Once a month, via webinars for my online fundraising community I provide coaching & support to as many staff and volunteers from the social sector as possible. These webinars feature amazing guest speakers or I conduct a master class to dig in and provide some really meaningful, useful coaching that you can put to work immediately.
All webinars are recorded so you can go back and listen/watch the session multiple times. Access is provided via the Member’s Only area of my website.
My January member’s only webinar topic was: Newsletters that Sizzle, Not Fizzle.
We spent an hour dissecting real-life examples of enewsletters and print newsletters to identify key tactics & guidelines that will ensure these methods of communication are doing their job: educating & engaging your supporters. I believe these two forms of communication MUST cause action and not just report on what happened in the past.
During the session I shared: Lori’s Laws for effective email & print newsletters:
- Share what you need additional funding for – humanize this. (e.g. How many people are on your waiting list for a specific program?)
- Create a compelling “call to action.”
Before you draft your newsletter or enewsletter, ask the question: What do I want readers to FEEL, LEARN, and DO? Now your content has a chance of turning into something much more engaging than a report about how much money the annual fundraising event raised.
KEY: Make sure those reading know the information is for them by using the word YOU throughout the copy.
The habit I observe in organizations is that they share lots of tidbits of information about what already happened. While it’s important to report on the annual fundraising event or thank sponsors, I believe it’s more engaging and frankly, more interesting, to read articles that also share:
- How many people were impacted by the dollars raised?
- How many more are waiting?
- What does it cost per person to provide some of your services?
- How do clients feel about your services?
- Why has a donor given for multiple years?
You have an opportunity each time you draft an article or send an email update: Cause your readers to DO and FEEL something. Go. Do it.
Here are some terrific resources I used throughout my newsletter webinar:
10 Tips for Amazing Email Newsletters, from Nourish, August 28, 2010
E-news that helps keep donors connected (and giving) to your cause by Lisa Sargent, December 2010
One of the best enewsletters I’ve seen in awhile by Lori Jacobwith, “With”ism’s Blog: April 22, 2010
Raising More Money with Newsletters Than You Ever Thought Possible by Tom Ahern
Nonprofit Newsletters: Are You Making These Mistakes? Pamela Grow , March 25, 2009
Newsletter Score Sheet by Linda Benedict
With a little coaching and a chance to talk about how to approach newsletter communication with their peers, members left the webinar reenergized and ready to create engaging messages that will move donors to take action.
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