Newsletters Newsletters Unleash the power of your donor newsletter... and raise lots of money! by...

transcript

NewslettersNewslettersUnleash the power of your donor newsletter ...

and raise lots of money!

by Tom Ahern

Retention stinks

>> 72% of newly acquired donors disappear after year 1; by year 2, the # of departed has risen to 94%

REAL & recent retention numbers for a respected agency that serves the poor and desperate effectively in NC...

Cost to acquire a new donor:

$52Average new gift:

Need a tattoo?Every donor who does

not make a 2nd gift costs your org. $27.

Improved retention is a mathematical imperative.

You acquire 100 new donors...

1st year average gift of $25 = $2,5002nd year (28% remain) = $7003rd year (6% remain) = $150

You spent $5,200 to gain $3,350 over 3 years. Improved retention is your best source of new income ... not acquisition.

A 10% improvement in your donor retention improves your revenue 50% immediately.

And that’s just the beginning....

Source: Adrian Sargeant, 2010

Purpose of a donor newsletter

Job #1: Retain more donors

Job #2: Make more money

Don’t reverse the order.

Purpose: To praise donors

Not the purpose: To sell

Not the purpose: To “educate”

Not the purpose: To brag

Donors want just a few things from you

They want to feel good.They want to feel loved.They want to feel smart.

They want to feel needed.They want to feel important.

They want to belong.They want to be remembered.

Appeals, thanks, & newsletters work together.

You ask. You thank. You report.You ask. You thank. You report.You ask. You thank. You report.

The virtuous circle...

Actually...

You ask (and flatter).You thank (and flatter).You report (and flatter).

You cannot flatter too much.

“Even when people perceive that flattery is insincere, that flattery can still leave a lasting and positive impression of the flatterer.”

Source: Neuromarketing blog

What does raising $500,000/yr

from 10,000 readers

look like?

Paper or electrons? (Both.)

Reviewing information on paper produces more emotional processing than viewing the same information on screen.

And emotional processing is critical to giving.

Source: Neuroscience blog; 2011 via Joyaux Associates newsletter

“People use the Web. They read paper.”

Source: TJ Larkin, via Ann Wylie

Before

Domain’s proven formula:

• 11x17 format, folding to 4 8.5x11 pages• 6 pages is OK, 2 pages is not, 8 pages is not• one-color, two-color, full-color• NOT a self-mailer• mail in a #10 envelope: “Your newsletterenclosed.”• send exclusively to current donors• include a reply envelope and reply device• mail as often as possible• use the newsletter for “impact reporting”

Most important secret to success EVER!!!!!

Your newsletter is NOT about how wonderful your organization is.

Your newsletter IS about how wonderful your donors are.

Most important secret to success EVER!!!!!

Your newsletter is NOT about how wonderful your organization is.

Your newsletter IS about how wonderful your donors are.

“Do they know that the success of our

mission depends on their donations?”

Or are you sending exactly the wrong message...

Readers read at 100 mph. The big check says, “Problem solved!”

Anatomy of a failed front page...

30 people felt good

about this page, if

they saw it

The magic word “you” appears nowhere

“Case closed” headline

...and a good time was had by all...

• A personal sense of satisfaction.• The ability to tell others about what I’ve done.• The knowledge that I am helping people, advancing a

cause or making a difference.• The opportunity to find out more about an

organization or cause (and engage more deeply).• The opportunity to do it all again.

Elements of a good donor experience

Source: Chuck English, via The Agitator

E-newsletters

E-newsletters are action-oriented

• Adopt an urgent theme. NOT “the July newsletter.” INSTEAD: the “Surge newsletter,” “Food shortage newsletter,” “Back to school newsletter.”

• Give your readers 3-5 actions related to the topic, for instance: Find out more. | Donate now. | Buy something like a backpack. | Browse current needs. | Watch a video online.

Source: Jeff Brooks’ Power Blog July 2009

Bad e-news:

Little to click, lots to read

“Sent to 1,871 addresses, 21% opening rate, ZERO gifts. Why?!?”

