Your Evolution to Multi-channel

Multi-channel! Multi-channel! Multi-channel!  It's all the rage but do you know where how close your organization is to achieving it?  We've taken a look at what that journey looks like for an organization and have broken it down into 4 major stages: early, traditional, coordinated and optimized - I know, we deserve bonus points for our naming creativity but hopefully they are at least clear!

I’ll go into a high-level view of each of these stages but if you take a quick little quiz to find out where you’re at, you’ll get some really cool action plans for how to get to the next level!

Early Stage: Integration may be a goal but identifying how to get there can be a challenge.

• Minimal online marketing
• Calendar-based campaigning
• Not financially committed to a second channel

Traditional: You’ve moved some efforts online but they may not be coordinated with larger fundraising and communication strategies.

• Separate team and metrics for online marketing
• No calendar and/or campaign coordination
• Second channel constitutes 5-20% direct response revenue
• Separate databases for online/offline

Coordinated: You’ve conquered the structural challenges and are seeing results but can’t track cause and effect as well as you need to.

• Thematically integrated, some consolidation of data across channels
• Shared metrics 
• Limited sensitivity to solicitation frequency
• Decisioning beyond RFM modeling

Optimized: You’re pushing the envelope but are always looking for ways to increase engagement with your supporters.

• Unified strategy and real-time data integration
• Measure success across channels, not by channel
• Donors’ behaviors and interests drives communication stream
• Shared budget and resources

And just remember, small changes can equal BIG IMPACT!  

Take the multi-channel quiz here!

End of Year Fundraising Kick-Off!

I know, I know…I’m like those annoying retailers putting out stockings when you haven’t even finished carving your pumpkin but considering that most organizations receive nearly half of their annual online donations in the last two months of the year, I’m totally going there.

That’s right – it is officially momentum-building time!  End of year is a busy time for everyone but you can watch those fundraising dollars go up at the end of the year if you get your supporters enthusiastic about your organization over the next few months.  Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Get to Know Your Supporters Better: Due to the diverse needs of your supporter base, segmenting constituents into appropriate groups will allow your organization to more effectively communicate relevant information to each group. Segmenting your list and then targeting groups with communications and appeals based on their interests, donation history, gender, age, length of membership or any other defining characteristic will result in higher response rates. Know who your supporters are and what they care about. Understand which donors, activists, and volunteers are most active, and devise special programs to keep them engaged. Regularly ask supporters to provide information about themselves to help you improve your segmentation and targeted messaging. Include questions in your online surveys, direct mail response cards and in sign-up sheets or surveys at events.
• The 5-Second Test: Gather your closest friends and display your home page for five seconds—then close it and ask a friend to write down what he or she remembers. Effective websites tell visitors within seconds of their arrival – where they are, what they can do, and why they should act.
• Promote a Sustainer Program: The donors who supported you last year likely had to be selective about their charities. It’s likely these donors may be even more inclined to be loyal to you and would be open to recurring donations or paying their annual donation amount throughout the year. Sustaining and pledge donors typically renew at rates 10-20% higher than single-gift donors. It’s important to offer reasons for people to give on a recurring basis or to pledge a larger commitment that can be paid out over time. 

View the full guide with 10 simple steps to set your organization up for a prosperous year-end.

3 Welcome Series Timing Tips

Rather than immediately including new constituents in all your regular online communications and appeals, using an email welcome series gives you additional control over your constituent communications. Below are a few items related to timing that you will need to keep in mind when planning your email welcome series.

1. Filter your messages. The last thing you want to do is include a new constituent in a fundraising campaign immediately after they signed up to receive emails. Remove new constituents from the regular flow of email communications, and send them several introductory messages in a staggered, or ”drip,” fashion. This approach will enable you to control the timing of your messages, as well as your first ask.
2. Experiment with timing. You can control the number of days (or weeks) that elapse between messages. Play around with the frequency, and review your metrics to help you determine the optimal timing. Some organizations find that an email welcome series of one message every two weeks for two months is effective, whereas others prefer weekly messages over a period of a month. 
3. Set it and forget it. Online solutions allow you to create the initial welcome series and automate the rest of the process. This feature saves administrative time and effort. Of course, you can tweak the email message content and images or add new messages as needed. 

After the constituent has received all of the emails in the welcome series, they can be added to your larger list and receive the regular communications sent by your organization.

Read "Creating an Email Welcome Series" for more tips on greeting your new constituents with style.

3 Ways to Get Creative About List-Building

Keeping your email list alive and kicking is one of the keys to a successful online marketing program. It's critical to develop a sound strategy for growing and maturing your house file and to always incorporate best practices in your day-to-day management. But attrition is inevitable, so I want to share a few creative tricks to give your list building an extra boost.

Here are three types of campaigns that will not only keep your constituents engaged, but encourage them to generate new supporters from their own network of family and friends.

1. Pledge or Petition Campaign

Constituents and prospects show their support by signing a pledge or petition and then forwarding information about the campaign to their family and friends. To sign the pledge, request that they complete a simple online registration form, providing your organization with contact information and the opportunity to continue the dialog.

2. Social Fundraising

With the integrated social tools now available through modern fundraising solutions such as Convio Common Ground®, your supporters are empowered to tap into their networks to raise awareness for your cause, start conversations, fundraise through sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn and even promote peer-to-peer fundraising events. Donations and sign-ups are automatically captured into your house file.

3. Download Campaigns

An email with a downloadable offer, such as a tip sheet, research report, resource guide or case study, offers the reader something of value in exchange for their contact information.

For more house file tips and best practices, download our Grow Your House File with a List-Building Campaign tip sheet.

3 Tips for Email Subject Lines

When it’s time to develop the content for an email appeal, the subject line is typically the last thing to get written. Ironically, it’s the usually first thing your reader sees.

Give your subject lines the love and attention they deserve. Use these three tips to make your subject lines more interesting, relevant and effective.

1. Substance over Style
   The subject line is an opportunity to establish that what you have to say is relevant to your readers’ interests and concerns. Does your subject line paint an accurate picture of what’s inside? Email can build or break a trusting relationship with your readers, so be clear about what they’ll get if they open the email. If the content within doesn’t live up to the promise of the subject line, it may be the last time some recipients open your emails.
2. Watch the Length
   Remember, messages are not always displayed consistently across various email clients and platforms (Outlook, Yahoo!, Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, etc. may all display the subject line differently). Most email clients allow for 50-60 characters to display in a subject line, which is not that much to work with! If you’re aware that a substantial number of your supporters may be reading your emails on a mobile device, consider condensing your subject lines even shorter.
3. Support the “From” Line
   When deciding whether to open an email, readers sometimes look at the “From” line before the subject line. Support brand recognition by using a consistent “from” address for your email appeals. If your “from” line lists your org’s name, you don’t have to repeat it in the subject line, which frees up space in the subject line.

For more pointers, download our Making Email Appeals More Effective tip sheet.