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Can
anyone REALLY raise money using e-mail? by
Merritt Olsen, M.A.
You
may have wondered, "Can this really work? Will e-mail
be a viable channel through which donors will not only communicate
but also make a donation?"
Well,
this question is the reason Tomorrow's Donor exists.
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My colleagues and I believe that many people who are major donors
today were first cultivated through the direct mail channel.
Statistics have shown that in today's tech-savvy climate responses
to direct mail appeals are decreasing among those in younger
generations. Forward-thinking fundraisers have already begun
to consider the dramatic challenge they could face in 20 years
when today's direct-mail donor acquisition numbers do not yield
tomorrow's supporters. How will we reach this new generation
of donors that toss-out postal mail and hang-up on telemarketers
as an every day occurrence?
To calm any potential fears you may have allow me to share with
you an e-mail message and a phone call I had with two young
fundraisers who are preparing their organizations for tomorrow
by reaching those young and lapsed donors in a new and strategic
manner--through e-mail.
The
e-mail message:
"Woo hoo! We've already received 4 online donations since
the e-newsletter went out!!!! Yes - actual online gifts where
they GAVE a credit card number. One was for $1,000!! (She is
renewing a gift she makes annually, but the newsletter reminded
her!)" [editor's
note: this occurred in the first 20 minutes after the messages
were sent. There was not a direct "ask" in the message,
only information about how to give.]
The phone call:
"I know this e-newsletter is one of the reasons we had
3 men choose to increase their gift to the organization. One
upped his gift from $25 / month to $85 / month in order to join
the new giving level. One unrestricted his gift, and one went
from a $1,500 one-time gift to an extension of that commitment
over the next 5 years! All of this because they see that our
organization is making strides to perfect the work we do and
this newsletter is part of that!"
What these two fundraisers know is that it's not just about
having an online presence. It's about having an online strategy.
The caller above even said to me in the same conversation, "we've
just debuted our online giving form, but I want to be very cautious
about how I share that information with our donors. I don't
want them to read an article in our next e-newsletter and think
that it's a direct 'ask' - that's not the purpose of this newsletter
- at least not yet!"
Just like a friendship doesn't blossom overnight - neither does
a donor relationship. But your due diligence to serve that donor--to
provide her with everything she needs to know to determine if
she can trust and respect your organization with her hard-earned
money--grows that relationship over time. And believe it or
not, some people WILL build a relationship with your organization
by e-mail…consider how it's happening in other areas of
people's lives…
The Pew
Internet & American Life Project surveyed over 2,000
students at 2-year and 4-year colleges and reported that "nearly
all college students (95%) reported using email for social communication
at least once a week, and 21% said they use it at least once
a day for that purpose."
And check out these facts: 17% of teens, between the ages of
12-17, surveyed by Pew
Internet & American Life Project say that they've asked
someone out electronically, and 13% say they've broken up electronically.
A new generation in our country is growing up using e-mail and
computers as much as many of us used a pencil and paper at their
age. What are you going to miss out on if you don't consider
how the e-mail channel can help your organization build relationships
and cultivate future donors?
One
last success story to share…just last summer I worked with
a women's sorority foundation to provide a dynamic Flash™
animated e-mail campaign to obtain gifts from first-time donors
between the ages of 22 and 32. The results were incredible!
Over $35,000 was pledged over the term of 3 years with the first
year's income equaling over $15,000. This foundation has added
to its ranks over 300 new donors in a matter of four weeks.
Although this campaign's e-mail phase was begun and completed
in one month's time, the benefits of the e-mail program continue
to increase based on what the organization does from this point
forward. They now have 300 new donors with whom they will communicate
their story. These women may not double their gift next year
or even in the year that follows, but the lifetime value of
these donors can be incredibly high when measured against the
cost of a month-long e-mail campaign.
So,
to all those who say, "You can't raise money by e-mail."
I would have to say...that's not exactly true!
Tune
in next month...
…for
strategic ideas on how to use e-mail most effectively in your
development program. |
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