Thank You Email

Within days of attending a March of Dimes Walk in Des Moines, Iowa, I got the following thank you email.  The organizers kept it very simple and still answered every question I had and thanked their sponsors.  It is so nice getting an email with the overall amount raised - sometimes it takes organizations so long to pull this information together and the participants forget to go back to the website to check out the results.  I loved how they advertised their facebook page and gave us a place to go for photos.  Good job, March of Dimes!

Hello!

THANK YOU for walking with us at Des Moines March for Babies! We are happy to announce that because of your efforts, the campaign raised $297,000! Great job, everyone!!

Your generosity and dedication amazes us and we are grateful to have your support.

• If you have any donations or matching gift forms that need to be turned in, please send them to March of Dimes, 2910 Westown Pkwy., Ste. 301 and attach a note with the walker and/or team name so that we can make sure you get credit.
• The website is still active for any of your donors who wanted to make a credit card/PayPal donation but didn’t get to before the walk. Also, the iPad giveaway will continue until June 1.
• Don’t forget to like us on facebook, we’ll be posting pictures to our page (and we’ll probably need help tagging everyone! J)

Finally, a big thank you to our major sponsors: Aviva USA, Citi, Farmers Insurance, Iowa Health-Des Moines, Mercy Medical Center, American Republic Insurance, MetaBank and Sammons Financial Group; our ambassador family, The Sklenar Family; and our in-kind sponsors Iowa Pork Producers, Atlantic Bottling Company, Dahl’s, Pepsi Americas and The Wittern Group!

Thank you so much for bringing us closer to the day when all babies are born healthy. Have a fantastic day!

Heather & Lora 

7 Post Event Email Sins

Post by: Jeff Shuck, Event360

This morning, when I opened my email, the first two messages I read were transactional emails (emails facilitating, competing or confirming a previously agreed upon transaction). The first was a post-event email from a fundraising walk I had registered for, and the second was from an airline about a recent flight I had taken. The email from the airline had a compelling subject line, excellent personalization, interesting content, a strong call-to-action, strategic use of graphic design, and easy to find social icons. The event email, well, didn't.

1. The Subject Line: "Thanks for your participation" just doesn't cut it as a compelling subject line--after all, the subject line is arguably the most important part of your email because it gauges interest (open rates are a measure of reader interest). If your email service provider supports A/B testing, then go ahead and test two options in your subject line to find what resonates: a) describe the email content using clear, succinct, descriptive language; and, b) use a deadline, appeal to emotions, or use a specific call to action.
2. Personalization: There's really no excuse for emails that begin with "Dear Supporter."  At the very least, you should use a personal greeting, but don't stop there. Think about other personal details you might be able to drop into your email. for example, try segmenting your list by gender, geography or anything else you know about your event participants, so you can personalize the content based on the people to whom you’re sending.
3. No Mission Message: Your post-event email communications are a great opportunity to reinforce your mission with short, memorable messages that convey your organization's mission. Here's an example: Every year, more than 120,000 babies in the U.S. are born with birth defects. The causes of about 70% of these are unknown. To find answers, the March of Dimes invests millions of dollars annually in research to discover ways to prevent birth defects that can disable a child for a lifetime.
4. Word Count: Your post-event emails should have a clear purpose and should be written in your organization's unique voice. In this case, the airline message was 110 words of engaging content while the event email was over 300 words of dry content (Footnote: in the retail sector, the average word count for repeat promotional emails is only 235 words).
5. Fundraising Ask: This was a fundraising event, and yet the post-event email had no fundraising ask. Considering it's December and that the majority of event participants raise no money, shouldn't you be asking for a self-donation, or reminding people it's not too late to fundraiser?
6. Design: Yes, your emails should be aesthetically pleasing, but most importantly they should be designed toward your ultimate goal. For example, what do you want your event participants to do with your email: read it, click through to the website, donate, register for next year, or share your email? And how are you going to measure success: open rate, click rate, conversion rate, or sharethis tracking? Bottom line: Consider allocating a small percentage of your marketing budget to email design testing and optimization--it has increased click-through rates by as much as 26% in some studies.
7. Rendering: Proper email rendering is key, as email recipients tend to view your email in five separate stages—judging each one individually before deciding whether to move on. They are:
   • From Name: Your email fights for attention in a crowded inbox, and according to the Email Sender and Provider Coalition (ESPC), 73% of subscribers click “Report Spam” or “Report Junk” based on the content of the ‘from’ field.
   • Subject Line: After weighing the appropriateness of your ‘from’ address, subscribers then move their attention to your subject line. The ESPC notes that 69% of subscribers base their decision to send your message to the spam folder on the subject line.
   • Preview Pane:Your email doesn't necessarily have to be open for your recipients to view the content. When present, many recipients use preview panes to get a quick look at your message before opening. As such, it’s important to make sure your call-to-action is visible in the preview pane.
   • Opened Email (Pre-Scroll): So, your recipient clicks on your email and it opens in a new window. But how many of those recipients view the entire email including the content “below the fold?” The answer is surprisingly few.
   • View Full Email: You've enticed your recipient to view your entire email, but what will they see when reading your entire message? Nielsen Norman Group’s usability study determined that users, once engaged, spend an average of 51 seconds on each newsletter in their inbox. With such a short time frame, how do you want your subscribers spending their time?

