CLA 2009

Increasing your Nonprofit

Relationship Building Tools

The new realities for communications today

April 2009

Jay B. Love CEO eTapestry Division of Blackbaud

Increasing Your Nonprofit Relationship Building Tools

Christian Leadership Alliance — Atlanta 2009 | Jay B. Love | Page #2

“We are in the middle of a fundamental shift from mass media to the personal media of computers and the Internet, and charitable communications will be forever changed.”

Paul Saffo Director of the Institute for the Future.

Photo credit: Sorin Brinzei



Know the Difference

How To Succeed OnlineHow To Succeed Online



The Rules Still Apply

(It’s all about relationships…not technology)



A Quick Survey

What % of your names have email addresses

How many collect them on Web Site? Where?

How often do you communicate via mass email?

Do you have a written email strategy?



Use All Your Tools Together

E-Mail

PrintOther Tools

An Integrated Strategy

In In Person Person

MeetingsMeetings

Phone

Events

Blogs

Text Messaging

Social Networking Sites

Your Web Site



The eMail Sophisticated Organization:

1. Collects email addresses on multiple pages of their web site?

2. Regularly sends out one or more newsletters via email

3. Can and does survey constituents

4. Can raise funds via email

Has a written email strategy!



It bans false or misleading header information(Your email's "From," "To," and routing information – including the originating domain name and email address – must be accurate and identify the person who initiated the email)

It prohibits deceptive subject lines(The subject line cannot mislead the recipient about the contents or subject matter of the message.)

It requires you give recipients an opt-out method

(You must provide a return email address or an Internet-based mechanism that allows a recipient to ask you not to send future email messages to that email address, and you must honor the requests.)

Commercial email identified as an advertisement and include sender's physical postal address

(Your message must contain clear and conspicuous notice that the message is an advertisement or solicitation and that the recipient can opt out of receiving more email from you.)

CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act)



PenaltiesEach violation of the above provisions is subject to fines of up to $11,000. Deceptive commercial email also is subject to laws banning false or misleading advertising.

See the FTC Web site www.ftc.gov/spam for updates on the CAN-SPAM Act.

The FTC maintains a consumer complaint database. Consumers can submit complaints at www.ftc.gov and forward unwanted commercial email to the FTC at [email protected]

Many states have similar laws with fines of $5,000 or more(Please check within your communication area)

CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act)



10 Tactics for Avoiding Spam Filters

1. Use a commercial email service (database tie in is best)

2. Don’t use bright or crazy fonts3. Do not yell with ALL CAPS or NUMEROUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. Avoid words like “free”, “mortgage”, “enlarge”, “act now”, etc

5. Make sure your WYSIWYG editor creates CLEAN HTML code

6. Keep graphics to a safe level, equal amount of text or more

7. Spell words properly

8. Always use the same “From”

9. ALWAYS include an “opt out” option

10. Communicate regularly (Monthly at worst, weekly is best)



A Few Email Design & Usage Tips

1. Keep truly important items above the fold

2. Use testimonials on all sign-up pages

3. Ask subscribers to add your from address to their address book

4. The subject line will determine more opens than any other factor (Place the reader in the subject line when possible)

5. Host images on your web site rather than embedding them

6. Test all facets

7. Links to resources and to special landing pages on your web site are powerful (Especially “tell a friend” functions)

8. Develop your own writing style that readers will learn to love (people adore stories, so tell many . . . )



Professional Email is Economical5,000 emails $99 .02

25,000 emails $400 .016

50,000 emails $650 .013

100,000 emails $1000 .01

250,000 emails $2000 .008

500,000 emails $2500 .005

Plus 3 - 20 times the success in delivery!



9+ Tips for a Successful Email Strategy

1. Do not buy email addresses

2. Everyone is collecting addresses with each daily actions (get 2)

3. Constantly offer conversion to on-line communicating

4. Survey (let them know their opinion counts!) (Blog post )

5. Let the community take over your message

6. Keep calls to action SIMPLE

7. Link to and from Blogs and Social Network sites

8. ALWAYS include an “opt out” option

9. Communicate regularly

10. Please keep in mind more email is forwarded for religious purposes than for any other reason!




E-Mail

PrintOther Tools


In In Person Person

MeetingsMeetings

Phone

Events

Blogs

Text Messaging


Your Web Site



“There’s no better, faster, easier and cheaper place to gather folks of like minds than a Web site.”

Carrie Johnson, Senior Analyst

Forrester Internet Research



You’ve built a website…

…will they come?



They’re at your website, now what do they do?

1. Can they get something?

2. Can they do something?

3. Can they give something?

Your goal – to get something from them!



How about a $2,500 Web Site!



Email Strategy at Work!



Example Landing Page



Keeping it simple

Prospect Website

Gather Information

Use Email

DatabaseDatabase



Question:

Should a Non Profit host it’s own web site?




