Creative Ideas for a Paid Newsletter

Creative Ideas for a Paid Newsletter

Email Marketing

Creative Ideas for a Paid Newsletter

Email marketing is a great asset to your organization and has the highest ROI of anything in the digital marketing space. Imagine what you could do with a premium or paid newsletter. It’s a great way to generate income on a regular basis and provide tremendous value to your audience. It’s also a great way for people to engage with your organization and learn more about what you do and potentially become donors in the future.

What Should You Consider Before Starting a Paid Newsletter?

There are a few things that need to be considered in order to have a successful paid newsletter.

Consistency

How often are you going to send out this newsletter? Once you start you’ll want to make sure you can be consistent with the execution. Remember that subscribers are paying to get the content so you’ll need to make sure you can deliver. How often you publish is totally up to you. Monthly would allow for more engagement with your subscribers but would be more work. It is not recommended to do it less than quarterly.

Tech and SignUps

How are you going to deliver the newsletter and take their money? This isn’t as complicated as it sounds. If you’re already using an email marketing platform like ConvertKit* then you can probably do it all in there. It’s just about creating a separate tag or segment to make it easy to keep track of. As far as sign ups go, create an recurring donation page on your website specifically for this paid newsletter.

The point is – use the tech that you already have. You don’t need anything new and fancy to make this happen.

Create a Brand and Unique Experience

Your premium newsletter, like your monthly giving program, allows subscribers to feel special and part of a community. Name your newsletter and create a new layout so those that subscribe can identify it easily. You don’t have to go too crazy here, keep it simple. Use a different primary color from your brand colors you already have.

Determine your Price Point

Your price will want to take into consideration:

🔹 value you provide in the newsletter.
🔹 how often you plan to publish.
🔹 any other features and benefits like discount codes or coupons that only subscribers receive.

Newsletters can go from a few dollars a month all the way up to thousands of dollars! However, on average they range from $10-$15/month. You might always want to consider an annual option.

When considering pricing, also think about introductory offers so you can get people in to try it out!

What Content Could You Put in Your Newsletter

All these considerations are great – but what do you put in the darn thing! Here are a few ideas for your newsletter. You could feature just one or create a combination of them.

🔹 Trends

Let’s say you’re a research organization. Providing trends in a regular email that people want to know about is great. Give them insights into the industry and new relevant information all in one convenient place. Become the go to place for resources and the expert.

🔹 Guides and Tutorials

Giving people information they can use on the regular is a great added benefit. For example, if you provide support for kids and mental health maybe you offer additional resources they can use for support at home. Or, if you’re pet adoption organization, it might be training tips or pet health resources. You might also include activities that people can do at home.

🔹 Insider Access

This can include a wide variety of elements. Discounts to your sponsors businesses, early acces or discounts to your events or services, etc. You could also create exclusive access to people on your team for Q&A sessions or experts in the field you work with. These could be live in person, virtual or pre-recorded sessions.

🔹 Daily Inspiration

These can be quick and short notes that relate to your orgnization and provide inspiration to your audience. Words of motivation, stories from your community, activities they can take daily to make an impact on your area of service.

🔹 Regular Tips

Let’s say you are providing meals kids. Your premium newsletter could include cost saving tips for creating healthy meals at home. Or maybe it’s seasonal recipies for your area so families can eat healthier, support local families and have meal ideas. You could market it as a way for family to cut back on their food expenses while also helping to provide food for other families.

Conclusion

A paid newsletter can be a great way for you to connect more with your audience, while generating income for your organization. Make sure you keep it in line with the values and goals of your organization. That way there is a natural tie in to larger gifts. Also remember to have fun with it! Get personal and connect with your subscribers.

Ways Your Board Member Can Support Your Monthly Giving Program

Ways Your Board Member Can Support Your Monthly Giving Program

Board Management, Fundraising

Ways Your Board Member Can Support Your Monthly Giving Program

Are you struggling with your board when it comes to engaging them and getting things done? Do you feel like you aren’t guiding them in the ways that they can be more supportive? Does it feel like you’re constantly having to ask them to do more and give more time?

Board management is hard. Managing all the personalities is hard. Setting expectations and sticking to them is hard. Understanding what they’re best at and what activities their personality is best suited for is a critical part of the process.

