Why Donor Newsletters (done right!) are multi-tasking superheroes for small charities...
You’ve seen them…
Those dull, self-centered charity newsletters that look like something produced by a corporate compliance department.
They tell charity donors all about what WE achieved, and how great WE are…
Oh, by the way… thanks for the money you sent.
Let’s cleanse our mind of those soul-destroying missives. Take a moment… breathe deeply… think of sunflowers and puppies.
And enter… the ‘Donor-Delighting Newsletter’ done properly.
A newsletter that truly puts your donors at the centre of everything your charity does. A newsletter that mails your treasured donors joy and delight in every issue!
In the Ask > Thank > Report-Back cycle a donor-centered newsletter is critical.
There are few tools in the fundraisers tool box that are as effective as newsletters in delighting your donors while multi-tasking to support donor cultivation and retention.
But that’s not all…
A ‘done properly’ donor-centred newsletter will generate a positive ROI, (ranging from 3:1 to as high as 8:1). Although, be careful not to narrow the focus to only income generation because it can deliver so much more than the initial ROI…
Making your donors the hero of your stories is the primary function of a great newsletter, giving you the opportunity to make your donor feel like a superhero before asking again.
Newsletters are NOT really for "asking", but you should always include a reply device and soft ‘offers’.
‘Wish-Lists’ with topical, tangible asks are genius for turning small donors, suddenly, into major donors. (One charity recently had 3 people give 10k each for a vehicle. Two had previously been steady €100 donors).
A Donor-Centered Newsletter ‘done properly’ increases retention of both cash and monthly donors by telling wonderful stories about how they are changing the world. And we all know, it’s much cheaper to keep donors than to find new ones!
Many stories capture donor's hearts that are not “appeal material”. Newsletters are a chance to tell a larger variety and deeper stories making the donor feel like more of an "insider” and keep your donors loyal for longer.
They can provide a ‘drip, drip, drip’ effect and see you recruiting new legacy pledgers and monthly givers all year round, without bespoke mailings.
Your newsletter is a natural at promoting special events and tours as long as they aren’t the focus of the newsletter.
For some charities, newsletters defy all expectations. We’ve seen newsletters hitting 20% in some very improbable organisations, sometimes outperforming their appeals.
If you need to add a donor-delighting newsletter to cultivate and retain more donors… or your existing newsletter needs a refreshing makeover, we can help…
We can’t wait to share our donor-newsletter ninja skills with your charity. We guarantee you’ll be amazed at the results. Get in touch today.