Tis The Season For E-Fundraising
We don't know about you, but we've already begun to get a blizzard of e-mail fundraising appeals as the year ends. Some of them aren't particularly well-conceived or executed. Some are.
You might be well into planning your year-end e-marketing campaigns, but it's never too late to consider some of the experience that's out there. Here are some items and resources you might find valuable.
From DM News, their Guide to Email Marketing. A useful collection of articles covering topics like list building, using your datebase to tailor offers, testing, optimal subject lines, using images, deliverability, effective landing pages, etc. Most based on commercial e-marketing; but all instructive.
If you want to know who's giving online, how they differ from direct mail donors, and implications for online fundraising strategy, consult our DonorTrends white paper: Keep Your Postage Meter: The Status of Online Giving in America.
From The Agitator library, some pertinent posts on e-marketing:
- From the American Lung Association, one of our favorite appeals integrating video into an e-mail appeal;
- From direct marketing maven Denny Hatch, Get Your Email Marketing Right;
- So you get them to click on your message … then what? Try: 7 Rules for Effective Landing Pages;
- But did they even get your message? Read what the experts say: Are Your Email Campaigns Getting Delivered?
Think you have a spectacular year-end online appeal? Send it to The Agitator. We'd like to share a “best of” early next year.
PS: Don't forget to take our “Transparency vs. Privacy” survey. Only 3 minutes. Just go to the Survey box on top right of blog, or click here.
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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