mix of personal and professional feeling sends.
Having consistent formats will create a set of emails that your recipients know, love, look forward to, and respond to.
Reuse Content
We’ve seen that you don’t need to always send an email once and throw it away.
The reality of user inbox behavior is that very few people read all of the emails they receive. Try sending the exact same fundraising email you send on Tuesday on Wednesday as well. Try sending the same email with the same subject line. Or try changing the subject line.
As we’ve leaned into this tactic, we’ve found that the second time we send an email often drives more revenue than the original send.
Utilize In-Day Frequency
We’ve seen many days in a calendar year can be loaded with multiple fundraising emails, to the same audience and on the same topic.
On Giving Tuesday, try sending an email in the morning and another in the afternoon or early evening. On December 31, try sending three or four or more emails, spread throughout the day.
One Masterworks client sent four fundraising emails on Giving Tuesday 2022. All four achieved a double-digit return on investment.
The End
Email demands its own set of strategies and tactics in your marketing calendar.
I understand that this conversation is only half (maybe less than half) of the email story. Email can be a powerful engagement tool, an effective listening tool, and an excellent ministry promotional and storytelling channel.
Email me at slatour@masterworks.agency with other ways you’re using email to advance your mission.
