Your nonprofit’s email list is one of the most important keys to your organization’s growth. It provides an easy, reliable way to engage with your connections and achieve your goals. (If you haven’t already, be sure to read our introduction to email marketing!)
Building your organization’s email list can feel like a real burden, especially when you’re just starting. Fortunately, there are some ways to use what you’re already doing to build your list without a lot of extra work!
Here are some easy ways to make sure you can stay in touch with your network.
Add your donors
There’s a pretty good chance you already have contact information for most of your donors. And what’s more, they’ll likely want to keep in touch with what you’re doing! Adding them to your email list can make sure you stay in touch.
Collect addresses at your events
Events provide some great opportunities to build your list. Even better, you might be able to reach people you normally wouldn’t see!
If you take registrations online, make sure you’re collecting attendees’ email addresses. That will allow you to keep in touch long after the event.
At the event itself, consider a guestbook or email sign-up sheet to capture information from people who paid at the door. If you offer goods or services, think about offering a promotion or discount if someone signs up for your email list. (You might want to print out a small card people can take with them with information about how to sign up, too.)
Keep in touch with volunteers
Your volunteer base is another great source for your email list. Volunteers are often your biggest evangelists. THey’ll not only want to hear the latest about what’s going on with your organization; they’ll likely help you share it with new connections!
Hold a giveaway or raffle
Giveaways or raffles can be a fun way to reach new people. Consider reaching out to local businesses to see if they’ll donate a prize in support of your organization. When people enter, make sure you’re collecting their email address and add it to your list!
In all of the cases above, it’s important to make it clear that you’ll be sending them messages about the organization. If it’s not clear – for example, if you’re importing a bunch of email addresses you’ve collected in the past – your first message should probably welcome them to your email list. That will also provide them with an opportunity to unsubscribe if they don’t want to hear more from you.
With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to keeping people in the loop about all the good you’re doing as an organization!
Photo by La-Rel Easter on Unsplash
