Spam Is Costing Nonprofits Thousands Per Year

How much is spam costing your nonprofit? According to a new study, it's no small amount.

In its "2016 Email Deliverability Index," nonprofit CRM provider EveryAction examined email deliverability data for 55 national nonprofits with "substantial email programs" and compared findings to last year's data. The study found that the monthly spam rate for email sent in 2015 was 7.03 percent—and all those undelivered emails add up. Via the study:

According to benchmark online giving data, every percentage of email going to spam results in a loss of $1,052.64 annually, as the impact of spam makes itself felt in every metric from open rates to page completions. Every undelivered email is a lost opportunity for supporters to take action, raise their voices, volunteer their time and donate to your cause.

That comes out to an average of $7,401 a year in lost online revenue. The study also found that #GivingTuesday, on which nonprofits raised $116.7 million in 2015, saw a 9.27 percent spam rate. That's lower than 2014's 11.63 percent rate, but it still comes out to an average of $955.47 in lost revenue for an organization with a list size of 100,000.

"Some organizations may have a smaller list, send more fundraising asks, or have different opens, clicks, page completions or average email donation amounts from the chosen benchmarks," the study noted. "However, the figures demonstrate that spam has a direct relationship to total money raised from email fundraising."

The chart below details that relationship:

Three scenarios detailing different spam rates. Image via "2016 Email Deliverability Index"

Check out the full study here for more information, including several tips for improving email deliverability rates.