• Subject line: “We’re great.”• Wrong SMIT. Right SMIT?

“You, the donor, are a wonderful human being.”

• Unsure what it is: newsletter, appeal?

• Dense paragraphs defeat skimming.

• 1st 3 paragraphs are about the org., not the donor.

• Built for readers, not clickers.

• Not donor-centred.

Source: Kathy Swayze, CFRE; Impact Communications

Source: Jeff Brooks blog

ContentContent

It is not pure reporting.

It’s reporting crossed with a birthday card to your mom.

Thought for today....

Write drunk.Edit sober.

(Psssst)

Almost no one reads the articles.

What do “readers” really see• Artwork: 80 percent

• Photos: 75 percent

• Headlines: 56 percent

• Briefs: 31 percent

• Captions: 29 percent

• Text: 25 percent*

*This number is abnormally high, according to Poynter Institute researchers. They tested prototypes rather than actual publications. Prototypes invariably produce higher, more positive numbers than real publications. Source: Ann Wylie

Vögele’s eye motion study

Almost everyone

looks at this

About a third read

Almost no one reads much of

The fatal flaw in most donor newsletters are the headlines.

They’re self-serving, fake, weak, or non-existent.

This is big type. It is not a headline.

Not a headline

Great photo…great recognition…but what’s the story?

Headline source: Newsweek

Is Your Baby Racist?Exploring the Roots of Discrimination

Editor: Jeff Hall

Before

www.aherncomm.com

After: Income doubled immediately

A good donor headline:

(1) captures the gist of the story

(2) has a hook

(3) applauds the donor

I want to feel good I want to feel good about giving.about giving.

Source: Key donor desires, from Ken Burnett’s The Zen of Fundraising

Instant headlines: Just fill in the blanks

• The Secret of [blank]

• Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All

• [Do something] like [world-class example]

• Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of

• The Lazy [blank's] Way to [blank]

• Do You Recognize the [number] Early Warning Signs of [blank]?

• You Don't Have to Be [something challenging] to be [desired result].

Source: Kivi Leroux Miller, from Copyblogger

Kivi’s favorite instant newsletter articles

• How-to article

• List (e.g. Top Ten)

• Fact Versus Fiction (or True or False)

• Advice (usually in response to a question)

• Roundup (group several smaller items together under a common theme)

Source: Kivi Leroux Miller

Tell me something I don’t know ... and I’ll tell others.

offers accomplishments(i.e., how donors changed the world)

trust tribe

#1 reason people don’t make a charitable bequest?

“It never occurred to me.”

Eglantyne Jebb wants you! ... in her Society You are hereby cordially, delightedly, enthusiastically invited to join our Eglantyne Jebb Society.

What is it? The Society is a special group of compassionate souls who have taken one extraordinary step: they've added a gift in their wills to benefit Save the Children.

The Society isn't an especially large group. Most Americans don't leave gifts to charity, studies show. And you don't even get great perks (a bookmark, name recognition, and the occasional special report). But your legacy and others helps ensure that Save the Children remains a strong force for good in countries around the globe, no matter what the future brings. To join the Eglantyne Jebb Society, simply make your charitable bequest and let us know. We do not ask the size of your gift. >> Contact Diana Bogue via email at dbogue@savechildren.org or phone her at 203-221-3717.

Absolutely wrong

Much righter

“Am I taking the donor on a journey?”

The reason so many nonprofit newsletters are just big money-sinks is this: Their purpose is to educate their donors about how effective the organization is. The money-making donor-focused newsletter has a different purpose: To remind the donor what an incredible difference she makes.

Source: Jeff Brooks, Future Fundraising Now

Donor newsletter that increased giving 521%

Write to the Donor, For the Donor, About the Donor.Ensure a High "You" Quotient.Touch the Heart with Strong Emotion.Surprise and Delight!Appreciate the Donor.Design for Readability.Motivate Another Gift.Make it Convenient to Give.Appeal to the Most Basic Donor Benefit.Refresh and Reengage.

Newsletters Newsletters Unleash the power of your donor newsletter... and raise lots of money! by...

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