e-Mail is STILL the Killer App

Many nonprofits scour the Web to find the next "killer application." They want to be on the ground floor of the next big online idea. Social networking tools always seem like they have built-in fundraising potential and can grow your online networks and niche audiences. While it's good to be proactive and keep an eye on the future, make sure you pay attention to the one killer application you've worked so hard to grow: your e-mail housefile. Those names and e-mail addresses are still your best bet for raising money online.

Your housefile is your bread and butter and you need to tend to it with care. Don't think you can inundate your housefile with social networking opportunities. Also, don't put your list on a pedestal and only touch it once a year with a feather duster--it's a little more durable than that. These people have signed up because they are interested in your organization and your mission and programs. Make sure you keep an active, healthy file and maximize your communication opportunities.

Create a content schedule: Create a master calendar with all your contact opportunities (newsletters, event announcements, appeals, etc). Make sure every content stakeholder in your organization is aware of the schedule and the production required to create these mailings. This sounds simple, but it's incredibly complex to get everyone aligned. Many large organizations still struggle to pull this off. 

Clean your file: Clean your housefile four times a year to organize hard bounces, soft bounces, and non-working addresses. Don't get rid of unsubscribe records, they may be back. Put them in a separate file and store them within your database or offline (even in a spreadsheet). Scour your file for odd characters that within e-mail addresses (2 instead of @ or yahoo,com instead of yahoo.com). You could get 2-3% of your file back in an active status.

Keep Their Interests: What do your readers want to learn about you? Have you surveyed them lately? What interesting programs or content can you offer them? Can you personalize each e-mail that they open? Do they read them on handheld devices?

Take the time to learn what they want to read. Track which articles they open or which e-mails have better open/click rates (yes, open rates still matter, despite what some might tell you). Don’t' let them dictate your content, but make sure you don't lose them, either.   

Create "Appeal"-ing Mailings: Every message is a fundraising appeal. Make sure your messages are consistent with appeal branding: logos, donation messages, imagery, and click patterns should all be standardized. Why? Familiarity. The user may see that message or button eleven times in a monthly newsletter and do nothing, then suddenly decide they want to donate with the next mailer. If they can remember where it is, it will help funnel them into the donation process.

Remember, a healthy e-mail file reflects your organization's online efforts. If your file is clean, well-managed, and continues to grow, you can be comfortable knowing until the next killer app comes along, you're got this one down just fine.