These days there’s no shortage of options for nonprofits to reach out to their member base. Between traditional methods like marketing calls and print media to more modern methods like social media, there’s no excuse for not reaching out to your members and getting them engaged with your organization.
One of the simplest ways to reach out to your member base is also one of the most effective, and if you’re not doing it already you should start as soon as possible. I’m talking about email marketing.
For-profit businesses have been using email marketing effectively for years, and many nonprofits have also seen great results from email marketing campaigns. Email is known for its amazing return on investment, a key factor for nonprofits that must always be focused on the bottom line.
Yet nonprofits that use email marketing must be careful, there are certain best practices to follow to ensure that your email increases engagement and doesn’t drive your members away.
The key to an effective email campaign is content. You want to avoid inundating your member’s inboxes with emails, as this will often drive people to unsubscribe from your mailing list. Since sending hundreds of emails isn’t a viable strategy you must learn to condense your message into a handful of potent and engaging emails.
The key to every successful email campaign is engagement. Write effective content that is valuable to your readers as well as to your organization. Email marketing is a two-way street: you provide content that your readers care about, and gently remind them that they need to be engaged in order for your organization to remain successful.
An email is a powerful tool by itself, but it can become exponentially more effective when paired with your other outreach platforms. The most potent of these platforms these days tends to be social media, so be sure to direct people to your social media in every email that you send.
Emailing is a great tool for increasing member engagement, but social media is designed to facilitate real-time, active participation from your members. It’s the perfect one-two punch for member outreach.
One benefit to being a nonprofit as opposed to a for-profit business is that your members tend to want to be engaged – often they just need a little reminder. This provides you with various opportunities that other organizations, such as the chance to gather valuable data that will help you in your future efforts.
Sending out surveys or meeting and event reminders can help give your nonprofit’s members the nudge they need to get out and get involved, and it can also give you valuable data about the future of your organization and the will of your members.
Email is an incredibly powerful tool for nonprofits, but it must be used correctly to be effective. It’s one of those things that will improve with time, so don’t waste anymore and get started with your email outreach today!
If you have any questions about email marketing, or would like to learn more about the various ways that CollectiveSun can help you get your members more engaged then drop us a line in the comments, or contact us now!
