Sending more quality emails to more qualified people leads to more revenue for your cause. This presentation looks at how you get, send, and optimize your strategy around email fundraising to raise more money.

2. A QUIZ.

3. 272% increase
in conversions
A B

4. YOU DON’T ALWAYS KNOW.
NEITHER DO I.
AND THAT’S OKAY.
BEST PRACTICE IS THE START.
NOT THE END.

5. TODAY
● Agenda
○ Email Fundraising
○ Getting Emails
○ Sending Emails
○ Optimizing Emails
○ Questions
● Housekeeping
○ Slides will be sent out later
○ Jot down ideas & questions
○ Research/tests from nextafter.com/research
○ Ask @bradyjosephson or brady@shiftagency.co

6. QUICK PLUGS...

7. PODCAST FOR CHARITY NERDS
thegoodjourneypod.com

8. SHAMELESS...
NONPROFIT SUPPLY CO. - nonprofitsupply.coSHIFT AGENCY - shiftagency.co
brady@shiftagency.co brady@nonprofitsupply.co

9. EMAIL GUIDES AND RESOURCES
TIPS FOR GROWING YOUR EMAIL LIST SIZE
https://www.nextafter.com/resources/
TIPS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR EMAIL APPEALS
https://www.nextafter.com/resources/
Experiments & tests courtesy of NextAfter. More at nextafter.com/research.

10. INTRO

11. DOES THIS LOOK FAMILIAR?

12. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO
GET IN THERE?!?

13. EMAIL IS GROWING

14. EMAIL IS MOBILE
Litmus’ 2016 State of Email

15. MOBILE GIVING IS GROWING
Blackbaud Charitable Giving Report (top) and Dunham + Company (bottom)

16. EMAIL IS VALUABLE

17. EMAIL IS VERY VALUABLE

18. SENDING MORE (QUALITY) EMAILS TO
MORE (QUALIFIED) PEOPLE MEANS
MORE REVENUE FOR YOUR CAUSE.

19. EMAIL METRICS
● Open Rate
● Click Through Rate
● Response Rate
● List Size
● Churn Rate
2017 M + R Benchmarks

20. EMAIL METRICS
● Open Rate
○ Opens/Sent
● Click Through Rate
● Response Rate
● List Size
● Churn Rate
2017 M + R Benchmarks

21. EMAIL METRICS
● Open Rate
● Click Through Rate
○ Clicks/Sent
● Response Rate
● List Size
● Churn Rate
2017 M + R Benchmarks

22. EMAIL METRICS
● Open Rate
● Click Through Rate
● Response Rate
○ Conversions/Sent
● List Size
● Churn Rate
2017 M + R Benchmarks

23. EMAIL METRICS
● Open Rate
● Click Through Rate
● Response Rate
● List Size
○ Total Subscribers
● Churn Rate
2017 M + R Benchmarks

24. EMAIL METRICS
● Open Rate
● Click Through Rate
● Response Rate
● List Size
● Churn Rate
○ Became unreachable/Was reachable
2017 M + R Benchmarks

25. A QUIZ.

26. A B
1,209% increase in
click through rate
30.3% decrease
in donations

27. USE THE RIGHT METRIC TO MEASURE
THE RIGHT GOAL!

28. GETTING

29. WHY GETTING EMAILS IS IMPORTANT
1. More (quality) emails you send to more (qualified) people is more revenue for
your cause
2. You have a natural ‘churn’ rate (15% ish) that you have to replace just to keep
your list the same size

30. 3 STEPS TO GETTING MORE EMAILS
1. Creating an ‘offer’
2. Presenting & promoting the ‘offer’
3. Continuing the engagement

31. 3 STEPS TO GETTING MORE EMAILS
1. Creating an ‘offer’
2. Presenting & promoting the ‘offer’
3. Continuing the engagement

32. IF I AM YOUR IDEAL DONOR, WHY
SHOULD I SUPPORT YOU, RATHER
THAN SOME OTHER ORGANIZATION,
OR NOT AT ALL.

33. WHY PEOPLE GIVE
Courtesy of NextAfter

34. WHY PEOPLE GIVE - NERDY VERSION
Copyright MECLABS, Courtesy of NextAfter
VALUE COST

35. WHY PEOPLE GIVE
Courtesy of NextAfter

36. IF I AM YOUR IDEAL DONOR, WHY
SHOULD I GIVE MY EMAIL TO YOU,
RATHER THAN SOME OTHER
ORGANIZATION, OR NOT AT ALL.

37. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION
NextAfter

38. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION
1. Appeal
a. Why would I want to signup?
b. Do I like it?
NextAfter

39. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION
1. Appeal
a. Why would I want to signup?
b. Do I like it?
2. Exclusivity
a. How is this different than any other organization?
b. Can I get this anywhere else?
NextAfter

40. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION
1. Appeal
a. Why would I want to signup?
b. Do I like it?
2. Exclusivity
a. How is this different than any other organization?
b. Can I get this anywhere else?
3. Credibility
a. Why should I trust you?
b. Do I believe you?
NextAfter

41. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION
1. Appeal
a. Why would I want to signup?
b. Do I like it?
2. Exclusivity
a. How is this different than any other organization?
b. Can I get this anywhere else?
3. Credibility
a. Why should I trust you?
b. Do I believe you?
4. Clarity
a. What will I get when I signup?
b. Do I understand you?
NextAfter

42. APPEAL - DO I LIKE IT?
charity : water

43. EXCLUSIVITY - CAN I GET IT ANYWHERE ELSE?
Run for Water

44. CREDIBILITY - DO I BELIEVE YOU?

45. CLARITY - DO I UNDERSTAND IT?

46. SOME OFFER IS BETTER
THAN NO OFFER!

47. 3 STEPS TO GETTING MORE EMAILS
1. Creating an ‘offer’
2. Presenting & promoting the ‘offer’
3. Continuing the engagement

48. ON A LANDING PAGE
First United

49. ON A LANDING PAGE
NextAfter. Get it at nextafter.com/resources

50. ON A (BETTER) LANDING PAGE
First United
Remove distractions
Do images help?
Remove distractions
Headline? Offer? More copy?
Better language?
Why trust?

51. IN YOUR SITE NAVIGATION
First United

52. WITH A ‘POP-UP’
International Teams Canada and charity: water

53. A QUIZ.

54. A B C
350.1%
increase in
conversions
470.2%
increase in
conversions

55. YOU HAVE TO ASK!
CONSIDER POPUPS, SLIDERS, AND
IN-LINE OFFERS.

56. 3 STEPS TO GETTING MORE EMAILS
1. Creating an ‘offer’
2. Presenting & promoting the ‘offer’
3. Continuing the engagement

57. THANK AND CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT
First United

58. THANK YOU PAGES ARE GOOD FOR
USER EXPERIENCE AND (OFTEN)
REQUIRED FOR TRACKING.

59. PRESENT ANOTHER RELEVANT OFFER
Seva Canada

60. WELCOME THEM!

61. COMPONENTS OF A WELCOME SERIES
● Confirm their signup
● Warmly welcome
● Give them a sense of what to expect
● Guide them to learn more
● Invite to get involved
● Make the case for a donation
● Share the value of monthly giving

62. THANK/CONFIRM. ENGAGE. MOVE TO ACTION.

63. WHY AREN’T WE WELCOMING PEOPLE?
Online Fundraising Scorecard

64. SOME TYPES OF AUTOMATED SERIES’
● New Email Signup
● Petition or Action Email Capture
● New Donor
● New Monthly Donor
● Online Donation (old and new)
● Volunteer Signup
● Fundraiser Signup

65. AUTOMATE WHEN YOU CAN AND
PERSONALIZE WHERE YOU CAN.

66. SENDING

67. IF I AM YOUR IDEAL DONOR, WHY
SHOULD I GIVE TO YOU, RATHER THAN
SOME OTHER ORGANIZATION, OR NOT
AT ALL.

68. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION

69. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION
1. Appeal
a. Why would I want to donate?
b. Do I like it?

70. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION
1. Appeal
a. Why would I want to donate?
b. Do I like it?
2. Exclusivity
a. How is this different than any other organization?
b. Can I get this anywhere else?

71. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION
1. Appeal
a. Why would I want to donate?
b. Do I like it?
2. Exclusivity
a. How is this different than any other organization?
b. Can I get this anywhere else?
3. Credibility
a. Why should I trust you?
b. Do I believe you?

72. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION
1. Appeal
a. Why would I want to donate?
b. Do I like it?
2. Exclusivity
a. How is this different than any other organization?
b. Can I get this anywhere else?
3. Credibility
a. Why should I trust you?
b. Do I believe you?
4. Clarity
a. What will my donation do?
b. Do I understand you?

73. GOOD EMAILS SHOULD OFFER VALUE
FOR THE READER - NOT JUST THE
SENDER.

74. APPEAL - DO I LIKE IT?

75. EXCLUSIVITY - CAN I GET IT ANYWHERE ELSE?

76. CREDIBILITY - DO I BELIEVE YOU?

77. CLARITY - DO I UNDERSTAND IT?

78. WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS ORGANIZATION DOES?

79. LACK OF CLARITY IS THE BIGGEST
REASON DONORS DON’T GIVE.

80. 4 FACTORS OF VALUE PROPOSITION
1. Appeal
a. Why would I want to donate?
b. Do I like it?
2. Exclusivity
a. How is this different than any other organization?
b. Can I get this anywhere else?
3. Credibility
a. Why should I trust you?
b. Do I believe you?
4. Clarity
a. What will my donation do?
b. Do I understand you?

81. SOME VALUE PROPOSITION IS BETTER
THAN NO VALUE PROPOSITION.

82. Offer
Attention
Traffic
Qualify
Motivation
Average Gift
Decision
Friction
Conversion

83. OFFER AND EMAIL SHOULD BE
CONSISTENT WITH THE DONATION
PAGE.

84. 10 ELEMENTS OF A FUNDRAISING EMAIL
1. Sender
2. Reply Email
3. Send Time
4. Subject Line
5. Preview Text
6. Design
7. Copy Length
8. Tone
9. Images
10. Call-to-Action
NextAfter

85. 10 ELEMENTS OF A FUNDRAISING EMAIL
1. Sender
2. Reply Email
3. Send Time
4. Subject Line
5. Preview Text
1
2
3
4 5

86. 10 ELEMENTS OF A FUNDRAISING EMAIL
1. Sender
2. Reply Email
3. Send Time
4. Subject Line
5. Preview Text
1
2
3
4 5

87. A QUIZ.

88. A B
42.2% increase
in click through
rate

89. TRY BEING MORE CLEAR WHAT WHAT
YOU’RE OFFERING OR ASKING FOR IN
THE SUBJECT LINE.

90. TIP: WRITE DOWN EVERY SUBJECT LINE
YOU CAN THINK OF THEN WORK BACK
AND ELIMINATE THEM ONE BY ONE.
DON’T TRY TO WRITE JUST THE
PERFECT SUBJECT LINE.

91. 10 ELEMENTS OF A
FUNDRAISING EMAIL
6. Design
7. Copy Length
8. Tone
9. Images
10. Call-to-Action
6
7
8
9
10

92. A QUIZ.

93. A B
46.3% increase
in donations

94. TRY NOT HAVING A DESIGNED EMAIL.

95. 10 ELEMENTS OF A
FUNDRAISING EMAIL
6. Design
7. Copy Length
8. Tone
9. Images
10. Call-to-Action
6
7
8
9
10

96. A QUIZ.

97. A B
137.2% increase
in open rate

98. TRY CREATING EMAILS AS A HUMAN
SENDING TO OTHER HUMANS.

99. DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR
DONATION PAGE!

100. REMEMBER GRAVITY IS PULLING PEOPLE OUT

101. YOU’VE DONE ALL THE HARD WORK...

102. … DON’T LOSE THEM NOW!

104. DONATION TOOLS AND RESOURCES
TIPS FOR A GREAT LANDING PAGE
https://www.nextafter.com/resources/
TIPS FOR A GREAT DONATION PAGE
https://www.nextafter.com/resources/

105. OPTIMIZING

106. MORE ON TESTING & EXPERIMENTING
7 STRATEGIES TO OPTIMIZE
1. Test a different sender
2. Measure every metric
3. Test personalization in your emails
4. Test copy length and its effect on
conversion
5. Test your images. Do they really help?
6. Test your email template. Is it helping or
hurting?
7. Test a more personal tone in your emails
8 STEPS TO LAUNCH AN EXPERIMENT
1. Identify the conversion goal
2. Make sure you can measure your goal
3. Craft your hypothesis
4. Calculate your needed sample size
5. Design your treatment
6. Set up your experiment
7. Validate your results
8. Document your learning. Share your
results.
nextafter.com/resources

