How To Improve Your Email Fundraising Efforts

You already know the importance of email fundraising and – we have a page which will help you. Building an email list of your past donors is one of the most profitable things your organization can do because it saves time, energy and work.

However, here is something you should be aware of. In fact, failure to put these suggestions into practice could cost you almost 1 of every 4 dollars of your next fundraising revenue. Have you figured it out yet?

The answer is spam emails.

How spam emails can harm your school fundraising

Did you know that the latest 2017 Nonprofit Email Deliverability Study, reports that in 2016 an average of 22.64% of potential fundraising dollars was lost due to spam emails? That is a lot of money.

For a moment, think about how much money you earned from your last fundraiser for your school, small group or church. How much would this add up to? Believe it or not, that comes out to on average to about $24,000 a year per nonprofit agency.

So if you represent a cheer booster club what can you do to protect your cheer fundraising email correspondence from going to the spam email folder? Here are three tips your school, non profit or youth group can start using today.

#1: Do you use an opt in list?

First of all, if a non profit organization sends an unsolicited email, it often goes straight to the spam folder. How does that make you feel knowing your important message goes straight into the JUNK folder?

• Frustrated?
• Perturbed?
• Helpless?

What is the solution? The answer is to use an “opt in” list when people sign up for your news letter. Hence, this allows them to “opt” to receive emails from you. When a donor subscribes to your list that now makes you an “invited guest”.

Why is this important? Remember, spam kills YOUR email fundraising efforts.

#2: Are you white listed?

Another goal for your non profits email to be placed on the “white” list of every one of your donors email carriers. Otherwise, you will end up in the spam folder.

How do you do this? After your donor “opts in” to receiving your emails, you must request for them to “white list” you by adding your email to their SAFE email contact list. Some non profits actually create a little instructional video to walk their donors through this simple process.

Can you see yourself doing this?

#3: Are you interesting?

Finally, people are inundated with emails every day, aren’t they? As a result, they only have time to read the ones that are important to them and that they enjoy reading.

What happens to the others? Consequently, they get sent straight to the spam folder.

Even worse… They may unsubscribe & “opt” out of your newsletter, requesting that you don’t email them any more.

The lesson? Make your emails interesting and engaging… Or else suffer the consequences.

In conclusion, we live in the digital age of fundraising, By embracing these suggestions, it will go along way to raising the money your non profit needs to make a difference in the world. We hope you found them both educational and informative. Please let us know how we can help your next fundraiser to be a success.

You may also enjoy reading these fundraising articles:

• Fundraising email best practices
• Sample email fundraising campaign
• Don’t make this online email fundraising mistake