E-mail solicitation protocol tips

The topic of email solicitation elicits many opinons, largely centered around SPAM and permission to solicit. It is worth checking out many of the feelings about this before taking on a campaign. Most large organizations have formal email use policies that you must comply with as well.

Here are two related tips for those of you doing your own emailing on smaller lists:

1. At the very least include a line at the bottom of your email giving people the option of opting out of your list. If they do then respect their opinions. For smaller lists you can simply have them email you. For larger lists there are automated services. Zookoda who run our newsletter automates the service for you, and best of all it's free! Check them out for list management if you don't already have a more sophisticated system in place.

2. Never disclose your clients' email addresses. If you send a large email to a list, put the email addresses in the BCC field so that they will not be revealed. In the TO field put your own address, or another that you create for the purpose. This is the only address that will be seen by readers.

Create Flash Presentations Easily

Flash presentations are increasingly popular ways to conduct email solicitations. The old adage of a picture being worth a thousand words holds true and flash files can really tug at the heartstrings better than an email. For those that have never seen one they also hold a bit of novelty and are more likely to be read.

Flash is not easy for the inexperienced to create - but so many people use Powerpoint with transitions and sound now that creating an impressive presentation with Powerpoint is probably doable by at least one person in the office. Of course it should be someone with a bit of artistic talent so that you send out something professional!

There are now lots of resources for converting your Powerpoint presentations to flash files that can be used in a solicitation.

Check out this link for references on several of them. Do try out a few options - demo programs are available - because the quality is not the same for all of them and different programs will fit the needs of different people.

I'll discuss how to send out a Flash presentation in a future posting.

Check and Double Check for Mailing Errors

I remember getting an annual appeal letter from my university. It contained a pretty serious error, getting my wife's name incorrect. I must say when I pointed it out to them I got a phone call from the President of the University - one of the largest in North America. Pretty impressive as I had not given them a dime to that point.

Recently, I was sending out appeal letters to alumni that I did not ever know. I took the time to look up each and every one of them in our database and managed to catch a few errors along the way. My assistant was helping me stuff envelopes and found a few more. These errors thankfully never made it out the door. Even better, a colleague was helping us fold and stuff envelopes and he came across a few letters for people he knew better and we were able to add a more personal note to them. It's a good thing our office sees this as a team effort worthy of a good deal of effort.

Consider this - taking a minute or two to double check a record could yield a donation - even if it were only $10, for two minutes of work that is like getting paid $300 per hour to do the check! Now what if you don't do it and you make a serious error, offending someone? It could be a lifetime of lost gifts, hundreds or thousands of dollars or even more.

I'm not suggesting that a major university can check every record when they send out tens of thousands of letters. But if your group is small - our database contains less than 5 thousand mailables - it pays to be careful and take your time. It is tempting to get volunteer help to fold and stuff, or even to contract out the job, but you might pay a high price for free labor!

I took a full day to sign and prepare some 250 letters for mailing along with my assisstant's help but along the way we caught errors, managed to add personal notes to some people, and I familiarized myself with virtually all of their records and their history with our organization. It was time very well spent when I get ready to follow up on the appeal on a more personal level.

Relationship Building

Big organizations usually have this right, but smaller groups wanting to raise funds sometimes forget - you have to raise friends before you raise funds. What services to you provide your potential donors already? Do you have an ongoing relationship? This might mean a newsletter, or a web site, annual receptions or any other regular contact. Simply taking a list of names and appealing to them will not result in a high degree of success.

This also is worth noting when taking on a new type of appeal - especially electronic. Groups are starting to use e-mail and flash solicitations more and more. As a result they may appeal to a larger group than before (since cost per extra solicitation is virtually nil) . If this larger group has not had regular contact from your organization this is like a cold call and may not be well received. In fact, even if in regular contact with this group they could easilly have been ignoring past mail appeals or other contact (they are easy to spot and throw out for some) and a new electronic message might be the first thing they have read in a long time from you.

If the first contact is an ask for money it may not be well received. Consider new electronic appeals a long term project - even though they can be put together quickly. Perhaps it would be best to create an electronic newsletter, or use email to invite people to your web site occasionally before you use this medium for an ask.

It is almost impossible but we all want to avoid the old line, "the only reason you contact me is to ask for money."

You Have to Ask

A colleague approached me recently looking for fundraising advice for a group he is involved with. He wondered about the best way to put together a sponsored event - asking people to give a certain amount for every meter climbed of a mountain or some other way of using a climb as a fundraiser. This is an organization that has helped hundreds of young people over many years.

While these events are worthy, I offered another suggestion: ask people who have benefitted in the past from this group to make donations. Just ask.

I told him that if they have names and contact information from people who have been through their program over the years he should simply contact them and ask. It might be that an event is needed still, but it might just be that he could get everything that he needs just by asking the people who have spent time with his group and grown up to be successful adults who are thankful for their experience.

Often this is the best thing to do, especially if people have a clear connection to an organization and it has made a meaningful difference in their lives. Don't be afraid to ask - you don't need an excuse. In fact, you are honouring a potential donor by asking them to make a difference to your organization. You are telling them that they are important and can make a positive contribution through their gift.

Another colleague came to me to complain about local sports teams selling her chocolates several times a year as a fundraiser. Now, in this case I can see a bit more why you would do this...to simply ask for a gift so that your team can buy new uniforms or go on a trip is not as easy. Usually you are canvassing in the neighborhood and asking people who have no connection to your organization. Still, this colleague said to me, "I'm tired of spending all this money on chocolates - I wish they'd just tell me how much I need to donate and I'll write them a cheque!"

