M&R Strategic Services has a report out on how to contact new members of your activist list. The results surprised me, but the authors have actual real-live numbers to back them up — and we all know that Math Never Lies.
M&R’s Eve Fox says:
The basic takeaway is: email people right away (in their first week on your list) with either a direct action or donation ask. Do not send them a “welcome to our list, here’s who we are, what we do, what you can expect, how you joined, now please take action, etc.,” type message as it will cause more of them to unsubscribe and will not make them as responsive as either an action alert or fundraising appeal will.
The article includes data from three of the nonprofit groups we’ve tested this for in the past year.
Read the article [Word document].
– cpd