Optimize Fundraising E-mail Communications by Driving Engagement

Other ways to segment communications for greater engagement include:

• Geo-based communication: e-mail centered on location. The Nature Conservancy sent an e-mail on "Great Places" to recipients based on their location, which featured images and stories on these beautiful places where nature is thriving.
• Behavioral-based communication: Behavioral communication goes beyond first name and geographic location, referencing and acknowledging the relationship between the organization and the supporter by referencing past behavior and action taken on behalf of or as part of the organization's community. For example, an Environmental Defense Fund e-mail referenced in the session referenced past activity and engagement, educated the donor on an advocacy program, created an opportunity to engage on a variety of issues and topics, and provided a passionate response.
• Quick survey e-mail: A quick way to measure interest and further segment your e-mail file is by sending a survey about the e-mail communications you send. Based off the response, you can decide what type of messages to send to whom.
• Single-them messaging: These type of messages draw special attention to a campaign or highlight and emphasize a targeted ask. These messages are often a little shorter. They are more focused on one thing and one clear call to action. For example, charity: water had a "Send an e-card this Valentine's Day and give a person clean water" e-mail with the simple call to action to send a Valentine's Day card.
• Single call to action: Similarly, a single call-to-action message has brief messaging with multiple links throughout to a single call to action. Feeding America, for example, sent an e-mail to share an infographic where the call to action was repeatedly linked, the messaging was brief, it was mobile-friendly, emphasized brevity of the action the repellent was asked to take, and had both visual and textual prompts to the call to action.
• Lapsed-response communication: referencing a past e-mail or advocacy action to try and re-engage lapsed supporters. United to End Genocide sent an e-mail that started, "We couldn't help but notice that you haven't been involved with the United to End Genocide community lately and we miss you." It then had prompts to stand with the movement or to take a break from communications.

Another tip: Video helps drive conversion, according to the presenters:

• Including the word "video" in an e-mail subject line can improve the open rate between 7 percent and 13 percent.
• Video in an e-mail drives an average 21 percent higher conversion rate.
• 52 percent of consumers say watching product videos makes them more confident in online purchase decisions.

It's clear that e-mail is still a great way to engage supporters, solicit donations and ask people to take action. But in this world of over-communication, it's vital to be engaging and relevant.