Web view Fundraisers sending individual emails

Michelle Ruth

We want our volunteer Fundraisers who work in web view to be able to send out individual emails, but to not have their personal email appear in the return line. We thought of sending through marketing email and having them start with a template, then the send a test function so they would be sending to only a couple addresses. We want to review responses before giving them back to the fundraiser to shield them from any potentially harsh comments. If replies go to our mail email box, we can do that. I am wondering how others do it?

Faith Murray

Question: why are you worried about shielding them from harsh comments?


If these are volunteer fundraisers, they enjoy a great deal of privilege having access to your email platform in using templates. I would say that if you are uncomfortable with your volunteers having a direct communication with their prospects, then the emails need to be sent out by YOU, from your CEO's name. In the email, your CEO would specify that "Bob Smith, one of our Board Members, will be reaching out to you in the next week." This is what we did in a recent campaign for our volunteers, more for the sake of bulk work than of shielding comments.


I would question, though, if you are trying to protect your volunteers a little too much. At some point, these fundraisers are going to be picking up a phone and calling their prospects, or visiting them. Else, why are they fundraisers? And if they are speaking directly with donors at all, even by phone, they are going to need to know how to field some negative comments without feeling like their loyalty to your org is shaken by the encounter. My recommendation, then, is to worry less about shielding your volunteers, and focus more on selecting devoted and experienced volunteers and on providing adequate training in how to handle diverse donor reactions.

Michelle Ruth

Hi Faith,

Thank you for sharing your perspectives on this. I agree with many of your points. To clarify, my context was absolutely volunteers. We are only starting to facilitate new ways for our Volunteers to serve, and our initial focus is not even fundraising. We know there are people that would like to feel more connected (although we don't know exactly who they are yet) and we have people willing to reach out to them to build them up and pray with them etc. We aren't focusing on bringing in revenue as much as facilitating serving.

That said, People's connection to God can be very strong. Many 'denominations' (which in some cases, unfortunately reflect divisions) cause people to fight for their denominational perspective. (For example, there are some traditional beliefs that do not reflect what the bible says, and that can cause pain when people feel vested in their traditional beliefs.) When this happens, it can cause new volunteers, just getting started, who just want to serve, to feel discouraged. That is the heart we want to protect.

We have people who have been through some harsh reactions that can deal with these appropriately, Sending them to the main box would allow for that. The happy path would just forward the emails to the volunteer. We want them to see good fruit coming from their heart to serve. We don't want them hurt by that experience.

Does that help clarify our environment? If not please let me know if I didn't explain well, or if there are other points you wish to share.

I do value this community --thank you

Michelle Ruth

Faith Murray

I see! You're speaking more about Ambassadors than Fundraisers -- reaching out to new community people than established relationships. But the RE portal only contains the one label for user account access.


In that case, I have little help as we have never allowed that kind of user access or donor information to our extended volunteers. Generally, we keep a centralized control over communications in our Development office. For example, in bridging our students with our community, our Development office asks students to write notes, which they give to our office, and then we share those statements with our donors. Conversely, we ask our donors to write notes of encouragement to students but they are mailed to our Development office, and we then pass the good notes along to our students. We have never put the communications tools in the hands of the volunteers, as we like to keep consistent branding and message consistency. But I can see that you are a more "grassroots" type organization than we are.


I think you are on the right track. I wonder, though, if it still wouldn't be easier for you to send the emails out yourselves and then connect your volunteers to the donors/recipients once a positive connection has been made. Send your volunteer a letter draft and let them customize it if you wish. Then your Development team sends the emails out to a target list. Those that return negative comments get weeded out of the list before the portfolio is assigned to a volunteer. Otherwise, you will have to remove those negative people after your volunteer already knows they sent an email, and you will have to explain in some form that the recipient was nonreceptive. In other words, if you are wanting to shield your volunteers, I would qualify your portfolio first, then assign relationships afterwards.