Newsletters Why some are profitable... and most don t work Tom Ahern

Transcription

1 Newsletters Why some are profitable... and most don t work Tom Ahern 1 Why bother? 2 1

2 A good newsletter helps you increase giving immediately and hold on to more of your donors far longer. 3 A good newsletter helps you increase giving immediately and hold on to more of your donors far longer. 4 2

3 The Domain Formula 5 Domain s proven formula: 4 pages 6 pages is OK, 2 pages is too few, 8 pages not needed one-color, two-color, full-color NOT a self-mailer mail in an envelope: Your newsletter enclosed send exclusively to current donors include a reply envelope and reply device mail as often as possible use the newsletter for impact reporting 6 3

4 7 Your new donor newsletter enclosed! 8 4

5 Dr. Adrian Sargeant loyalty factor #1 Your service quality is good Do you anticipate questions, for instance? Acknowledge gifts promptly? 9 Basic stuff 10 5

6 Donor communications are about customer service. 11 Donors are your only customers. You serve them. 12 6

7 You answer their silly questions... gladly... over and over again. 13 What s this? 14 7

8 15 Did they get my gift? 16 8

9 First-time donors who receive a personal thank you within 48 hours are 4 times more likely to give again. Source: Damian O Broin via Bluefrog presentation at IFC 17 Can I give online? 18 9

10 19 The virtuous circle... Appeals, thanks, & newsletters work together. You ask. You thank. You report. You ask. You thank. You report. You ask. You thank. You report

11 These three things, well harmonized, make each other wildly more successful. 21 Paper or digital? 22 11

12 I don t own a computer... and I never will. Jane Age 88 Widowed 23 I m getting close to concluding that e-newsletters don t work. To raise money. But they are good for other things. Source: Jeff Brooks, in 2012, after 10 years of testing 24 12

13 Cause, come on: The 2012 Obama presidential campaign used appeals to raise $690 million from 4.5 million people. Source: Marketing Sherpa, Adam Sutton, Senior Reporter 25 Do I invite my donors to a fight? 26 13

14 Giving is not about a calculation of what you are buying, Yale economics professor, Dean Karlan, proved. It is about participating in a fight. The New York Times March 9, Dr. Adrian Sargeant loyalty factor #2 They share your beliefs 28 14

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18 Dr. Adrian Sargeant loyalty factor #3 They re aware of consequences Believing Someone might be hurt if I don t give. Believing Someone will be helped if I do give. 35 Need Joy! Joy! Need 36 18

19 You ve got to connect just 2 dots: (#1) the donor and (#2) the outcome. And you ve got to get out of the way

20 39 Source: Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano 40 20

21 We support a charity or a soccer team or a perfume because it gives us a chance to love something about ourselves. Source: Seth Godin 41 Social media 42 21

22 A day of successful for-profit social marketing Posts Twitter 1 post per hour from 4 influencer re-tweets Facebook 3-5 posts per day Google+ 3-5 posts per day LinkedIn 2 posts per day Pinterest 4-5 pins per week Source: The Definitive Guide to Social Marketing, Marketo 43 Am I talking about real accomplishments or mere activities? 44 22

23 45 Accomplishments 46 23

24 Your numbers are NOT your accomplishments. 47 Who cares? What is your donor angle? > 25th anniversary > Average length of stay: 28 days > 43% of households below poverty line > Served 118 adults, 136 children 48 24

25 High priority Show how charity makes a difference 49 Even higher priority Deliver joy to my home

26 ...by telling me I m a good person. 51 If we show them how great we are, they ll support us. Wrong

27 No basis in fact. 53 Dr. Adrian Sargeant loyalty factor #4 You ve established a personal link You give the donor credit. You speak directly and frequently to the donor

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30 Secret of success ahead! 59 Your donor newsletter is NOT about you. It s about the donor

31 When you make donors feel good, when you make them feel important... they reward you with added gifts. 61 This quarterly newsletter raises $.5 million/yr from 10,000 targeted readers 62 31

32 63 Right away: the gift of joy The purpose of an envelope? To get opened. So the heartbreaking story begins on the envelope

33 Right away: the gift of joy The purpose of an envelope? To get opened. So the heartbreaking story begins on the envelope

34 The cover story is a story that shows mission accomplished... and gives the credit to the donors. 67 Offer to talk to the boss Update on important campaign Success story and offer to view online video 68 34

35 Umi, severely malnourished at 3 months, in her mother s arms

36 Key word: Compassion Matching gift offer 71 Social information Offer that gives donors a chance to become more deeply involved 72 36

