From a webinar on donor email newsletters, presented for Artez Interactive in October 2012.

1. eNewsletters
and the Path to Donor Happiness
October 25, 2012
www.luttrellcommunications.com

2. Presenter
Karen Luttrell has been leading digital marketing
initiatives for 13 years. She has launched and
managed email newsletters for local, national and
international charities and not-for-profits. Karen is a
member of AFP and IABC and she volunteers as VP
Communications for the Professional Writers
Association of Canada Toronto Chapter. You can tweet
to her at @karenluttrell or visit her at
www.luttrellcomunications.com.

3. Urgent Problem: Donor Retention
Only 1/3 of charities surveyed inspired a
second gift from at least 4 out of 10 new
donors.
 The Agitator Donor Retention Survey Results (2011)
 http://www.theagitator.net/communications/donor-
retention-survey-results/

4. eNews & Donor Retention
Relationship building is the key to retaining
donors. An effective eNewsletter can be an
important part of your donor retention plan.
 immediate
 frequent (and affordable)
 personalized
 easily integrated with other channels and rich media
(audio, video)

5. 4 Steps to Take with Your eNews
1 Get opened
2 Get read
3 Build relationships
4 Refine and Repeat

6. 1. Get Opened
Only around 20% of nonprofit e-mails
are actually opened.
 From Reason Digital article written in 2010, citing
mail chimp international as source for the stat
 http://www.reasondigital.com/better-charity-
emails/

7. Step 1: Get opened
1. From line
- make it from a real person
- never from info@ or no-reply@
2. Subject line
- make it topic-specific, not just “newsletter”
- clever is good, but clear is better
- tell what readers will get out of opening & reading it
- Aim for 50 characters or less so it doesn’t get cut off

9. Step 2: Get read
6. Design for legibility
5. Use photos and captions
4. Use language that is simple and easy to read
3. Use great headlines and subheads to capture &
keep attention
2. Personalize it (name, type of support)

10. Get Read cont’d
The #1 way to get read is…
Provide quality content that donors WANT
to read.
Quality content:
 Provides value
 Informs & inspires
 Creates a personal connection
 Builds relationships****

11. Step 3: Build Relationships
Great content provides “donor love”
 Tom Ahern in presentation for past AFP Congress, gives one of
the best explanations I’ve heard of how to speak to donors to
create connection and good will
 Donor love is his term in the presentation – Great way to think
of it!

12. Build Relationships cont’d
 Say thank you early and often
 Speak directly to a single donor
 Give the donor credit
 Use “you” and “your” (not “us” “our” “we”)
 Tell stories that show howyour donor made a
difference
 Use numbers – with care, and perhaps not in the
way you would think
 Use two-way communication (engage)

13. Build Relationships cont’d
Sample phrases for “creating donor love”
 Thank you
 Because you helped
 Your gift made the difference
 You helped prevent…
 You helped build…
 Your investment, your support, your generosity
 You made it possible
 You helped so many people
See also:
How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters, by Mal Warwick (Appendix C, 90 Ways to Use the
Word “You”)
Showcase of fundraising innovation and inspiration (soffi.org), particularlty the Women’s Royal
Voluntary Service face-to-face postcard at http://www.sofii.org/showcase-
item?hall=274&id=39&pos=1

14. Email by Canadian Women’s Foundation, used with permission.

15. Building Relationships con’td
Telling Great Stories
 How, and where, to find your organization’s stories
 Point of View
 Questions to ask
 Caveats

16. Building Relationships cont’d
2-way communication and encouraging action
 Ask for input
 Provide a series of actions that require increasing
involvement
 Recognize action
 Integrate with other channels

17. Back to our sample email

21. Step 4: Refine and Repeat
• Listen
• Test and track
• Revise and continue
 frequent, consistent communication
Split testing info: www.marketingprofs.com
Tracking & measuring online marketing: Search
the TechSoup Canada blog

22. Summary
Make Your Donor eNewsletter:
 Brief
 Frequent
 Easy to read
 Personal
 Informative
 Emotional
 Overflowing with gratitude to the donor***

23. Resources and Reading
Sofii.org The Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration: http://www.sofii.org/
Association of Fundraising Professionals Member Resources (presentations from Congress)
The best times to send email for opens and click-through (MarketingProfs)
How to get your email newsletter opened and read (blog post)
Using your newsletter to create an ambassador corps (blog post)
The Non-Designer’s Design Book, by Robin Williams (book on graphic design concepts)
Picture Perfect Communications (article at charityvillage.ca)

24. Questions?
Questions welcome. And please keep in touch.
 @karenluttrell
 karen@luttrellcommunications.com
 www.luttrellcommunications.com
 www.facebook.com/LuttrellCommunications
 Tel. +1 647-287-4344

25. Thank You
 Thank you for being great participants today.
 Thanks Kiran and Claire and Artez for inviting me
and for hosting and giving us all the chance to be
here and share together today.