Yesterday, I received an e-mail newsletter from a friend at a local non-profit (who I will not embarrass by naming). The e-mail was sent from a yahoo account and all the addresses were cc’d.
Putting aside the e-mail etiquette issue of sending a mass cc e-mail, there was one huge disaster that my friend was completely unaware of:
Using a free e-mail account for your non-profit makes your non-profit look like sh*t.
With one click of a send button, he created at least three negative branding issues:
- Using a free e-mail account says that his NPO cheap.
- Using a free e-mail account says that his NPO is not established.
- The ads displayed in these e-mails are promoting products that may work against his cause
Forget about using Outlook as well. It associates your NPO with spam and is not built for e-mail marketing. Some might even say that Microsoft Outlook is “Amazing Piece of Crap“.
E-Newsletters are better sent using a web service like Constant Contact, AWeber or IContact. All of these services provide graphic templates that project and protect your brand by looking professional. These tools also are very inexpensive, have flexible reporting and list management utilities, and require no IT support.
What tools do you use for your E-Newsletters?
If you liked this, you should read these:
The Corporate Boomerang
Quick video on Cause-Related Marketing
Your NPO’s Sustainable Energy
3 “Instant Product” Ideas for Non-Profits
E-Newsletters can kill your NPO
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Raj Melville 08.18.08 at 8:50 am
So very true - We found the email alternatives you listed - Vertical Response and Constant Contact - provide inexpensive, professional looking means for communications. We found if you are just starting and send relatively less frequent emails(once every two months or longer) then Vertical Response pay as you go program might be cost effective. If you send emails on a monthly or more frequent schedule you might want to assess Constant Contact and compare its pricing to other alternatives. Both these sources have special non-profit rates that make it even more attractive to use.
Thanks for your great ideas and posts
johnscotthaydon 08.18.08 at 9:17 am
Katya Andresen 10.15.08 at 4:36 pm
Thanks for this! It’s up at the carnival here.
johnscotthaydon 10.15.08 at 4:47 pm
Katya,
Thanks so much - I’m sincerely honored.
John