Are You Overloading Your Donor's Inbox?

Your eNewsletter and other e-marketing products give you a unique opportunity to provide your donors with relevant and educational gift-planning information directly to their inboxes. It is convenient and effective, and the tracking reports provide valuable information about how your donors are receiving the content you're providing. But are you overloading your donors' inboxes with too many e-mails?

eNewsletters can be a valuable part of your overall planned-giving marketing campaign. Each donor has his or her own preferred method of receiving information (called "channel preference"), and by providing that information in more than one channel you are allowing your donors to consume it in the method they prefer. Also, it is important to keep in mind that research shows younger generations do not care for email and even consider it passe', which further strengthens the argument for an integrated, multi-channel strategy. As with any marketing program there is a balance between providing useful information and inundating recipients with so many communications that they begin to ignore you. Striking the right balance is the key.

When used strategically, eNewsletters and other e-marketing communications can serve as a trigger, reminding donors of something they saw in your printed planned-giving newsletter that looked intriguing. They may not have had the time or opportunity to review it when it was initially received, but by repeating the message in a different medium you're giving your donor a second chance to review and to respond to that message.

Keep in mind that your planned-giving office is most likely not the only department in your organization e-mailing your donors. So coordinating your mailings whenever possible with the communications that other departments are sending can be a useful tool in ensuring that the frequency is not overwhelming. You want your donors to enjoy hearing from you. By e-mailing them too often, however, you could run the risk of frustrating them or losing their interest. So you will want to avoid sending weekly and monthly emails.

For more information on how to create a strategic e-marketing plan, contact Pentera, Inc. at 317.875.0910, ext. 251, at info@pentera.com, or by visiting our Web site at http://www.pentera.com/.