E-Mail

PrintOther Tools


In In Person Person

MeetingsMeetings

Phone

Events

Blogs

Text Messaging


Your Web Site



Be Like Martha or Oprah

Both are Masters of Multi-Channel Marketing!



Example Plan

Sept Oct Nov. Dec

E-Newsletter 9/15 10/15 11/15 12/15

Pre Telemarketing e-mail

9/20

TM campaign starts 10/1

Year end direct mail 11/20

Year End E-Mail hits 1 and 2

12/20 / 12/28




E-Mail

PrintOther Tools


In In Person Person

MeetingsMeetings

Phone

Events

Blogs

Text Messaging


Your Web Site



Podcasts



Facebook Is Aging Fast!The over 35 group doubled in the last 60 days . . .

Women over 55 are the fastest

growing segment . . .

(Sharing is vital to them)

Facebook has new landing pages

for creating private groups . . .

Communication opportunities?



Some Thoughts to Ponder on Social Networks

“My own "ah ha!" moment came recently on my birthday. In my personal email account, I found 33 notifications from Facebook that friends had left birthday greetings on my Facebook page, but only two regular emails with birthday greetings.” (54 yr old male)

“Most interactions now come from my social networks. Not only do my birthday greetings come via Facebook and Twitter, but almost all of them were made where other people could see them. Those public greetings prompted several others to add their own.” (52 yr old female)

“Email messaging — the main tool of most nonprofits for "push" marketing — will need to meet a higher and higher bar in terms of relevance, or it will be increasingly ignored.” (61 yr old male)



More Thoughts on Social Networks . . .“When I was in sixth grade, I was crazy about the girl who sat next to me, but I didn't think she could possibly have the same feelings about me. When Mrs. Green changed everyone's seats, the girl sent me a note through an intermediary, Sherry, who was now sitting next to me. The note said, "Do you like me?" I turned around and saw her sheepishly smiling. After recovering from a brief but intense panic attack, I sent back a note that told her I did. Ah, first love!”

“Last week I got another note from her. This time the intermediary was not Sherry, though. It was Facebook.”

“Facebook is affecting my life in ways I wouldn't have imagined just a few short months ago. In addition to the innocent hello from my first flame, I have had a dialogue with a cousin I haven't seen in 25 years.”

“When you think about the metrics that matter most to people -- audience reach, composition and engagement -- you realize that there is no site in the world that will be able to compete with Facebook in delivering results!”

Kevin Mannion, On-Line Publishing, February , 2009



Social Networks Hints for Success

It is not FREE, resources are required Being present is not enough, engage Be authentic, otherwise you will be exposed fast Integrate, don’t imitate other mediums Endorsements matter, think forwarded emails! Measure Have something to say, must be regular or it dies fast

Stephanie Miller, Email Insider, 2009




E-Mail

PrintOther Tools


In In Person Person

MeetingsMeetings

Phone

Events

Blogs

Text Messaging


Your Web Site



Personal Fundraising Personal Fundraising Team PageTeam Page

This is a Team Page that shows Top and Recent

donations towards this teams total Goal and includes a real

time status thermometer

Sponsor My Team allows the patron to donate towards

this team’s general fundraising goal

Join My Team allows the patron to create their own

Individual fundraising page that will be linked to this page



Personal Fundraising Personal Fundraising IIndividual’s Pagendividual’s Page

This is an Individual’s Page that can be linked to a team or the general event and shows

Top and Recent donations and includes a real time status

thermometer

Sponsor Me allows the patron to contribute towards this individual’s fundraising

goal



Results: Personalized “Event” Fundraising

Average volunteer sends over 30 emails

One in four emails sent by a volunteer results in a donation

Average online event gift is $59 which is a 50% increase over the average off-line gift

Many volunteers reach their stated FR Goal!



Integrated Strategy Final Thoughts

Each medium has a style that works best Audiences are different, know yours On-Line is strong for new gifts; weak for repeat giving You cannot thank or inform donors too much! Email is just another method of asking . . . use many Experiment with social media Try out your competition Test! Have fun!! Begin NOW rather than later!



Epilogue

10 Technology Resolutions for 2009

Sarah Robbins

Director of Emerging Technologies

Mediasauce



1. Set up a Gmail Account



2. Post Pics to Flickr



3. Try a Microblog



4. Create a Google Alert



5. Set Up an RSS feed



6. Share a YouTube Video



7. Really Use Your Cell Phone(Send a text or a video)



8. Join a Social Network



9. Share PowerPoint Slides(Save a tree or two!)



10. Play a Video Game



Questions?Questions?



Thank you!

Jay B. Love

CEO eTapestry Division

Blackbaud

[email protected]

CLA 2009

Technology

Transcript of CLA 2009