For-Profit Tips for Non-Profit Email

According to Winston Bowden, some non-profits may not be using the Internet as effectively as their corporate cousins.

What's missing? A good email marketing campaign. "Whether you're launching a membership drive, soliciting donations, or selling tickets to a fundraising event," he says, "email marketing can provide the biggest bang for your buck." He offers a few for-profit tips for non-profit emailers:

Build a contact list with names of members who have specifically requested information from your organization. Online sign-up forms are critical,  but you can also use old-school techniques like sign-up sheets at events. Example: The Visual Art Exchange (VAE) has generated most of its contacts from visitors to the non-profit's downtown gallery.

Create buzz. Send subscribers regular updates about, say, an upcoming event. But each blast should tell them something new. Don't blanket them with irrelevant, untargeted messages.

Solicit feedback. Request feedback at the bottom of each message. Also, conduct reader surveys on a quarterly basis.

After implementing a basic email marketing strategy with tactics like these, VAE increased Web site traffic by 200 percent, increased its membership by 40 percent, and doubled its annual revenue.

The Po!nt: It's no sin for non-profits to use for-profit tactics when emailing. "By thinking like a marketer," says Bowden, "you … can help your non-profit grow its programs, services, and offerings."

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