5-Minute Interview--Pat Grayson

FS: What are some things you see as necessary in your e-mails?

PG: One of the things that we really emphasize in all of our mailing pieces [is] we inform our donors about our privacy policy and that donors can choose how they'd like to be contacted, as well as an opt-out option. We do that in the e-mail and on all of our correspondence because it's important for us to let people know that we respect their privacy.

FS: What are some tips you can give other nonprofits in terms of e-mail fundraising?

PG: The messages have to be uniform, [and] they have to be consistent, not just in direct mail on paper but in e-mail, in our public relations and our fundraising and all that we do -- so we have made more of a concerted effort within the last year to target our marketing and to have it as an agency-wide objective to have the same message. We embarked upon sort of a new marketing approach and campaign in the last year because we didn't want to send mixed messages, and because we are a large organization and we've been around for a long time, since 1853. We wanted to make sure that there wasn't confusion about what we do.

Our effort to appeal to the e-mail group is an effort to appeal to a younger group -- working professionals -- realizing that older people and senior citizens, quite frankly, are increasingly using e-mail too. So this is all an effort to broaden our base of support, to increase our overall awareness out there, to raise funds. To increase public awareness, but to market a common message.

Pat Grayson can be reached via http://www.childrensaidsociety.org