Every time you send an email to your event participants, you are competing with hundreds of other emails--many of which are communicating something new, relevant, believable, differentiating, and emotional. What are you doing to stand out?

For more on this topic, read Jeff Shuck's blog on how to implement simple segmentation strategies.

Vital Forgotten Emails

By; Katya Andresen

When someone signs up to receive emails from you, what’s the first thing you send?  Do you just add them to your e-newsletter distribution?  Or do you actually welcome them?

Don’t neglect the most important emails - the first ones you send! 

My colleagues Allison Schwalm and Caryn Stein have created a nifty mini-guide (free with registration) that provides all the details on how to do this right.  Read the whole guide here, and remember their advice:

A welcome series is a sequence of 2-3 simple, personal email messages (a plus if you’re able to automate them!) that a constituent receives over the course of their first few weeks on your email list, educating them about your organization, its programs, and ways to get involved and stay connected. Executed thoughtfully, a welcome series can help you give new constituent relationships the personal attention they need (before asking for donations to your organization) without a huge resource commitment.

Include:

A personal greeting from the voice of your organization:  This could be your organization’s Executive Director, a staff member that works in your development department or a celebrity spokesperson. (Quick tip: Tread lightly with your spokesperson. Constituents want to talk to someone that relates to them on an ongoing basis not just a talking head.) This email will highlight the state of your organization and with educate the new constituents about what your organization does and the people or community that you serve. Focus on educating your new constituents and reminding them what they signed up for. Reinforce benefits and set expectations about what your constituents will receive and how often.

Highlight specific ways your constituents can get involved: Have really great programs geared toward families? Looking for volunteers for your homeless ministry? Planning a gala dinner and recruiting committee members? In your second welcome message, place emphasis on educating newcomers on ways to get involved or highlighting the value of being a supporter. Mentioning upcoming events will also give new constituents a chance to meet your staff in person and will likely increase their level of involvement with your organization.

Provide other ways to engage with your organization: Tell them about the ways they can connect with your staff through Facebook or Twitter (Want to learn more about engaging donors with these tools? Check out the also free guide: Woo and Wow Your Donors with Social Media). Do you post great videos that are super sharable? Include a link to Your YouTube channel.

This is great advice for getting started.  For more, check out the full mini-guide here.  Or check out the on-demand webinar on the topic here.

Stressin' Over Your Event Goals?

Does your event goal have you thinking…ugh?

Posted by Amy Braiterman 

If so, no worries, we’ve all felt that the feeling of “ugh… followed by one question… how am I ever going to raise that?”

Here’s my trick.  Forgot about the overall fundraising goal and instead create monthly goals for yourself. Fundraising is a lot like weight loss. Trying to lose 20 pounds can be overwhelming and frustrating.  Nutritionists and trainers will always tell you to stop focusing on your total goal and focus on weekly goals.  Stop thinking about 20 pounds and focus on losing 2 pounds, with the right plan 2 pounds will become 20.

Fundraising works the same way.  Instead of focusing on your $100,000 event goal, ask yourself what do I need to raise this month to eventually reach my goal?

A good way to answer this question is to look at last year’s revenue report.  You’ll notice several revenue peaks and valleys.  For example if you’re event is Oct 1^st, then August and September are your most profitable pre-event months.  And, maybe you ran fundraising contest in May, which makes May another peak month. Below is a sample breakdown of last year’s event revenue.  I’ve included the month, event activity and amount raised.

