Posts Tagged ‘email’
December 18th, 2009 by Elizabeth Ricca
- Can website visitors see the donate button on your homepage without scrolling? A new tool from Google Labs shows you what percentage of website users (on average) can see any given area of your page when they open it up in their browser. (Of course, there are those who would argue that it doesn’t really matter.)
- On Social Media Today, Angela Connor suggests making a new year’s resolution to fight online overload by opting out of email lists and communities that aren’t helpful to you anymore. Good advice, and also an important reminder to think about your nonprofit’s email strategy. If one of your subscribers were to go through her inbox ready to hit the “unsubscribe” button, would your emails be interesting, engaging, and helpful enough to survive the purge?
- You know your organization should think about doing more in social media. But your staff is already too busy. Can’t you just bring in an expert to do the tweeting? On Social Media Explorer, Chris Garret speaks to the pros and cons of social media outsourcing. The bottom line: don’t outsource your relationships.
- When a visitor to your site clicks on a broken link or mistypes a page address, what do they see? If it’s the standard “page not found” message that your server automatically displays, you’re missing out on a fun and easy opportunity to showcase your brand. For examples and tips on making the most of your 404 Error pages, check out Heather Gardner-Madras’s post on the Idealware blog.
- In this season of Black Friday sales and mile-long wish lists, one nonprofit fundraising campaign invites you to take a stand against shopping: choose an item, don’t buy it, and donate the money you would have spent instead.
A weekly roundup of interesting reads from the online world of nonprofit communications. Check out my Delicious bookmarks for more noteworthy links.
Tags: email, nptech, roundup, social media, website, website design
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November 6th, 2009 by Elizabeth Ricca
- If a twitterer tweets and no one responds, did it make an impression?
Maybe! Don’t despair if your social media efforts don’t seem to be generating much buzz—check out these helpful tips from Alexandra Samuel on Conversation Starter for how to foster conversation and respond to the silence.
- Do you personalize your emails? It sounds daunting, but you may be surprised at how much you can do with data you probably already have. This post from Aimy Wiley of the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas gives pointers for tailoring your emails so they get more attention and raise more dollars.
- Google is king of the search castle, but Bing has pretensions to the crown. Have you checked to make sure your nonprofit’s website shows up in Bing.com searches? If it doesn’t, Wild Apricot blog will tell you how to fix it.
- It’s almost the new year, and you know what that means: lots of articles speculating about what’s coming in 2010. David Armano is ahead of the curve with an interesting post about emerging trends in social media.
- Trying to figure out how to engage your community using social media? Consider using social tools in conjunction with your nonprofit’s next event or conference—i On Non-Profits has some ideas to get you started.
A weekly roundup of interesting reads from the online world of nonprofit communications. Check out my Delicious bookmarks for more noteworthy links.
Tags: email, events, nptech, roundup, search engine optimization, social media, trends
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September 29th, 2009 by Elizabeth Ricca
Don't stumble through the finish
A few weeks back, I had a disappointing online interaction with a nonprofit, and I think it serves as a cautionary tale about creating too many barriers to signup or participation online.
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Tags: crm, cultivation, email, nptech, online engagement
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August 28th, 2009 by Elizabeth Ricca
- Two new ways to bring a bit more social good into your life: donate the balance of leftover gift cards to charity, or support both a favorite cause and your social life at www.GiveandDate.com. What next, I wonder?
- A great post from the Diosa Communications blog consolidating the wisdom of over 3 years as an organizer of nonprofit communities online. My favorite takeaway: in social media, nonprofits have a lot to fear from fear itself.
- At the Duck, we’re fond of saying that before you go headfirst into social media, you should make sure your core online communications tools—website and email strategy—are in good shape. In that spirit, some tips from FundRaising Success on crafting a strong email campaign.
- From the groundswell blog, updated 2009 social technographics for online US adults. The big picture: while not everyone is in a hurry to create content (like blogs and videos), participating in social media as a spectator (like reading blogs and watching videos) is becoming increasingly standard.
- According to a survey of GenY, social media is for narcissists (gasp!). More interestingly, most of the survey respondents are also pretty much okay with this. (Does this mean “social media experts” should start billing themselves as “expert narcissists”?)
I’m at Mashable’s Social Good Conference (#socialgood for you Twitter types) this Friday—check out the live stream or follow me on Twitter @bigduckliz for highlights.
A weekly roundup of interesting reads from the online world of nonprofit communications. Check out my Delicious bookmarks for more noteworthy links.
Tags: demographics, email, nptech, roundup, social good, social media
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July 15th, 2009 by Farra Trompeter
Whether it be in a webinar, workshop or meeting, Sarah and I often get asked for ‘best practices’ around how nonprofits are building their lists and attracting new donors. Our answers of course range based on who we are talking to, but they always start with recommending a good strategy with tactics that connect back to an organization’s mission, audiences, and resources. One of our favorite ideas to share is the use of a donor profile or testimonials. Showing who your donors are and why they support your organization, can not only serve to validate existing donors, but it can help attract new ones–who might see themselves in your profiled donors. And what’s great about this idea is that any organization can start profiling donors immediately (assuming they have a newsletter, enewsletter, website or other channel to do so).
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Tags: email, enewsletters, fundraising, Innocence Project, nptech
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July 8th, 2009 by Elizabeth Ricca
In our July enewsletter, we’ve compiled some tips for making the most of your email subject lines. And while we’re on the subject, here are some especially effective nonprofit email “envelopes” we’ve seen recently.
- From: Chelsea Clinton
Subject: For the dads in your life
A Father’s Day appeal to support the Clinton Foundation, sent from a name that is both recognizable and clearly relevant.
- From: Gail McGovern, American Red Cross
Subject: Your vote changes lives
A direct and emotional appeal, in an effort to drum up votes for Target’s “Bullseye Gives” challenge.
- From: Bill Piper, DPA Network
Subject: Michael Jackson and 70 More Americans Every Day
Sent a week after Michael Jackson’s death by accidental drug overdose, it references a very high-profile news story and makes a clear tie-in to the Drug Policy Alliance’s work.
- From: Sierra Club
Subject: Help Gov. Sanford Find the Appalachian Trail
Uses a clever reference to current events (it blasted just a few days after the scandal broke over the governor of South Carolina) to promote the launch of an online community.
- From: Patrick Schmitt, MoveOn
Subject: Will Brooklyn fight for the public option?
A locally-targeted call-to-action makes good use of the neighborhood connection to capture attention, and feels personal without being too spammy.
- From: ASPCA
Subject: Fireworks and Your Furry Friend
A timely message sent on July 2, as many pet lovers begin to worry about how their animals will respond to fireworks.
- From: Mitch Stewart, BarackObama.com
Subject: Can I run this by you?
A recognizable name asking for the reader’s opinion sparks curiosity.
- From: Jewish Funds for Justice
Subject: 12 hours left to double your gift!
A to-the-point fundraising appeal that’s specific and communicates a good sense of urgency.
Have you seen any good subject lines lately? Share your favorites in the comments.
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Tags: duck pond, email, subject lines
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