Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Nonprofit Newsletters That Engage
How to use email newsletters to raise awareness, strengthen
your relationships and help achieve your mission.
Agenda
The Key to An Engaging Newsletter
Why an Online Newsletter is Essential
The Right Content and Frequency
Design Tips That Drive Response
Getting Into The Email Inbox and Opened
Understanding and Using Email Reports
(Bonus Content: Getting Supporters Signed Up)
Reallyquick and easy;
highly impactful.
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
The Key to Engaging Newsletters
■ Not to get immediate action
■ Information focused rather than to just get action
■ Demonstrates the impact your organization is making
■ Keeps your organization in your supporters mind
Do You Have the Right Mindset?
Newsletters build relationships, retention and
loyalty.
Members will provide support when they are
ready.
3Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Informative newsletter to
potential supporters
Gets and keeps them opening
Understands and connects to your
cause
Initiates action
(donation/advocacy)
The Importance of an Engaging Newsletter
59% of people need to hear something about a specific organization 3 - 5 times to believe that information is likely to be true. – Edelman Trustbarometer 2011
Initial Action Doesn’t Get You The Biggest Payoff
New supporters cost 10 times more than keeping existing ones
It’s 5 times easier to win back a lost supporter than to find a new one
Loyal supporters generate referrals!
It takes an average of 7 touches before an action occurs.
An engaging newsletter is even more important for current supporters.
Gets New Supporters
4Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
The Importance of an Engaging Newsletter
Supporters want information In 2010 42% of nonprofits had donors ask to be updated on how their
contributions were spent. A significant increase from 32% in 2008. – 2010
State of the Nonprofit Industry Survey
Information helps supporters feel connected The #1 reason existing donors stopped giving to a particular charity is
that they no longer felt connected to the organization (57.7%). – 2008 Bank of
America Survey
Information lets supporters see that their donation is making an impact
Just less than 20% of donors believe that their donations make a major impact on the organizations they support. – 2008 Bank of America Survey
Informative newsletter to
existing supporters
Keeps them connected
Deepens their interest
Repeat action
(donation/advocacy)
Word of mouth -referrals!
Keeps The Supporters You Have
5Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Nonprofit Newsletter Success Story
Center for Adoption and Education (C.A.S.E.)Constant Contact member since 2005List size: 5,588Open rate: 26.74%Website: http://www.adoptionsupport.org
Benefits of Informative content: Makes this organization a trusted source for
information
The referrals generated have been invaluable to their mission
“Our informational newsletter has become a trustworthy communication that our readers love to share – across the country.”
“As a result, we do get a range of referrals –from individuals who want and need our adoption-sensitive books to professional organizations who otherwise would not have known about the professional and community programs we offer.”
- Michelle Lovejoy, Director of Community Education
6Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Online, Paper or Both?
It’s Cost-effective: Direct Mail costs 20 TIMES as much as email
Email ROI: $43.62 returned for every $1 spent Source: Direct Marketing Association 2009
Email is a powerful compliment to direct mail
Allows for more regular communication
Keeps supporters more informed and engaged
Allows for personalized/segmented messages
Trackability provides new insights
Reaches new people and raises awareness
Many of your supporters prefer and use email: 91% of Internet users between 18 and 64 send or read email. Source: Email
Stat Center
Email usage up 22% among 55-64 years old and up 28% among 65 and older. Source: The 2010 U.S. Digital Year in Review by comScore
Communications technology preferences continue to shift among donors of all ages with 69% now preferring electronic over print communication. There is more interest in receiving information electronically, particularly among donors 65 to 74. Source: Cygnus Donor Survey 2011
E-newsletters are the most important communication tool for nonprofits in 2011,
followed by website, direct mail, in-person events, Facebook, and
media relations/PR.
Source: 2011 Nonprofit Marketing Guide
7Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Engaging Newsletter Content
Have Relevant Content By Segmenting
What different groups of supporters do you communicate with?DonorsVolunteersBoard MembersEvent attendees
“80% of recipients Stop Reading emails they have
signed up for because they deem them Irrelevant.”
– Study by the Ad Agency Quris
Capture supporter information needed to segment your list and be relevant.
Use your sign up forms to let them identify themselves
Use surveys to know their interests and passions
What are their interests/preferences?Email/direct mail/social mediaFrequency preferenceEventsVolunteer opportunitiesCertain programsActivism
8Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Engaging Newsletter Content
Post list options that will tell you which group sign-ups fit in.
Just exploring your work, a volunteer, a donor, board member etc.
