3 Reasons Why Newsletters Don't Get Read

Newsletters are still a major part of most nonprofits’ marketing plans for planned giving, and for good reason—when done right, newsletters are well-read and are an excellent way to elicit response from some highly qualified prospective donors. But readers get turned off when newsletters make one of the three errors described below.

New Client's Praise Reflects Pentera Team's Dedication to Excellence

Pentera staff in every department has been working very hard on a new client’s materials.
They signed up for a Web site that is now live and includes an eBrochure library; newsletter and QuickCards; and eNewsletters and eQuickCards. We are so happy to hear this wonderful feedback as the suite of materials is created. And their comments reflect the Pentera team’s dedication to our clients and to excellence.

• "Just printed out a few eBrochures, and they are fantastic! Great job by everyone at Pentera...”
• “We are really pleased with the eNewsletter designs you sent.”
• “It’s so exciting to see the newsletter! Thanks for the good work.“

The Contest

No, I’m not referring to the famous television episode of Seinfeld! I’m referring to ways to get your donors and prospects to actually read and keep your planned giving newsletter. As mentioned in Gypsy… “You Gotta Get a Gimmick!” My gimmick for this article was the first sentence of this paragraph. It hooked you in, right?

What's in a Masthead?

In terms of making a first impression, the masthead of your planned giving newsletter really sets the tone. Does it say to the recipient, “Read me now! I’m full of engaging, interesting content!” Or does it say, “I’m fairly boring and can be read later, or maybe even not at all”?

Here are a couple of quick pointers to help ensure your newsletter is saying the former, not the latter.