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Five Ways to Optimize Your Email Fundraising Strategy

by with No Comment CCAHdigitaldigital fundraisingdigital marketingonline fundraisingonline giving

Email is responsible for about one third of nonprofits’ online fundraising revenue. With email files often five times larger than social network followers, it has become the workhorse of many organizations’ digital fundraising.

Optimizing your email fundraising strategy can pay big dividends. Read on to learn ways you can make the most of your email program!

1

Focus on quality, not quantity.

Everyone is sending more emails—but users aren’t opening them. That’s why you should focus on quality, not quantity. For example, individualizing emails can increase open rates by 244 percent—and improve clickthrough rate by 161 percent.

2

Remove inactive addresses.

When you repeatedly email non-responders, the resulting lower engagement rates reduce the likelihood of your messages being delivered—which further depresses engagement rates. Purge those inactives to avoid being trapped in a vicious cycle.

3

Always test.

Test send day, send time, and cadence. Test subject line length, tone, and content. Test sender name and email address. And test copy and design to ensure that calls to action are clear and compelling. Test everything, and test often!

4

Create stronger and more specific segments so you always send the most relevant content.

Consider creating a “recently engaged” segment that includes recipients who have opened at least five or clicked at least one email in the past six months. You can also target specific interests based on response to a similar action alert or donation subject appeal in the current or previous year. And be sure to segment for chronic non-responders—those who have not opened, clicked, taken action or donated in a specific period.

5

Target content based upon what you know about your donors.

Your donors expect you to know who they are—so use the data you have! Personalize by name, location, and cohort status. And when you don’t know, ask questions to learn more!

We would love to work with you to optimize your email fundraising strategy and make the most of this important revenue source. Please reach out to Brenna Holmes, Principal and Senior Vice President, at bholmes@ccah.com to learn more about how we can help!

“We’re Changing Everything”: Navigating Social Ads in the 20s

by with No Comment digitaldigital adsdigital fundraisingdigital marketingNTConline fundraisingonline giving

Last year the social advertising industry was turned upside down.

With the release of iOS 14.5 for iPhone, Apple gave users the ability to opt-out of tracking for targeted advertising. The New York Times has reported that more than 80 percent of users have done so—a huge shift that has meant more than a few sleepless nights for CCAH’s Digital Advertising Team.

“The ad landscape has changed dramatically over the past year,” says Senior Digital Advertising Manager Mike Crump. “It’s been a time of rapid learning for everyone in the industry.”

Earlier this week, Mike and Senior Advertising Specialist Linsey Park led a session at the Nonprofit Technology Conference exploring both the challenges and unexpected opportunities presented by last year’s dramatic shift.

The numbers tell the story: impression costs on Facebook are double or even triple what they were last year. Donation rates are dropping, there’s less individual engagement on Facebook, and changes to interest-based targeting—particularly important for nonprofits—have thrown many marketers for a loop.

Not CCAH’s Digital Advertising team, however.

“It’s been a challenge, but an exciting one,” says Mike. “It has given us the opportunity to reassess some longstanding assumptions within the fundraising and advertising space—and try new things.”

One example is the team’s push for more creative advertising approaches, incorporating video and animation—as well as static ads—to grab and hold users’ attention. Mike, Linsey and the rest of the Digital Advertising department have also been exploring a variety of lead generation strategies like quizzes, surveys, petitions and more. Investing in these strategies will drive traffic and create a “well” of users for later retargeting.

But no matter how creative you get, there’s no getting around it: Facebook and other social media platforms simply can’t provide the audience or the data that they used to. That’s why CCAH’s Digital Advertising team remains committed to following the data.

In this new era of digital advertising, it’s more important than ever to monitor costs, track conversions, and adjust accordingly.

In addition, bringing digital advertising out of its traditional silo has become absolutely essential. Ads should compliment what is happening across other channels, contributing to overall brand awareness and increasing the number of touchpoints.

Linsey sees CCAH’s Digital Advertising team as uniquely ready to meet this challenge. “In our department, we have seasoned nonprofit fundraising professionals as well as for-profit experts.” She believes that industry-wide changes will lead to more of an overlap between for-profit and non-profit advertising—and knows that CCAH is more prepared than most for this shift.

If you’d like to know more about how CCAH and our Digital Advertising team can help your organization during this period of transition, feel free to reach out to Mike at mcrump@ccah.com or Linsey at lpark@ccah.com. We’d love to work with you!

CCAH’S Top Tips for Giving Tuesday

by with No Comment #GivingTuesdaydigital fundraisingonline fundraisingonline givingyear end

So #GivingTuesday (GT) is coming … yes, I know it’s 90 degrees in DC (and in many other places!), but holiday shopping, travel, and year-end fundraising seems to start earlier every year, so why not embrace it and get your plan in place now?

Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that allows your organization the unique opportunity to engage with your donors, supporters and volunteers to raise important funds for your mission. Taking place on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday kicks off the charitable season for many non-profits, political and advocacy organizations. With more than 3,600 charities participating, it’s important for you to consider ways that your organization can stand out and make the most of this giving day. Whether this is your organization’s first time participating or you’re ready to level up, it’s never too early to start thinking about Giving Tuesday plans.

First steps for organizations that haven’t fundraised on Giving Tuesday before:

1. Start backwards: Determine the promotional efforts that will happen prior to Giving Tuesday. If this is the first time your organization is participating, you’ll need to start sharing details prior to Giving Tuesday to let your donors, supporters and volunteers know that they can support your organization this Giving Tuesday.

2. Pump up the surround sound: A successful Giving Tuesday includes coordinated efforts across all digital channels. You want to meet your Giving Tuesday donors where they are, so that could be via email, social media, or your homepage.

3. Set a goal and show impact: Inspire your donors to help you reach an important goal this Giving Tuesday that can have an important impact on your mission. This can help motivate them to choose your organization this Giving Tuesday. It also allows you the opportunity to follow up after Giving Tuesday with how their donation made a difference.

Next steps for organizations that have fundraised successfully on Giving Tuesday and are ready to level up:

1. Double Up the Impact: Need an extra incentive for your donors to support your organization for Giving Tuesday? Share that they can have double the impact! To stay competitive among charities who are also promoting Giving Day, providing a matching gift opportunity can be a stronger motivator for someone to make the choice to give to your organization. You might even see some triple or quadruple opportunities out there!

2. Go Beyond Digital: You’ve pumped up the surround sound already, so it’s time to go beyond digital channels! The reach of your Giving Tuesday efforts can extend to donor’s mailboxes. Try sending a postcard mailer or other direct mail formats to your direct mail audience with a short URL or QR code. You never know who of your direct mail donors might be interested in taking part in this global day of giving, but you have to make sure to ask!

3. Make it Monthly: Giving Day is a great opportunity to build your monthly giving program. These are your most loyal donors that give monthly to help sustain your organization’s programs and services. While you may not see the same revenue totals on the day of, the long-term value you are building can be even stronger.

Make it your own, rally your network of supporters, go out there and raise important funds for your mission. Giving Tuesday is fast approaching, but with these tips, a successful giving day is right around the corner!