You have to ask.

You Have to Ask

A colleague approached me recently looking for fundraising advice for a group he is involved with. He wondered about the best way to put together a sponsored event - asking people to give a certain amount for every meter climbed of a mountain or some other way of using a climb as a fundraiser. This is an organization that has helped hundreds of young people over many years.

While these events are worthy, I offered another suggestion: ask people who have benefitted in the past from this group to make donations. Just ask.

I told him that if they have names and contact information from people who have been through their program over the years he should simply contact them and ask. It might be that an event is needed still, but it might just be that he could get everything that he needs just by asking the people who have spent time with his group and grown up to be successful adults who are thankful for their experience.

Often this is the best thing to do, especially if people have a clear connection to an organization and it has made a meaningful difference in their lives. Don't be afraid to ask - you don't need an excuse. In fact, you are honouring a potential donor by asking them to make a difference to your organization. You are telling them that they are important and can make a positive contribution through their gift.

Another colleague came to me to complain about local sports teams selling her chocolates several times a year as a fundraiser. Now, in this case I can see a bit more why you would do this...to simply ask for a gift so that your team can buy new uniforms or go on a trip is not as easy. Usually you are canvassing in the neighborhood and asking people who have no connection to your organization. Still, this colleague said to me, "I'm tired of spending all this money on chocolates - I wish they'd just tell me how much I need to donate and I'll write them a cheque!"

You have to ask.

------- End of forwarded message -------

--

David Hutchison

Shawnigan Lake School

Director of Annual Fund

250-743-6236   dhutch@sls.bc.ca

Fountain Pens look Professional

Details matter. To top off the professional look of your notes, signatures and thank yous - use a fountain pen. It need not be expensive, but the look on paper is worth whatever you choose to spend. Black ink is also preferred for a professional feel.

5 Ways to Personalize Direct Mail

Most organizations begin a campaign of any form with a mailout. It puts information in donors' hands and it can be a small ice breaker before makign a 'cold call' later.

At this point, take the personal touch with as many of your potential donors as possible. Here are a few ways:

1. Write the note by hand

For your already commited and significant donors this sends a special message about how important they are to you. It also makes your approach stand out. Do the same for donors who may not yet be commited but you are targeting, or perhaps just people that you kow already. Use special note paper too.

2. Add a short handwritten note to your form-letter.

You can't write every note by hand (can you?), so the next best thing for donors you have some connection with is to add a short note to the merged letter that you are sending. It lets donors know that you're thinking of them.

3. Personalize the salutation.

In combination with #2, of instead of it for donors you know - but may not have the time for writing a personal note - peresonalize the salutation in the merged letter. There are two ways of doing this:

a) omit the Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith altogether and write it in by hand
b) a simple one-line cross out of name in the salutation (leaving the "Dear") and write in the names of the recipient by hand...first names for people you know well.

4. Sign the letter by hand.

You really should do this one simple thing for as many as you possibly can. Computer inserted signatures, even in different colours as some now do, still stand out as obviously impersonal. You can sign hundreds if not thousands of letters if you make it a priority.

5. Personalize the envelope

Hand write the address if possible, or perhaps add a word or two to the outside to make it clear that it is from you for donors who you are familiar with. This may be one of the most often overlooked aspects of personalization - but most important. If your envelope looks too much like a fundraising attempt, or too corporate, it may never get opened in the first place.

Keep Fundraising Simple - But Not Easy

There is an increasing trend towards data segmentation and personalization of mailings as smaller organizations try to take on the lessons of mass mail marketing. The points make sense and it is exciting to consider all the possibilities. Which group is it best to mail to in which way? What should I add to the cover of the envelope to get it opened? Don't forget the P.S. at the end of the letter. Now we're beginning to make flash presentations for e-mail campaigns etc.

Remember - these might help, but they are the techniques used in mass mailouts to get that extra 0.1% of success that will make a serious difference in a list of thousands, or tens of thousands being mailed to.

Most organizations have small mailing lists - do these techniques make sense? Consider a ist of 1000 names. If you do everything right to get an extra 1% response, you're adding 10 new donors. Nice? - of course. But it is the best thing to do?

What works best is the personal connection. Speaking directly to your potential donors, or even better, having a friend of the potential donor speaking to them. Sending a handwritten note - not a computer generated, apparently handwritten note - is better than the fanciest mass marketing approach.

So consider carefully where you are investing your time and energy.

Sometimes I liken this to a person procrastinating. They'll spend hours organizing, labelling, filing, reading books on Getting Things Done. Anything to avoid what we don't want to do - the actual hard work. So many fundraisers try to go big and mimic the approach of large professional mass mailers - by going fancy and complicated you feel like you're getting somethign done and you make yourself seem more professional. But it just might be an avoidance of the hard work - getting out and talking to people. Phoning people and actually asking.

This is just food for thought. Don't get me wrong - research, knowing your donora, sending them materials so that they know what you are up to - it's all important. Just be sure that you don't avoid the real work that needs to be done. Believe me, the organizations with tens of thousands of names on their mailing list would phone everyone personally if they could. If you can - do it!

Fund Raising Blog

This is the first post in a new blog about fundraising. There are many resources available, but few with fresh information on a regular basis. We will attempt to post stories, pointers and other ideas relevant to the field of fundraising. Links to ongoing sites with good information will be made available as well. We hope to provide opportunities for a good deal of reader interaction as well. If there is someting that you're looking for, by all means let us know!

Andrew Scott,
Fund and Friend Raising Weblog