Lists/Segments
Use Your Newsletter Sign-up
Form to Segment
9Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Provide existing subscribers an email with a link to your sign-up form.
Don’t have a sign up box/form?
Use Constant Contact’s free customizable sign up box
and form:
Keep It Simple
Collecting email address, name and main interest will let you start sending engaging communications.
About 1/3 of nonprofits made it hard to subscribe.
– Return Path Nonprofit Study: Telling Stories, Building Relationships 2009
http://constantcontact.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/constantcontact.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1641
Once they click “submit” they are
automatically added into the list(s)
they selected.
Engaging Newsletter Content
Send within 24 hours of sign up to make an immediate connection There may be a delay in getting your next newsletter
Automatically sent out if using Constant Contact sign up form
You’ve been successfully subscribed to our informative
newsletter. Once a month we will keep you in the know of
environmental updates and opportunities for action.
Want to get updates even more specific to your
interests? Take a couple minutes to let us know your
interests and passions.
Use a Welcome Email to Learn More
Tips: Send the same survey to the people already on
your list to segment them. Good starting point - survey template: “Nonprofit
Pack – Donor/Volunteer Interests”
62% of nonprofits organizations started the relationships with subscribers off right by sending a welcome message.
90% sent them within 24 hours. Source: Return Path Study: Telling Stories, Building Relationships 2009
Include a link to a simple survey to know supporters’ interests and passions and quickly segment them
10Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Engaging Newsletter Content
Using the Results of Your Simple Subscriber Survey
Ask questions that will help you segment:
Which ways would you like the organization to communicate with you?
What frequency do you prefer?
Which programs are you most interested in?
Which types of information would you like to receive from our organization?
Responses are tallied for you with online surveys
Save people with similar interests as a separate list
Tip: You can easily filter on multiple responses to create more defined lists, for example:
One List = Those interested in Email channel, Program A, and Stories11Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Engaging Newsletter Content
Target Content to Your Segments
Create lists/groups with similar interests Supporters can add themselves through
your sign up form
You can add people from your survey
results
Send a newsletter to different groups based on their interests
Tips to keep it simple:
Create your general newsletter
Use the copy feature
Add in a block or two that is unique for each group or just re-prioritize the content
Re-creates your newsletter exactly and the copy is completely editable.
Duplicates are managed for you
12Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Engaging Newsletter Content: Customer Spotlight
Camp Ronald McDonald for Good TimesOpen Rate: 38.6%Website: campronaldmcdonald.org
■ Segmenting■ Segments their contacts into groups:
volunteer, donor, and supporter lists.
■ Tracking engagement■ Use reporting to see who the first person is to
open an email
■ Saving money and time■ Camp constituents love the nonprofits cost
savings on printing and staffing
■ Keeping supporters engaged
“We have 600 volunteers in our database, but they’re not all active. It’s a great way to keep
the information flowing out there.”
David Garry, Volunteer Coordinator
13Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Sending Newsletters That Engage
Getting the Frequency Right
How Often To Send
■ Your goal is to keep supporters engaged
■ At least quarterly
■ Updating supporters twice a year isn’t enough to keep them engaged and keep your organization top of mind
How frequently are other nonprofits emailing? #1 - Monthly (43%)
#2 - Every other week (17%)
#3 - Quarterly (16%)-2011 Nonprofit Marketing Guide
Tip: Do you have an 8 page newsletter that you send twice a year? Divide it into a quarterly, more timely email communication. Shorter communications are more likely to be read and shared.
■ Frequency should be driven by:
■ How often can you produce fresh, interesting, relevant content?
■ What your supporters groups want
■ How often do they want updates?
■ Use your subscriber survey to find out
14Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Frequency that Works
Tocqueville Society Email - Quarterly Tax Volunteers Email - Monthly
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Frequency that Works
Young Leaders Society Email - Twice Monthly Board of Directors Email – Monthly
16Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Content That Engages Supporters
Keep Track of Everyday Content
Listen to and keep a log of what donors/volunteers/board members are asking about.
Having a hard time getting good content?
Sign Up For Regular Content Feeds (RSS)
Sign up for a topic closely related to your mission –human rights, violence prevention, literacy, climate change, etc.
Creates a pool of content for articles in your newsletter
Examples – Twitter, Google, CNN, NPR
17Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Tip: How many times is the word YOU in your newsletter?
Listen via Twitter for valuable content Go to search.twitter.com, search on keyword
about your industry, organization or topic of interest.
Copyright © 2010 Constant Contact Inc.
