Let Donors Control How Much E-Mail They Receive, Report Urges

Following are suggestions offered by the authors of The Wired Wealthy:

Using the Internet to Connect With Your Middle and Major Donor

s after surveying people who made gifts of at least $1,000 online:

Give donors control over messages. Contact major donors who have supplied an e-mail address and ask them how often they wish to get e-mail messages and what kinds of messages they want to receive. Offer ways for them to engage online with the charity, including videos and blogs, but allow them to opt out of receiving messages.

Treat donors well online. Pay attention to what donors have said about what kinds of messages they want to receive and acknowledge donors who have been giving online for some time, or who have helped to recruit others.

Experiment with video. A majority of those surveyed (52 percent) watch videos online, so charities should consider adding video to their appeals. But nonprofit groups do not need to spend a lot of money on video. A series of modestly produced short videos will get more attention than a single big one, the researchers said.

Social networks aren’t so important. Charities should not spend too much time worrying about cutting-edge approaches, like social networking, to reach big donors. Few of those surveyed say they are on networks like Facebook or MySpace.

Pay attention to unsolicited e-mail messages. Make sure key staff members read unsolicited e-mail comments sent by donors and other supporters, or at least a summary of the issues that come up repeatedly. A handful of messages may reflect the opinions of a much larger group of people with similar concerns.

Establish an online-donor advisory panel. Recruit a few hundred donors to serve as a sounding board for future online tactics, campaign ideas, and other matters.

Seek online feedback. Ask readers to rate online newsletters and other materials and ask them to make comments on what they like and don’t like.