April	May	June	July	August	September	October
Event Reg Opens	Fundraising contest			Fundraising contest	Fundraising contest	EVENT!
$2,000	$10,000	$5,000	$5,000	$20,000	$25,000	$33,000

Now that you have a breakdown of what you raised per-month last year, you can use this as a guide for this year.  The bulk of the revenue is going to be raised in the last few months leading up to the event. Instead of just waiting around till August for the dollars to roll in, begin brainstorming ideas for increasing April-July revenue.  What activities or contests can you run in the early months to encourage fundraising? 

Maybe have a team captain only event at your office, make it exclusive so team captains feel special and appreciated.  At the event, spend time teaching team captains about team building and motivating team members to fundraise. Or, how about a special Early Bird fundraising contest?  Create a 4 week contest and at the end of the contest, raffle off a big prize.  Usually big prizes are given away closer to the event, but make your Early Birds feel special by offering them exclusive opportunities.

Tip: It’s often not what you’re giving away that will get an individual excited, but it’s how you market the giveaway.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we all want that exclusive invite or that special prize.  It’s human nature. Use this to your advantage when creating text for your website, emails and social network posts.

If your team recruitment goals have you stressed.  Use this same method for team recruitment.  Breaking down large numbers into more manageable goals can help alleviate some of the stress that comes with fundraising.

This trick always helped me.  Once I was able to stop stressing about my revenue goals, I was able to get creative and have fun.  We spend a ton of time at work, so make it fun.  I would not only create contests for my participants, but for myself as well.  Maybe I’ll share those on another post.

Morale of the post is: don’t stess.  It doesn’t help anyone.  Instead of stressing about your goals, focus on creating a plan to achieve your goals.

7 Steps to Increase Your Open Rates

7 Ways to get better response rates to your e-news

By: Katya Andresen

Blog reader Marla Grant of the Florida Blood Services Foundation recently sent me a copy of her newsletters (you can see them here), which are chock-a-block with great stories. She was wondering how to increase donations through this email outreach, and kindly agreed to my sharing my advice as a post.

Here are my 7 ideas for better response rates.

1. Have a subject line that makes you want to read more.  My friend Kivi Leroux Miller talks about bad subject lines being a wrapper (example: September Diabetes eNews) and good subject lines being the candy in the wrapper (example: 6 ways to manage your diabetes).  Make it interesting, so people open the message in the first place.

2. Start with story that’s compelling and relevant to the reader.  Here is where Marla’s organization is hitting it out of the park.  Her newsletters are full of moving stories that are personal and highly relevant to the reader.  But there are a lot of them!  Which brings me to my next point…

3. Say less.  A lot less.  An e-newsletter needs to be far, far shorter than what you’d send in print.  Anything over 500 words is really pushing it, in my view.  If you must have multiple stories, just provide the first part of each and link to the rest.  Remember, people tend to be in a hurry in their inbox and they skim more than they read.  The newsletters Marla sent have great content - but so much of it, it’s hard to absorb and unclear where to focus first.  I’m speaking from experience. The number one compliment I get on this blog from people who subscribe via email is that it’s short, with one main concept each time.  (I take this as a compliment!)

4. Go easy on the eyes.  Just as you want to be short and sweet in email, you want to go easy on the eyes—go for uncluttered, easy to read messages.  Too many articles and sidebars and buttons and images will overwhelm the reader and lower your conversion rates drastically.

5. Ask for one thing.  Be clear about the purpose of each piece of email outreach.  Is it a thank-you full of stories of change and transformation?  Is it a fundraising appeal?  Is it to inspire involvement in an event?  You want your e-news to have a focus and one clear call to action.  Tightly sticking to a theme and reducing the options for action to one (or at most two) will boost response rates.  Too many options, just like too much information, really hurts conversion.

6. Ask explicitly. Are you directly and clearly asking for action? A Donate button off to the side isn’t enough if the goal of the e-news is to raise money.  Ask in the text too.

7. Provide multiple, obvious links for the same action.  Make it incredibly easy for people to act by including links throughout the text and on buttons.  The more obvious, the better the conversion.
Good luck!

Thanking Online Donors with Better Emails

Article by Joanne Fritz

I missed Lisa Sargent's webinar for Network for Good last month. Luckily, Lisa sent the link to her slide deck in her recent newsletter.

The webinar was all about how to thank donors by email when they give online. And Lisa's presentation is the most thorough dissection of the email thanking process that I've seen.

Some charities have just flipped off their email thank yous as though they really aren't that important. And some charities have been at sea, wanting to do the right thing but just not sure what that might be.

If your organization is in either of those categories, then make sure you look at Lisa's slides. They are self-explanatory and well worth your time.