Having a Hard Time Getting Content?
Make Your Newsletter Interactive
■ Insert Polls and share results
■ Insert a link to let them ask you questions
and have a “Q&A” section to answer
■ Insert a “Tell Us What You Want”
section
■ Ask what they like and don’t like
■ Include an option for them to sign up to be a
guest columnist
18
Content That Engages Supporters
Use Content You Already Have Connect your supporters with specific content on:
Website
Blog
Youtube channelVideo in email increase
clicks by 2-3 times (Forrester)
Video increases subscriber engagement by 20-200%. (Visible Gains)
Video results in a 75% reduction of opt-out rate. (Eloqua)
Facebook page
Those age 55 and up is the fastest growing segment of Facebookusers. (comScore 2010 U.S. Digital
Year in Review)
19Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Get started with social media
http://www.socialquickstarter.com
Can You Promote in Your Newsletter?
As long as you’re providing informational content, readers won’t mind some promotion.
What is a good balance?
Content That Engages Supporters
85% Informational15% Promotional
“When subscribers read about the new book in the newsletter, they forwarded it to others and helped us generate hundreds of pre-sales as well as connected us to professionals at the
local and state levels who could get this important book into the hands of foster children.”
- Michelle Lovejoy, Director of Community Education
C.A.S.E used their online newsletter to bring attention to its new book W.I.S.E. Up! For
children in foster care.
20Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
“Over-solicitation” was the second most-reported reason why donors stop giving (32%). – Cygnus Donor Survey 2011
Content That Engages Supporters
Easily Identify What Content is Working and What Content Is Not
Ask Supporters for Feedback
■ Ask supporters what they like
■ Ask supporters what they don’t like
Tip: Good starting point - survey template: “Nonprofit Pack –Newsletter Feedback”
Use the Results of Your Clicks Report
Click to see who clicked on a link and easily create lists of people with similar interests.
Identify hot topics
21Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Newsletter Design Tips that Drive Response
Benefits of Providing Engaging Content
1. Increases awareness of your organization
2. Grows your list
Make it Easy for Subscribers to Share the Information Place “Forward” links/buttons near the Top of the newsletter
Place “Share” bar at the Top of the newsletter
Make It Easy For Friends to Sign Up Have a visible “Sign up” box in your newsletter
Make Your Newsletters Go Viral
Allows your subscribers who are on social media to share the information with their social networks.
22Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Newsletter Design Tips that Drive Response
■ Table of Contents
■ Education focused
■ Encourages forwards
■ Encourages Sign ups
Most nonprofits are using viral components in their emails.
Source: Return Path Nonprofit Study -Telling Stories, Building Relationships 2009
Make your Newsletters Go Viral
23Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Design Guidelines-Personalization
Quickly Include Personalization
What information do you have beyond email address? City and State
Event in city
First Name
Name
City
Level of membership
Amount last donated
Program of interest
Name of event they attended
How long they have been a supporter
24Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Newsletter Design Tips that Drive Response
Use Hot Spots
Top left and right corners generally
have the highest click rates.
Bottom – after reading the valuable content, feature more information about your programs and options to support your mission.
Test different layouts with your audience. They may have a different behavior than you expected.
25Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Newsletter Design Tips that Drive Response
Make it an easy read
■ Use one or two columns (depending on amount of content)
■ Ideal number of articles is up to 5
■ Have visual separation between topics
■ Borders between each section
■ Use headlines
■ Include bolding and bullets
■ Add links
■ Say just enough to get the reader interested, then use links.
Users spend 51 seconds reading the average newsletter.
– Nielsen Norman Group Report: Email Newsletter Usability
How much are you saying?
26Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Newsletter Design Tips that Drive Response
Use teaser paragraphs and link to the full content stored somewhere else.
■ On your blog or Facebook business page
■ On your website (just as easy as adding an image)
Content on a page of your site
Word or PDF document hosted on your site
■ On another website (e.g. CNN)
■ Document hosted online (e.g. Constant Contact)
Keep it Short By Adding Links
When readers click they will see a new window with the webpage or document you choose.
Benefits of adding links:1. Easy to read2. Could drives traffic to your website3. Provides tracking – the clicks
report tells you who is clicking on what links!
27Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Newsletter Design Tips that Drive Response
NoHo Arts District
■ Good use of headers, bolding and links to assist with scanning
■ Two column layout to minimize scrolling
■ Table of contents helps with quick navigation
■ Clean white look and visual separation between each article
28Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Newsletter Design Tips that Drive Response
Give supporters the option to see Past Issues.