When it comes to a monthly giving program, there are many ways that you can utilize your board to help your fundraising efforts whether they’re comfortable with asking for money or not! Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Have Them Reach Out to Their Friends and Family

The beauty of a monthly giving program is that the ask is much smaller. They don’t have to ask for big gifts or sponsorships. Instead they can share their passion and inspiration for joining your board and ask for $5 or $10 monthly gifts. It’s a great way to enter into asking people for contributions that doesn’t feel so big!

Make it even easier by crafting sample emails, social media posts, graphics, etc that they can share.

Set goals for each board member that equate to either numbers of monthly donors, monthly dollar amounts or both! Come up with a game or a bonus for those that hit certain metrics. Have quarterly awards for a variety of categories to keep people engaged and motivated.

Have Board Members Thank Donors

Hopefully a personal thank you (phone call or handwritten card) is part of your welcome sequence when a new monthly donor signs up. We recommend the initial call be from someone on your developement team or your executive director.

There are lots of other times that you can reach out to monthly donors and say thank you. This is a great opportunity to involve board members:

✅ donor-versary.
✅ their birthday.
✅ milestones that relate to your organization like pet adoption date or graduation.
✅ when they reach a cumulative dollar amount.

Provide them with a script and a list and have them make calls. This not only sets up your board members to be the hero and give great information about donor impact and say thank you, it also allows your board members to hear great stories from donors about why they are involved.

Interview Donors About Features and Benefits

Monthly giving campaigns often include additional value like a special newsletter, virtual meet & greets, etc. When it comes to the options you provide the best place to understand what your donors want is to have conversations with them. This can be tedious.

Give your board members a list of questions and have them reach out and talk with your monthly donors. They can survey them on the benefits they like and how they think your nonprofit is doing for the community.

Help you Identify Donors to Reach Out To

One of the powers of a monthly donor program is that you have a goup of donors for your organization that are your biggest fans. Bring that list to your board meetings and have your board members review it. They can help you identify people that might be great to start chatting with regarding larger gifts.

Ask Them to Become Monthly Donors

It’s easier for your board members to ask others to become monthly donors if they are one themselves. If you have a give or get as a board requirement this is a great place to start. Plus, it’s a great way to jumpstart your monthly giving program and reach your goals.

Because the gift can be smaller it is a great way to encourage all board members to participate at a level that feels comfortable to them.

Conclusion

A monthly giving program is a great way to engage with your board on all levels. You can encourage them to use the skills they’re most comfortable with and make an impact! 

7 Benefits to Include in Your Monthly Giving Program

7 Benefits to Include in Your Monthly Giving Program

Fundraising

7 Benefits to Include in Your Monthly Giving Program

Monthly giving programs are a great way to generate consistent revenue for your nonprofit. Those that join are going to be your biggest fans and often will give additional gifts outside of their monthly donations.

A strong monthly giving program takes time to develop. However, it is easy to track. Plus, for most programs, the amount of work involved doesn’t increase as your number of donors increases. Creating exclusivity inside your program as well as monthly donor only benefits can help you get more people to join your monthly giving program.

So what are some benefits you can include?

Name Your Program

Everyone wants to be a part of a community, especially when it comes to supporting their favorite nonprofit. When you have a name for your monthly giving program they are automatically part of the club and making them feel special. Take it up a notch by giving them an electronic badge they can use in their email signature or on social media!

You can also feature them on your website on your monthly giving page. Highlight them and show them off so others want to be a part of the club.

Make Benefits Exclusive

FoMo is real and people don’t want to miss out on anything – especially with an organization they adore. Building in exclusive access (or early access) can be a great option that costs you nothing. You could offer:

🔹 early access to tickets.
🔹 discounts on VIP tickets.
🔹 early access to registration for your services.
🔹 special seating 

Exclusivity: Offer exclusive access to events, content, or behind-the-scenes updates for monthly donors. This can make donors feel special and appreciated, and encourage them to keep giving.

Impact reports: Provide regular reports to monthly donors to show the impact of their donations. These reports could include stories about how donations have helped specific individuals or communities, or updates on the progress of ongoing projects.

 

Personalization: Send personalized thank-you messages, holiday cards, or birthday greetings to monthly donors. This can help build a personal connection between the donor and the organization.

Convenience: Make it easy for donors to manage their monthly donations by providing online donation portals, automatic payment options, and flexible payment schedules. This can encourage donors to keep giving over the long term.

