E-MAIL FUNDRAISING CONCEPTS

It is obvious that the 21st Century is making each and every one of us re-evaluate the way we do things. This is as true for Churches and Non-Profits as it is for Businesses. One of the most prominent undertakings of a 501 (c) (3) is Fundraising, and there are many e-mail marketing companies who are offering their services to assist with this challenge. In fact, Randall Mains, CEO of Pathmaker Marketing, LLC, a true email marketing specialist, has had immense success with his clients in doing just that, having raised well over a million dollars for them in the past four-plus years!

When conferring with Pathmaker Marketing, or any professional email marketing service, they will advise you that there are several important email fundraising concepts, which deals predominantly with “testing” to ensuring that your e-mail fundraising endeavor is, in fact, a successful one. Following is a brief description of each of these, to help you better understand the email marketing expert’s approach to

e-mail fundraising.

DEVELOP YOUR E-MAIL STRATEGIES - Basically there are five strategies that you can employ, which include:

• E-Mail Tied to Current Events

• Monthly “Themed” E-Mail Campaigns

• Direct Mail/E-Mail Combo

• Media/E-Mail Combo

• “Stand Alone” E-Mail Fundraising Campaign

“CLICK THROUGH RATE” TESTING - Typically, in each e-mail the recipient will have several ways to “click through” to support your cause. This can either take place via a “Banner, “ “Learn More,” or an “Action Button.” What you will eventually do, of course, is concentrate on “Click Through Optimization.”

“SPLIT” TESTING - In this instance you try different “creative angles” to see which works best. This might include varying the copy that you use, or the photos. Obviously, you will send out several simultaneously to determine what the results are.

“SUBJECT LINE” TESTING - This process finds you mailing the exact same email, but changing what you write in the subject line. As you experiment with these, you will find that one subject line may get more attention, and a better reaction than another one that you use.

LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION - This may be, perhaps, the greatest “bug-a-boo” for email fundraisers. Often, people have an excellent “click through” rate, but no one bothers to donate! As a result, the conclusion drawn, albeit an erroneous one!, is that e-mail fundraising doesn’t work. The reality is, it is the landing page that is “broken” and needs repairing, and that is where landing page optimization comes in!

It is, of course, possible that all of this may seem a little overwhelming, especially the landing page optimization concept. That is why that you may find it more beneficial to contact an email marketing professional like Randall Mains and his email marketing firm, Pathmaker Marketing. They can assist you by explaining the process in greater detail, and implementing the programs as well!