What do donate buttons, click-thru rates, banners and list churn have in common? You need to know what these terms mean, and why they matter, if you’re implementing or managing email fundraising for your charity.
This speedy session will provide an overview of the ins and outs, both back end and front end, of how to set up and manage an email fundraising program. Starting with the anatomy of an email, we’ll review different types of emails (focusing on fundraising, advocacy and newsletters), how they can function and complement your existing fundraising/communications program, and share an overview of benchmarks and best practices. Then, we’ll hone in on a series of fundraising email case studies to show how email can function effectively in a variety of organizations at all different stages of program sophistication and maturity.
More than just a donate button: The anatomy of successful email fundraising campaigns
1. Holly Wagg, CFRE
Philanthropic Counsel
@hollywagg
blog.goodworksco.ca
More than just a
donate button:
The anatomy of successful
email fundraising campaigns
3. If I can just add a
button I’m
confident that donations
will pour in!
www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
4. 1. Back end and front end of how to set up and
manage an email fundraising campaign
2. Anatomy of an email
3. Analytics and success benchmarks
4. Emails in action
www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
LEarn
5. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
EmAil Matters
10-25% annual revenue online
65% of people made an online gift in 2012
33% online gifts sourced to email
7. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Integrate
Response rate
Average gift
Long-term/
life-time value of donors
flickr@rob_fuel
8. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Integrate
1% total file
up to 50%
segment
Direct mail $40
Online $60-$93
?
response rate
average gift
value
9. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
ESP to CRM
Net Community
Luminate
Send bulk email Email fully integrated with donor data
10. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Lists
1. Build your own list
2. Acquire online names
3. Cross promotion
11. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Front End
Social sharing icons
Banner
Template (columns)
Donate button
14. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Benchmarks
14% -> 13%
1.7% -> 0.42%
*benchmarks from 2013 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study from M+R and NTEN
0.21%
15. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Metrics That Matter
* benchmarks from 2013 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study from M+R and NTEN
1. List size
2. Growth rate
3. List churn
4. Response/conversion rate
5. Amount raised per email/annually
6. ROI
15%
16%
0.07% – 0.16%
16. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Future Metrics That Will Matter
1. Inbox placement rate
2. Open by device
3. Read rate
20. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
When Should I send my email?
Tues – Wed - Thurs
*Old school, but sorta safe, if
most of your list uses a desktop
21. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
When Should I send my email?
*http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225266
*http://visual.ly/best-and-worst-time-send-emails
A slightly more
modern perspective,
but really, you should
test this
22. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
How Often
On average, charities send roughly 4 emails
per month
* Image from 2013 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study from M+R and NTEN
23. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Open My email, pretty please!
Best subject lines -
• No longer than 50 characters
• No spammy words
• Describe what your email is about
24. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
4 ‘U’ of Subject Lines
* Brian Clark, Copyblogger
1. Be USEFUL to the reader
2. Provide a sense of URGENCY
3. Convey the idea that the main benefit is
somehow UNIQUE
4. Do all of the above in an ULTRA-SPECIFIC
way
25. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Subject Line Examples
*35 Email Subject Lines…, Philanthropy for All
• What an ipad means for Autism
• How to end poverty
• What the future holds for U of T grads
• How can save a platypus today
• What dogs and sunshine have in common
26. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Design Matters
fold
banner 600px wide
font
body copy
11pt+ sans serif
Header copy
12pt+ sans serif
or serif
27. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Design Crimes
• Don’t underline unless it’s a hyperlink
• Too many different fonts
• Too many colours
• CAPS, italics, Bold, Reverse out
28. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Tip! Alt Tags are Awesome
Tip courtesy of Marc Pitman, Fundraising Coach.com
29. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Copy Writing
Donor is hero
= you
One to one
conversation
More on storytelling at
blog.goodworksco.ca
30. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Copy Writing
1. The more you type, the less people read
2. Keep it conversational
3. One email = one message/action
4. Call to action above the fold and standalone
32. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Before you hit Send
1. Do all your links work?
2. Do you have a plain text version (and is it the
same as your html version)?
3. Do you have alt tags on images?
4. Do your pictures have links and are they going
to the right place?
5. If your email is personalized, have you
checked your merge fields?
6. Have you tested in multiple inbox clients?
34. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
A/b Testing
50/50 split or 10/10/80
Design elements
Page layout
Multi-step forms
Video
CTA positioning
Images
Offer elements
Price points
Ask string
Default ask
Premiums
Call to action
Communications strategies
Timing
Frequency
Content
Cross-channel
Persuasion assets
Achievements
Subject lines
Copy
Testimonials
Benefits
Hugh Dwyer, Jacob Colie and Tom Williamson, A/B Testing – can you afford not to? #13NTCab
35. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Mobile
• Mobile template or
decrease width 500px
• Shorten subject line
• Use preheader copy
• Shorten copy and split
paragraphs
36. www.goodworksco.ca | @hollywagg | holly@goodworksco.ca
Mobile
• Increase text size
• Give links room to
breathe
• Include better photos
• Keep emails under
102KB
Mike Snusz, NPengage.com