Including Links in Your Newsletter
Don’t miss an opportunity to get supporters to your website.
Make images clickable
Especially your logo
29Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Newsletter Design Tips that Drive Response
Accommodate Mobile Phones
Email remains the #1 activity on mobile devices increasing 41.6% in 2010. Source: Nielsen Net View
View on “Mobile Device” receives an average of 9% of email clicks. Source: Worldata Email usage Study Q4 2010
30Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Created for you
You can Preview and Edit just the text version
Optimize the text version
– Make sure your Organization Name immediately appears
– Shorten up long URLs
– Free URL shortener: bitly.com
Newsletter Design Tips that Drive Response
Optimize the Text Version
The text version is likely seen by about 15% of your list.
– Return Path 2007
31Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Getting Into The Inbox
Engagement with Standard Email Programs(e.g. Outlook, Hotmail)
■ Not designed for sending to groups of people
■ Small nonprofits can’t build the sending reputation needed for high deliverability
Typical block rate: Nearly 21% of B to C email is not
delivered to the inbox Nearly 28% of B to B email is not
delivered to the inbox
Source: The Email Deliverability Benchmark Report, 2009 Return Path
■ No privacy of “To” line■ No control of Look/Feel
■ No Tracking – don’t know who is reading/engaging and with what content
■ Have to manually handle unsubscribes■ Bounces are not easy to track or manage
32Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Designed to send to large groups of
people
High deliverability – a whole team dedicated to a strong sender reputation
Getting into the Inbox
Engagement with Email Service Providers (e.g. Constant Contact)
Personalized one-to-one feel Branded, design is visually engaging,
easier to read Can track opens and click throughs
and adjust content accordingly Unsubscribes managed for you Bounces categorized and easy to
manage
Typical delivery: Constant Contact sends over 2
billion emails a month 97% or higher deliverability
33Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Getting into The Inbox
Avoid the Bulk/Junk Folder
Determine spam-like content before sending- Use the Spam Check feature
Ask subscribers to White List you
All capital letters in subject lineExcessive punctuation in subject lineATTACHMENTSExcessive ratio of IMAGES to text Red textExcessive use of “click here”Excessive use of $$ and other symbols
Things to
Avoid
Add our address
[email protected] to your
address book to make sure you
receive our informative updates.
34Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Getting Your Newsletter Opened
The “From” Line – Use a Familiar From Name
■ Use what will be most recognizable
■ Organization name, campaign, initiative, acronym
■ May vary by the group you’re sending to
■ Shorter is better
■ Be consistent
60% of consumers say the
"from" line most often
determines whether they
open an email or delete it.
Source: DoubleClick
Habitat For Humanity 7 Shovels Needed By Saturday
Create Now Nathalie’ Story: Art Changed Her Bad
United Way Young Leaders Happy Hour
John Smith Donate Today!!!
Charities R Us Volunteers Needed
35Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
36
Getting Your Newsletter Opened
Some email programsdisplay From name + email
Some email programsDisplay From email only
The “From” Line – Use a Familiar From Email Address
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Getting Your Newsletter Opened
The “Subject” line
■ Keep it short and simple
■ 5-8 words
■ Carry through the most important topic for each group
30% of consumers say the
“subject" line most often
determines whether they
open an email or delete it.
Source: DoubleClick
Habitat For Humanity 7 Shovels Needed By Saturday
Create Now Nathalie’ Story: Art Changed Her Bad
United Way Young Leaders Happy Hour
John Smith Donate Today!!!
Charities R Us Volunteers Needed
Before: Go Green Association Newsletter
After: How to Live in Harmony with Backyard Wildlife
37Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Getting Your Newsletter Opened
Design for the Preview Pane
Maximize the top 2 – 4 inches
■ Use your brand
Visible logo and colors
■ Prevent scrolling left/right Width = 600 pixels
■ Have an headline/image to pull readers in
■ Have a Table of Contents Use as Anchor Tags to pull
them down
Re-word / add short
descriptions
33% of online customers use Preview Panes to view emails. - Marketing Sherpa 2008
38Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Getting Your Newsletter Opened
Clear Branding – logo, colors, organization name
Clear tagline
Table of Contents
39Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Before You Send Your Newsletter
Send A Test For Feedback
■ Is it going into the bulk folder?■ Avoiding spam like content / design
■ Is it clear who it is from?
■ Would you open it?
■ Do the links work?