Swag: Offer branded merchandise or gifts to monthly donors, such as t-shirts, tote bags, or water bottles. This can help create a sense of community among monthly donors and provide tangible reminders of their support.

Partner discounts: Partner with local businesses to offer discounts or special offers to monthly donors. This can incentivize giving and show that the nonprofit values and rewards its donors.

Ultimately, the benefits that a nonprofit offers in its monthly giving program should align with its mission and the interests of its donors. By providing meaningful and personalized benefits, nonprofits can show their appreciation for monthly donors and build long-lasting relationships with them.

5 Reasons a Monthly Giving Program Might be Right For Your Nonprofit

5 Reasons a Monthly Giving Program Might be Right For Your Nonprofit

Fundraising

5 Reasons a Monthly Giving Program Might be Right For Your Nonprofit

There are so many reasons to consider a monthly giving program, or to put additional effort into growing your program. Monthly giving programs provide a reliable and consistent source of revenue for nonprofits, leading to increased donor retention, cost-effectiveness, and donor engagement.

The best monthly giving programs include a few things:

  • A unique name: treat your donors like the VIPs they are. A fun name makes them feel special and more connected to your organization.
  • Value no one else gets: from a separate newsletter to branded swag to early access to tickets, when you offer your monthly donors something special it encourages them to join the program.
  • Relatable impact at various levels: clearly defining how much impact a $20, $100, $500 etc makes to your organization encourages people to give at bigger levels.

Is a monthly giving program really worth the effort for your organization? Yes, it does take some time to build and grow your program. If you put the right effort into it and stay consistent it can help your nonprofit see financial sustainability!

Here are some statistics that highlight the benefits of monthly giving programs!

Reason #1 – Monthly Donors Give More

According to a study by Nonprofit Source, monthly donors give 42% more annually compared to one-time donors. This is because monthly donors have committed to supporting the organization on an ongoing basis, and they are more likely to increase their giving over time.

It is very common for monthly donors to give an additional gift on top of their monthly gift for things like a year end gift, at an event etc.

Reason #2 – Higher Donor Retention Rates

Monthly giving programs have higher donor retention rates than one-time donors. The average retention rate for monthly donors is 90%, while the retention rate for one-time donors is around 27%. This is because monthly donors have made a longer-term commitment to the organization, and they feel more invested in the nonprofit’s mission.

To keep donor retention rates high, make sure to stay engaged with them. You can do this with a specialized email newsletter, phone calls when they reach milestones, special monthly donor perks, etc.

Reason #3 – Predictable Revenue

Monthly giving programs provide a steady and predictable source of revenue for nonprofits. According to a report by Blackbaud, monthly giving programs account for an average of 16% of nonprofit revenue. Imagine knowing each month that you have 16%+ of your cashflow covered. This can help relieve stress from the reactive fundraising and help you be more strategic.

Also, as time goes on, your monthly giving program can continue to grow adding more and more revenue to your organization. This also doesn’t include the extra gives that monthly donors tend to give on top of their monthly contributions.

Reason #4 – Cost-Effective Fundraising

Monthly giving programs are often more cost-effective than other forms of fundraising. According to a study by Classy, the cost to acquire a monthly donor is around $30 to $40, compared to $100 or more to acquire a one-time donor. 

Remember that your monthly giving program will be more successful when you make them feel like VIPs. With things like specialized newsletters, VIP virtual events, early access to event tickets, you can provide a lot of value that is easy to execute whether it’s one monthly donor or 1,000.

Reason #5 – Growing Trend

Monthly giving programs are becoming more popular among donors. According to a report by M&R Benchmarks, the number of monthly donors increased by 32% in 2020. This indicates that donors are increasingly interested in making a longer-term commitment to the nonprofits they support.

More and more companies are adding a subscription or monthly service to their existing product line, why shouldn’t nonprofits. Start looking at your favorite companies and what their doing and draw inspiration there.

Conclusion

Overall, monthly giving programs offer numerous benefits for nonprofits, including increased revenue, donor retention, cost-effectiveness, and donor engagement. By offering a monthly giving program, nonprofits can build stronger relationships with their donors, ensure a more predictable source of funding, and focus on achieving their mission.

Want more resources for monthly giving? Check out Episodes 198 – 201 of Digital Marketing Therapy for a deep dive into all things monthly giving. 

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