This document discusses best practices for engaging communities through email. It provides examples of large email lists for political campaigns. Regular email communication is important for keeping supporters informed and engaged, but too much email risks overwhelming people. Email is most effective for fundraising when there is a sense of urgency and clear goals/deadlines. Subject lines are important for getting emails opened.

1. Engaging Your Community: Emerging Best Practices August 29, 2007

2. "[The Dean campaign's] emails spawned much more organizing and raised much more money than the Dean blog did... It's just a numbers thing: not all 600,000 Dean email subscribers visited the blog every day. But they did check their email everyday." Zack Exley, 12/21/04

3. Massive email communities American Family Association 3,246,532 MoveOn 3,200,000 ONE 2,421,838 Hillary Clinton 1,000,000 Kerry had 250,000 at this point in ‘04 Al Gore 500,000 Wake Up Wal-Mart 381,696

4. Most online marketing is viral, unpredictable, and hit-or-miss. Good e-mail marketing is predictable, with a steady revenue stream. (But you have to be viral to get the list.)

5. 500,000 x $0.25 x 2 x 12 = $3,000,000 / year = $6 per member / year

6. Conservative audience Self-identifies with your cause; supports your issue Member of your Organization Donor / Super Activist Lower the barriers to entry Get Their Email Here!

7. Tap into a responsive chord. Start a petition on a big issue.

8. Splash pages can more than double signups.

9. Be creative. Set up contests & online events that drive media coverage and buzz.

10. Offer incentives to sign up. At $6/year, it’s worth it.

11. Create a sense of energy and momentum. Empower your community to meet a big goal. Romney campaign goal: 24,000 supporters in 24 hours

12. All of these successful examples create low barriers to entry, create the sense that the activist is joining something big and special, and offer a clear value proposition for signing up.

13. Are you… Emailing constituents who have contacted your office with regular updates? Collecting email in every medium (town halls, rallies, events, phones)? Matching emails on existing members?

14. What to do with a list? Inform Engage Mobilize Fundraise

15. Press Releases

16. Too much email People aren’t as immersed as you are. Sending news clips daily to casual users will kill the list. Too little email Long email silences can cause supporters to lose interest and forget why they subscribed. Rule of thumb Only send when you have something important to say. Once a week is plenty!

17. Getting great open rates (First, build your list organically) Key factors: Sender, subject line, timing Subject line more important than copy

18. Good subject lines Short, provocative, intriguing, highly topical Off the Record You’re Invited Impeachment? Disgraceful Fraud and Intimidation FW: Getting It Done

19. Fundraising success Urgency – tied to actual events Goals & deadlines Recurring donations Don’t be shy about ASKING