Lisa boils the fundamentals down to these simple actions:

• Your "From" line should state clearly who you are. Nothing cryptic here. State your org's name.
• Your "Subject" line should tell the donor what this email is about, in 45 characters or less.
• Personalize the salutation, as in "Dear Ms Fritz." Always attentive to detail, Lisa points out that a comma after the salutation is better than a colon...friendlier, less business like.
• Make the opening lines as engaging as possible...maybe a story or exactly what the donation will accomplish.
• Give contact information so the donor can find out more or contact a real person.
• Tell the donor when he or she will hear from your organization next. A newsletter perhaps?
• Have someone important sign the email...to show how valuable and appreciated the donor is to your charity. Including a photo of that person is a great touch.
• Link to something that the donor can interact with right now -- a video, your website, your Facebook page.
• Include a P.S.--postscripts have been drilled into fundraisers for direct mail appeals, so don't leave it out now. People do and will read it. Provide more thanks, an invitation to do something more, or link to a useful resource.

It's all simple and doable. Thanks to Lisa for developing a framework that any charity can build on.

Go look at How to Write Thank-You Emails That Inspire for more ideas, examples, and a perfect homework assignment.

How Do You Stack Up?

In it to End it!

Thought this was a pretty good email campaign from the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  They have a pretty catchy slogan they use - IN IT TO END IT!  Straight to the point, I like it.  They also use great photos.  How could you not want to join those two ladies below?  They are having a blast!  Avon does a good job of throwing in fast facts - every 3 minutes, there is a new diagnosis in the US, 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer, men can get it too.  All important messages that inspire people to act.

What do you think?  Will Avon benefit the most from Susan G Komen's downfall earlier this year?  Or perhaps the American Cancer Society?  Or will Komen come back stronger than ever?

Excited to see how the breast cancer field plays out this year...

REGISTER NOW / LEARN MORE / FUNDRAISING / TRAINING / EVENT INFO

EVERY 3 MINUTES! ARE YOU IN IT TO END IT? Every 3 minutes, there is a new diagnosis of invasive breast cancer in the United States. Perhaps you, or someone you love, have sadly been a part of this statistic. If not, there is a good chance that all of us will know someone affected by breast cancer in our lifetime. This is exactly why the Avon Foundation for Women created theAvon Walk for Breast Cancer 10 years ago. And it's exactly why we are inviting you to be IN IT TO END IT with us in 2012! For 2 days and 39 miles, we'll walk side-by-side and keep the momentum going. The critical funds we raise will allow more promising research initiatives to be funded, more low-income women to receive mammograms, and more under-insured breast cancer patients to get the care they need. A woman has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime. And, yes, men can get breast cancer, too! To help you take your first step and register for a 2012 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, we'd like to offer you a reduced registration fee for a limited time only. From now until April 15, 2012, you can register as a Walker or Crew member for only $55 (a $10 discount from the 2012 registration fee of $65). Register online now at avonwalk.org and use Promotion CodeENDIT2012. Or, register over the phone by calling 888-410-WALK. Choose an Avon Walk near you, or make it a destination weekend for you and your friends or family! 2012 Walk Weekends Houston April 21-22 Washington, D.C. May 5-6 Boston May 19-20 Chicago June 2-3 Rocky Mountains June 23-24 San Francisco July 7-8 Santa Barbara September 22-23 New York October 20-21 Charlotte October 27-28 Every 13 minutes, a life is lost to breast cancer in the U.S. The critical funds raised by participants in the Avon Walk events are put to work to advance access to care and find a cure for breast cancer. We are touching literally millions of lives. Read more about how the funds you raise help both your Avon Walk city and local communities across the nation. We can't continue our work without people like you. Register today! And join us for a life-changing weekend. This special registration fee is for a limited time only and will end April 15, 2012. Make your commitment today and join us. Together we'll show the world what thousands of determined hearts can do. We look forward to seeing you soon! Remember, early detection helps save lives. Get a mammogram. Perform monthly breast self-exams. Talk to your doctor about your risk. And encourage women around you to do the same. Don't forget, men can get breast cancer, too. For breast cancer information and resources, visit cancer.org or avonfoundation.org.	5,261,811 MILES WALKED Just how far would Avon Walkers go to end breast cancer? In the first 9 years, they've collectively gone around the globe more than 201 times.
AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER
About the Avon Foundation for Women and the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer The Avon Foundation for Women, a 501(c)3 public charity, has been improving and saving women's lives since it was founded in 1955, and we are proud to be the largest corporate philanthropy dedicated to women's causes globally. Today our mission is focused on breast cancer and domestic violence, as well as emergency and disaster relief, touching lives across the country and around the world. By the end of this year, Avon global philanthropy will have raised and donated more than $860 million worldwide. The Avon Breast Cancer Crusade marks its 20th anniversary in 2012 and more than $740 million has been raised and awarded in more than 50 countries to advance access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer, with a focus on the medically underserved. Funding supports awareness and education, screening and diagnosis, access to treatment, support services, and scientific research. Beneficiaries range from leading cancer centers to community-based non-profit breast health programs, creating a powerful network focused on eradicating breast cancer and ensuring access to care. Funds are raised through a variety of "pink ribbon" product sales, and events, races and walks. The largest fundraising program benefiting the Crusade is the U.S. Avon Walk for Breast Cancer event series, which began in 2003 and has raised more than $422 million to date. For more information on the Avon Foundation for Women visit www.avonfoundation.org. You are receiving this e-mail because you have requested information about the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. If you would like to stop receiving our e-mails, unsubscribe. Contact Info: Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10105-0196. 1-888-540-9255

