Fundraising Tip: Time for Another E-Appeal

Are you asking those who connect with you via email enough?

In the world of fundraising, there are always discussions about e-appeals and email in general. How often is too much to send an e-appeal?

I like to turn that question around a bit. Are you sending enough e-appeals?

If you can’t remember the last time you sent an e-appeal to your list, then it’s time to send one.

For some nonprofits, the majority of their fundraising comes from e-appeals.

What is enough and what is too much really depends on your organization, your relationships with those receiving the e-appeal, and your capacity.

When I bring up capacity, this means not just your time, but also those on the program side who will be supplying you with stories and news about what they are up to and successes and challenges they are having.

Storytelling is critical with e-appeals.

The most recent e-appeal I responded to was the second one I had received from this organization in about a month. They immediately let me know of a specific need and why my support was important.

Keep in mind that I am in relationship with this organization, I trust them, and I typically open emails from them.

These are important characteristics of donors you want to see when sending e-appeals, especially if you send more than a few times a year.

Take some time today to think about e-appeals, and consider your next one.

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Take a risk. Be of service. Support your friends and colleagues. Be kind.