37 Offer that gives donors a chance to become more deeply involved Trust builders 73 Dr. Adrian Sargeant loyalty factor #5 They trust you Oddly, if you re seen as smart in one area, people assume you re smart in all

38 This monthly newsletter raises $2.04 million/yr from 74,000 readers 75 For every $1 spent on printing and postage, $6.70 comes back in gifts Editor: Michelle Brinson 76 38

39 Donor love Shared values: Basic needs like shelter for homeless families are easy for many to relate to Editor: Michelle Brinson 77 Donor love Social information Offer 78 39

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41 Offer Emotional trigger Social information 81 Donor love Emotional trigger Offers 82 41

42 Why are offers so important? 83 Dr. Adrian Sargeant loyalty factor #6 Multiple engagements Every two-way interaction such as a survey significantly improves retention 84 42

43 Offer Tom Ahern Offers 86 43

44 Offer 87 Offers 88 44

45 Offer 89 Is my stuff rich with emotional triggers? 90 45

46 Why donors really give... They're seeking personal significance by helping change the world. They're finding spiritual strength by following the calls of their spiritual tradition. They're assuaging guilt. They're comforting fear. They're proving to themselves or others that they're good people. They know it feels good to give. They might even be seeking a tax deduction. Source: Future Fundraising Now/Jeff Brooks 91 Why donors really give... They're seeking personal significance by helping change the world. They're finding spiritual strength by following the calls of their spiritual tradition. They're assuaging guilt. They're comforting fear. They're proving to themselves or others that they're good people. They know it feels good to give. They might even be seeking a tax deduction. Source: Future Fundraising Now/Jeff Brooks 92 46

47 Why donors really give... They're seeking personal significance by helping change the world. They're finding spiritual strength by following the calls of their spiritual tradition. They're assuaging guilt. They're comforting fear. They're proving to themselves or others that they're good people. They know it feels good to give. They might even be seeking a tax deduction. Source: Future Fundraising Now/Jeff Brooks 93 Why donors really give... They're seeking personal significance by helping change the world. They're finding spiritual strength by following the calls of their spiritual tradition. They're assuaging guilt. They're comforting fear. They're proving to themselves or others that they're good people. They know it feels good to give. They might even be seeking a tax deduction. Source: Future Fundraising Now/Jeff Brooks 94 47

48 The amygdala 95 Why donors really give... They're seeking personal significance by helping change the world. They're finding spiritual strength by following the calls of their spiritual tradition. They're assuaging guilt. They're comforting fear. They're proving to themselves or others that they're good people. They know it feels good to give. They might even be seeking a tax deduction. Source: Future Fundraising Now/Jeff Brooks 96 48

49 Why donors really give... They're seeking personal significance by helping change the world. They're finding spiritual strength by following the calls of their spiritual tradition. They're assuaging guilt. They're comforting fear. They're proving to themselves or others that they're good people. They know it feels good to give. They might even be seeking a tax deduction. Source: Future Fundraising Now/Jeff Brooks 97 Why donors really give... They're seeking personal significance by helping change the world. They're finding spiritual strength by following the calls of their spiritual tradition. They're assuaging guilt. They're comforting fear. They're proving to themselves or others that they're good people. They know it feels good to give. They might even be seeking a tax deduction. Source: Future Fundraising Now/Jeff Brooks 98 49

50 They give because it feels good. (Dopamine trigger.) 99 (Chicago Tribune, 6/15/2007) That good feeling you get by writing a check to your favorite charity could be your brain patting itself on the back. Reporting in Friday's issue of the journal Science, a team of economists and psychologists at the University of Oregon have found that... donating money to charity activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure

51 Is my stuff rich with emotional triggers? 101 Loss aversion

52 103 (Direct mail industry trade secret!) Seven emotional triggers cause people to respond to direct mail: -- Anger -- Exclusivity -- Fear -- Flattery -- Greed -- Guilt -- Salvation

53 105 Mal Warwick s 5 positive triggers Hope Love Compassion Duty Faith

54 Sell the threat and make the donor responsible for the solution (your programs). 107 People give for their own reasons... not for our reasons

55 Dr. Adrian Sargeant loyalty factor #7 They re learning Are you taking them on a journey? Tom AHERN

56 Tom AHERN Tom AHERN

57 Journey to another country Journey to street level, to witness the animal s plight 113 The purpose of direct mail is to get inside the my home

58 Essential point #1 So answer me this: Why are you here? 115 [answer] To make me feel good

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