Pay for Shipping?

Operation Smile continues to impress me.  Today's email campaign is trying to get donors to donate specifically to pay for shipping costs.  Shipping costs!?!?  Obviously, shipping costs are not usually something that is very glamorous or a campaign that donors typically gravitate to, but let's face it, it's a necessity in order to do what they do.  I love the way they worded things... simple and straight to the point.  Seems silly not to help them out, right?

Tell a friend

Katie, Help Ship 8X the Medical Supplies Every $1 that you give today helps ship $8 worth of life changing medical supplies.  Our volunteer surgeons are ready. Our corporate partners have already donated essential medical equipment and supplies. But, we need YOUR help to ship them, so we can forever transform the lives of children like Junior. Help other children like Junior from Honduras.

Become a Member

Another quality e-campaign from Operation Smile.  They are now asking individuals to join their team.  After making a gift of $20, $60, or whatever you are able to give, you will be emailed your very own certificate that you can download and print off.  Below it lists off two things they are hoping to do this year with your continued support.

Is being a member anything special?  No, not really.  In fact, is it really just a marketing ploy to get you to make a donation?  Yes.  But, they are continually finding unique ways to make people feel special... and apart of the team.  Very well done in my opinion - it grabs your attention and makes you want to be included.  It's got to be more effective than your everyday "Donate Now" email.  Props to Operation Smile for changing things up and trying new things.

Also, please notice their constant integration with social media and sharing.

Tell a friend

Katie, save children's lives.Join the Operation Smile Team today. Become an Operation Smile team member today and print out this personalized certificate. Please join the Operation Smile team today and help save lives and provide more smiles in the new year! So many boys and girls born with clefts are depending on us. They are lonely. Hurting. Some may even die from abandonment or malnourishment. All because their parents can't afford the surgery they need. Join the Operation Smile Team now with a gift of $20, $60 or whatever you can give. Commit to change a child's life this year. With your support, this is what you can help make possible in 2012. 160 medical missions. 20,000 surgeries. As a member of our team during 2012, you'll help provide 20,000 corrective facial surgeries for children in Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India and other countries worldwide. Join now. Life-saving care all year long. With your continued support we'll open more Comprehensive Care Centers this year. We'll also train hundreds of doctors and nurses in our partner countries so they can help children in their own communities all year long.

Please help now. A child is waiting.

4 Marketing Facts for 2012

4 marketing facts for 2012

ClickZ has some excellent marketing trends to share.  The whole story is here, but if you don’t have time to read it, I offer these highlights:

1. Email is still the best way to reach most people, so focus on building your lists in 2012.

2. Consumers are “device indifferent,” meaning they are using many forms of technology.  You need to think about how to reach them wherever they are - and that means coordinated outreach across different types of technology, including mobile (phones and tablets).



3. Social media has come of age and it requires the same approach - integrated with other forms of outreach.



4. Content remains king.  If you want people to care, give them great information, stories and pictures. Outreach in any form is ineffective if it’s not engaging!

Four Marketing Facts for 2012
By: Katya Andresen, Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog

Happy New Year!

Thought this was a great Happy New Year email from the Alzheimer's Association.  I like that there is not  a solicitation or ask attached to it.  They used good colors, great photos, and straightforward short text, which I bet increases the amount of people who will read it.  Nice work, Alz!

Having trouble reading this email? View it on your browser   The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s disease.