■ How does the text version look?■ Shorten long URLs
Send Final Version To Staff First
■ Reminds your team of the content and when it is going out
■ Team can be ready for responses
40Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Nonprofit Customer Spotlight: Before and After Newsletter
41
Friends of the ParksImproving Chicago’s Parks since 1975http://fotp.org/
The After: Recognizable from area Relevant subject line Two columns to fit more into the preview pane Image to pull the reader in More descriptive links Forward to friend button
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Checklist: Before You Send Your Newsletter…
Did you include your logo at the top of your email?
Does your organization name appear in text at the top of your email?
Are you using consistent background colors?
Does a clear headline appear in the preview pane?
Does a table of contents appear in the preview pane?
Did you include text descriptions for all of your images?
Did you make your images clickable?
Do you have a link to view your email as a webpage?
Did you ask your audience to add your email address to their address book?
Did you limit your email to up to 5 topics?
Did you use teaser paragraphs and include links to the rest of the content?
Did you include personalization and the word you?
Is there something that can better be expressed using a video?
Do you have forward to a friend, subscribe and share buttons in your email?
Did you avoid spam-like content with the spam checker?
Does your subject line highlight the most engaging content in the email?
Is your “from name” recognizable?
Did you preview the text version of your newsletter?42Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Extend the Life of Your Newsletter
Share Your Newsletter On Your Social Media Pages
Once you have sent your newsletter share it on your social media sites.
43Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Nonprofit Newsletter Metrics
Tracking Supporter Engagement
Constant Contact’s Nonprofit Customer Averages
(all message types)
Open Rate – 20% Click Through Rate – 12.3%
Source: 2011 Convio Online Marketing Nonprofit Benchmark Index Study44Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Nonprofit Newsletter Metrics
45
Tracking Supporter Engagement
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Nonprofit Newsletter Metrics
Tracking Engagement Trends
Quickly compare your current newsletter metrics to your past newsletters.
46Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Nonprofit Newsletter Metrics
Using Engagement Trends To Improve Future Results
Compare open and click rates Which were the most/least successful?
Print out your best and worst performing newsletters What do they have in common?
Does your audience respond better to certain content, layouts, times? If you find that all the newsletters you’ve sent with “How To” articles had high click
rates, design future emails using that lesson.
Test ONE thing at a time
Subject Lines, headlines, link text, format, design - determine what best engages
your supporters
47Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
The Key to Newsletters
Have the Right Mindset
Informative newsletters to supporters:
Strengthen their connection to your organization
Increase retention
Increase support
Connected supporters generate referrals!
Remember: Newsletters are to inform, not to just get action.
It takes an average of 7 touches before an action occurs.
48Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
New supporters cost 10 times more than keeping existing ones.
Keeping existing supporters engaged is where the real payoff comes.
Join a Constant Contact expert and other nonprofits live to see how easy it is to create a professional-looking email newsletter, manage contacts, track results, as well as send your newsletter, and extend its social reach.
http://conta.cc/NPEMSlideTour
Your Next Best Steps
Register for Constant Contact’s “Email Marketing Live Tour”
Sign up for a free, 60-day trial of Constant Contact Email Marketing
Constant Contact has worked with over 100,000 nonprofits. Get free coaching and support, grow your email list, access over 400+ templates, and measure and track results.
http://conta.cc/NPEMSlide
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60-Day TrialEmail Marketing
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Have Questions?
We’re happy to help!
Toll-free: 866-876-8464
Bonus Content –Getting Supporters
Signed Up…
Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc. 49
Get Supporters Signed Up
Include Your E-Newsletter Signup Form Link Everywhere
Website pagesDonation confirmation pagesThank you lettersPaper newslettersSocial media sitesCurrent email newslettersSignup forms at eventsStaff’s email signature
76% of nonprofits placed the sign up form on the homepage. – Return Path Study:
Telling Stories, Building Relationships 2009
CONFIDENTIAL Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Email Signature
50
Website
Newsletter
Tip: Free customizable sign up box and form from Constant Contact - http://constantcontact.custhelp.com/cgi-
bin/constantcontact.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1641
Get Supporters Signed Up
Use Your Facebook Business Page
Add your own “Join our List” tab to continue the relationship through email
- Step by step directions for tab: http://constantcontact.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/constantcontact.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2620
Write a post encouraging supporters to sign up with a link to your sign up form.
74% Non-profits maintain a presence on Facebook; Associations 55%.-Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report, 2009
51Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.
Nonprofit Newsletter Metrics
Tracking List Growth
Median annual list growth for nonprofit sector
20%
Source: 2011 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study
Tip: Sign up for a report
52Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact Inc.