107. MORE ON TESTING & EXPERIMENTING
7 STRATEGIES TO OPTIMIZE
1. Test a different sender
2. Measure every metric
3. Test personalization in your emails
4. Test copy length and its effect on
conversion
5. Test your images. Do they really help?
6. Test your email template. Is it helping or
hurting?
7. Test a more personal tone in your emails
8 STEPS TO LAUNCH AN EXPERIMENT
1. Identify the conversion goal
2. Make sure you can measure your goal
3. Craft your hypothesis
4. Calculate your needed sample size
5. Design your treatment
6. Set up your experiment
7. Validate your results
8. Document your learning. Share your
results.
nextafter.com/resources

108. MORE ON TESTING & EXPERIMENTING
7 STRATEGIES TO OPTIMIZE
1. Test a different sender
2. Measure every metric
3. Test personalization in your emails
4. Test copy length and its effect on
conversion
5. Test your images. Do they really help?
6. Test your email template. Is it helping or
hurting?
7. Test a more personal tone in your emails
8 STEPS TO LAUNCH AN EXPERIMENT
1. Identify the conversion goal
2. Make sure you can measure your goal
3. Craft your hypothesis
4. Calculate your needed sample size
5. Design your treatment
6. Set up your experiment
7. Validate your results
8. Document your learning. Share your
results.
nextafter.com/resources

109. TOOLS TO TEST
nextafter.com/research/validate-your-own-experiment/

110. EMAIL TOOL
● MailChimp
● Free (with some limitations) for up
to 2,000 subscribers
● Then based on list size
● Easy/good ‘automation’
● Nonprofit discount available
● Plays nicely with almost anything
THE BEST EMAIL TOOL FOR (ALMOST) ALL
CHARITIES AND NONPROFITS
https://mailchimp.com/
mailchimp.com

111. TOOLS TO TEST
optimize.google.com

112. LIVE EXAMPLES.

113. BRAVE SOUL
● Don’t know context
● No subject line, time, etc.
● Ideas, and suggestions - not right or wrong
● No consideration to pages linked to

114. Links to different
places with different
actions
Not sure those are
the best things to
bold...
What do I believe?
This is true but not
too exciting or
intriguing...
Who are these kids?
I want to know
more.

115. The need is
important! Why isn’t
this more urgent,
more personal, more
central?x
Do you want people
to learn or do you
want them to vote?

116. BRAVE SOUL
● If you want me to vote, make the case for why I should vote,
how my vote helps, and how I can do that - careful with all
the ‘other stuff’
● Careful with the ‘we’ language - you want to evoke feelings
or beliefs from the reader, not just share information about
you and what you believe
● Consider no design on a personal letter email like this
● Send more updates on work more frequently so when you
have an urgent ask you can just ask - you don’t also need to
catch up, explain, introduce, etc.

117. BRAVE SOUL
● Don’t know context
● No subject line, time, etc.
● Ideas, and suggestions - not right or wrong
● No consideration to pages linked to

118. This isn’t what
you’re asking
people to do...
Go on...
Good match
language.

119. More distracting
links.
Good offer
statement and use
of PS.
Would remove this
second donate
button.
Not sure I’d focus on
two project areas - a
lot of information
and could cause
confusion.
How is this adding
value? Remove.
Wasted space, hurts
the PS (maybe)?

120. BRAVE SOUL
● Try less design to eliminate distractions and make more
personal
● Not big on the double donate buttons and two projects
(decision friction)
● Some good language, match, uniqueness of
opportunity, and urgency

121. BUT TEST IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!

122. WEBSITES
BLOG: RECHARITY.CA
AGENCY: SHIFTAGENCY.CO
ADWORDS: NONPROFITSUPPLY.CO
PODCAST: THEGOODJOURNEYPOD.COM
CONSULTING/SPEAKING: JOSEPHSONGROUP.COM
QUESTIONS?
EMAIL: BRADY@SHIFTAGENCY.CO
TWITTER: @BRADYJOSEPHSON
THANKS AND GOOD LUCK!