Help! Appeal Emails

Carrie Shrewsbury

Friends - I have a question and I really need some feedback.


I am the Development Coordinator for a conservative seminary. We only recently (2016) started using email as a way to raise funds.


We have some folks who have complained - whether about the photo we used one time, or that we ask for money too often, etc. We are VERY careful about emailing. We check with our other departments to make sure we are not emailing the same time they are. We only email certain times a year. The message goes through a number of channels for review/approval before I send it. But every time we get a complaint the powers-that-be get afraid, and more limitations are put on us here in Development.


I feel the fact is that we are going to get complaints. That's normal, and so we mark those folks' records appropriately and continue on. But the reaction of some leaders is to mostly stop emailing. I feel this is the wrong approach.


Can anyone share some experiences in this area? What you've done, how you've handled this? Is this just something we are experiencing, etc.? I am very frustrated and feel like we are behind times and honestly, losing dollars. But I am afraid to continue on because leadership is not really behind emailing. (This also includes social media for the most part.)


Thank you for your time and thoughts!

Philip Nawrocki

Hi Carrie,


E-mail is the easiest way to get an ask to someone. For its low-cost and secondary nature alone. Everyone expects to receive e-mail. If they do not want to receive it anymore they can unsubscribe. Any e-mail program is going to experience churn and some complaints. Sometimes you just e-mail someone when they are having a bad day and then once you personally respond to them everything usually works out.


You could do a quick google search on 'e-mail ROI' or 'e-mail and donations' and get plenty of data to support your case to e-mail your constituents. We send tons of e-mail, sometimes e-mailing the same group three times in a day for a triple match. There will be some people that ask to unsubscribe and that is ok, because you still receive donations.


Blackbaud has a lot of statistics on this as well as far as ROI and e-mail fundraising. I am sure you could ask your CSM for some of those data points.


Let me know if that helps,


Phil

Carrie Shrewsbury

Phil!
Thank you, yes this really helps me. I so appreciate your
feedback, I will do those things you suggested.

It's been
surprisingly hard to drag us into emailing. I don't get why
email has been so upsetting to some folks. But I feel
strongly about it as a tool. This will help me arm myself
with some facts.

Thank you
again!

--

In
Him,

Carrie
Shrewsbury

Development Coordinator

Trinity
School for Ministry

311 Eleventh Street

Ambridge, PA 15003

724-266-3838 - www.tsm.edu

"For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God - not
by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians
2:8-9

Jon Reich

Hi Carrie,


You might also want to consider using the Email Interest Categories... so that folks have a chance to opt-in/opt-out of specific categories instead of only a single global opt-out option.

Constituent360 > Interests > + Create a New Interest Category


You could use them for topic of interest, type of email, or even frequency of communication preferred. Then just remember to be mindful of those associated Email Interest Groups when setting up your target audience for each email send.


Hope that helps!


- Jon


--

Jon Reich * Partner * Cathexis Partners * jon@cathexispartners.com * p.605.377.8147

Allison King

Carrie,


Have you logged into Luminate Beta and taken a look at your Email dashboard yet? On the dashboard you quickly discover high level data about your email campaigns in general and about specific campaigns, including open and click through rates, unsubscribe rate, and revenue raised through email. You can even download this dashboard as a PDF to show to the powers-that-be.

Kathryn Hall

Carrie - I'm an author of the Luminate Online Benchmark Report - https://hi.blackbaud.com/luminate/ - We do a statistical breakout of fundraising and email performance for the "Faith" vertical. Organizations included in this group have missions arising out of their faith and religious identity. Most fall within a spectrum of social benefit organizations and communities of faith - so you will find the analysis covers "birds of a feather". That may also prove helpful in making your case.


A while back I was responsible for communications for the missions board at my large suburban church. We had a lot of the same discussions. The language had to be softened where it wasn't an ask for donations, but call for support ... we had very specific language that "asks" had to be couched in. It seemed to work for our audience, we raised funds, even if the emails seemed a bit subtle in the "ask" department. Over the past couple of years I've watched stats for the Faith sector in the benchmark report bounce around a bit more than other sectors. This may indicate that other faith communities within this vertical are also relatively new to the techniques of digital engagement strategies and are finding their way. Happy to connect you with our Customer Success Team for Faith-based organizations that studies best practices for your type of organization.

Lauren Crawford

Hi Carrie,


While this video isn't necessarily focused on email, it might be a good share with your leadership about embracing technology and how it can help extend the reach to your constituents:
https://faith.blackbaud.com/customer-spotlights/dominican-friars-embraces-modern-technology-to-share-the-gospel-online


I would also suggest balancing the appeal emails you're sending with informational emails (newsletter, prayer requests, events, education, etc.) so you're not just asking for donations every time someone gets an email from you. As, Kathryn mentioned, make sure that your appeal emails are showing how their donation can support the work you're doing at the seminary.


Lauren

Customer Success Manager


(PS you may want to subscribe to the Dominican Friars emails to get a flavor for what they're sending!)