How to get more action from your nonprofit enewsletter

How's your nonprofit newsletter doing?

It's hard to make them work. But here are some great tips from the Newsletter Creators Blog for maximizing e-newsletter results:

1. A few days after you send an issue, re-send it to people who haven’t opened it with a new subject line acknowledging it’s a re-send. (This is a smart thing to do with any email you send.)
   
2. Include a question in your welcome email inviting them to tell you about what they’re working on and what problems they’re trying to solve.
   
3. Create one (or two) backup/emergency issues to have on hand for weeks when you get busy and don’t have time to create a new issue.
   
4. Make sure the description of your newsletter is focused on the value subscribers will get from it -- not just a description of what the newsletter is about or why you write it.
   
5. Include a mention/link to your newsletter signup page within the first few paragraphs of your blog posts.
   
6. Don’t use the phrase “mailing list.”
   
7. Make the link in your social profiles a link directly to your newsletter signup page as opposed to a general link to your website.
   
8. You need to publish at least once every two weeks and ideally at least once a week.
   

Here are some additional tips I've come across for nonprofit newsletters:

• Don't use "August Newsletter" as your subject line. Make it stand out in the inbox.
  
• Consider sending only one story at a time, rather than the standard list of stories.
  
• Have a variety of actions readers can take. Not only donate, but sign a petition, share with a friend, volunteer, take a quiz, etc.
  
• Include relevant useful content that readers can benefit from. (Healthy recipes, travel guides, anything that connects with your cause.)