If you'd like to see The Databank's tools for creating beautiful HTML e-newsletters (including built-in templates), sign up for a demonstration of our software.
For Ways to Raise More Money with your Newsletter
Connie Stofko, Fundraising Assets
Whether you produce a print newsletter or an e-newsletter, here are some guidelines to help you raise more money through your newsletter.
Persuade readers to take action
Too often, if you ask the staff of a nonprofit agency what the goal of their newsletter is, they will respond with a vague statement such as, “We want to inform people about what we do.”
That’s a good start, but once they know about your agency, what do you want them to do with that information? The purpose of your newsletter is to carry out the goals of your agency. If you need more volunteers, ask for volunteers. If you want readers to sign up for a committee , ask them to take that action.
Surely one of your goals is to raise money to support your programs. That brings us to our next point.
Ask your readers for money
Asking your newsletter readers is a critical step that many, many editors skip. “But we include an envelope!” they protest. Not good enough. And if you produce an e-newsletter, there isn’t even an envelope. If you want people to give you money, you must come right out and ask them.
Take a look at this newsletter from Fundraising Assets. The feature story on Page 1 ends by asking the reader to donate. The story below it introduces a new campaign that involves donations as well as volunteering. Readers are also asked in two other places to donate money or air miles—and this is only a four-page newsletter!
Why ask so often? Because almost no one reads every article in your newsletter. If you haven’t asked your reader for money in the article that he or she happens to read, then you haven’t asked that reader for money! Asking multiple times may feel obnoxious to you because you are reading every word of your newsletter many times as you edit and proof it. However, your audience isn’t reading your newsletter that closely; they’re skimming rather than reading. Don’t be afraid to ask.
Tell a Story
Asking people for money is necessary, but you must also make them want to give to your organization. The best way to do that is by telling a story, and your newsletter offers an excellent opportunity for you to do that. Every issue of your newsletter should tell an emotional, compelling story of someone who has been helped by your nonprofit organization.
One mistake that organizations make is that they spend the largest part of the story talking about the problems the person faced, and a few paragraphs on how well the person is doing now, but merely mention that the person received help from their nonprofit organization. Instead, the focus of the story should be on what the organization did to help the person. Because staff people are so familiar with their own organizations, what their organization does seems apparent to them, and they tend to leave out this critical piece.
Writing a good feature story is harder than it looks, and it takes time. This is a good project to outsource to a freelance writer who specializes in fundraising. Not only can it save you valuable time, it can result in an increase in donations.
Make it easy for your readers to donate
If you are doing a print newsletter, always include an envelope. In our example, the request at the end of the front-page story asks readers to use the enclosed envelope. The article at the bottom of the front page directs readers to the organization’s Web site, where they can donate online. The last page directs readers to the website, where they can learn how to donate air miles.
If you are doing an e-newsletter, make sure you include the link to your donation page along with your “ask.”
For an audit of your newsletter with suggestions on how you can improve it in order to raise more money, contact Fundraising Assets at 1-888-244-4013 or e-mail Tom Harter, partner, at tharter@fundraisingassets.com.