{"id":52653,"date":"2021-02-28T08:27:37","date_gmt":"2021-02-28T13:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomerang2dev.wpengine.com\/?p=52653"},"modified":"2025-08-29T16:55:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T20:55:14","slug":"youve-likely-got-a-problem-with-your-nonprofit-mailing-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/youve-likely-got-a-problem-with-your-nonprofit-mailing-list\/","title":{"rendered":"You\u2019ve Likely Got A Problem With Your Nonprofit Mailing List"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your nonprofit mailing list has the wrong people on it!<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s a huge problem because 40% of your mailing\u2019s success depends upon your list<\/a>. Another 40% is the offer, while 20% is the creative. Where do you spend your time and energy?<\/p>\n

Alas, fundraisers often leave the building of their nonprofit mailing list to the marketing folks. They let them worry about things like email deliverability and spam, clicks, and opens, subject lines, and A\/B tests. All these things are important.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s something more important. Something fundraisers need to proactively consider.<\/p>\n

You can do everything perfectly in terms of fundraising technique, but it\u2019s all for naught unless you have enough viable prospects.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s all too easy to forget about this all-important task or to think about it as merely an \u2018administrative\u2019 function that never rises to the top of your priority list. And, let\u2019s face it, often marketing staff doesn\u2019t fully understand what makes a good donor<\/em> prospect.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t ask anyone for money if you don\u2019t have a list of likely donor prospects ready and waiting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So\u2026 how about making this month a time to think about building your prospect lists?<\/p>\n

Keep this in mind: for someone to be a realistic prospect for your organization, they must possess the qualities of\u00a0\u201cLIA<\/strong>\u201c:<\/p>\n

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  1. Linkage to you<\/strong> (i.e., they\u2019ve been involved in the past, they\u00a0or someone they know has benefited from your services, they know someone connected with your organization, etc.)<\/li>\n
  2. Interest in your mission<\/strong> (i.e., they\u2019ve been involved with similar causes)<\/li>\n
  3. Ability to give<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Here are some ways to find folks like these to add to your offline and online prospect lists:<\/p>\n

    1. Leverage Your House List(s)<\/h2>\n

    These people have\u00a0linkage<\/em>!<\/strong> This is the easiest, most overlooked, resource for many organizations.\u00a0 You\u2019ve likely got plenty of folks affiliated with you in other ways than as donors. They may be names housed in multiple mailing lists and\/or databases other than your donor database<\/a>. These folks are\u00a0connected to you, and it would be a shame to waste these connections. Look at clients, families of clients, students, families of students, neighbors, event attendees, volunteers, staff, former volunteers and staff\u2026 and so forth. Don\u2019t ignore these folks when you do your fundraising and awareness-building campaigns. Each of these can become a separate segment for your mailings, with copy tailored to acknowledge how they are connected.<\/p>\n

    2.\u00a0Mine Your Leaders\u2019 Networks<\/h2>\n

    Friends of current leaders (aka board members, other volunteers, donors, and even staff) are linked<\/em>\u00a0to their friends and, therefore, to you!\u00a0<\/strong>There are a couple of strategies I like to make it easy, and fun, for your leaders to be helpful.<\/p>\n

    1. Consider a \u2018Let your Friends Be Our Friends\u2019 campaign.<\/h3>\n

    Simply ask board members, other volunteers, and all those closest to you to give you the names and contact information they have for 3 \u2013 5 of their family, friends, or colleagues who may be interested in what you do. <\/strong>Make it fun by offering incentives, such as \u2018mystery\u2019 prizes for those who complete\/return their forms. Or maybe have a drawing to win a dinner donated by a local restaurant; everyone who provides names is entered to win! While you\u2019re at it, ask when you\u2019re ready to mail to these folks if your volunteer leader would be willing to add their name and\/or write a brief personal note to go along with the appeal.<\/p>\n

    2. Consider a\u00a0Peer-to-Peer campaign<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

    A single donor can become a new donor recruiter, and the equivalent of a major donor, simply by asking folks to join them in a mini-campaign.<\/strong> They thus attract new donors to your cause from their personal networks, while simultaneously multiplying their value to you as their $100 gift becomes $1,000 due to the matching gifts from nine of their friends.\u00a0There are two great ways to handle this online:<\/p>\n