Patrick Shaw’s Weblog

One that complies with the CanSpam, laws, to start - and there are a LOT of tools that do that! It’s probably easier to think about making this decision first:

• Local - this is software that I install and manage on my computer or on my network.
• Hosted - this is “rented” software, and I access it via the Internet.

The next question you need to answer is about integration - and you SHOULD answer it! (Our friends at Idealware have a terrific article on that). Ask yourself this: “Does my enewsletter list duplicate or implicate any of my other lists?” If the answer is “yes” - then you need to find a way to integrate both lists - and that may be challenging.

Here at NPower Seattle, we’re thinking a LOT about Effective Use - that means more than just having a good tool - it means having the RIGHT tool, and then using it well. I’d suggest that your enewsletter tool SHOULD integrate with your agencies’ other data sources - donors, clients, volunteers, other stakeholders. Most nonprofits dream (and rightly so) of having a 360 degree of their stakeholders so that they can invite those people to a deeper relationship. And you do that by knowing how and if they donate, how and if they participate in your programs, and if they volunteer.

The good news is that there are a lot of tools that can help - and the bad news is that there are a lot of tools that can help! The folks at Idealware have a great comparison article on enewlestter tools, too.

We’re exploring tools such as What Counts, Vertical Response, Campaigner Pro, MailListKing, and others, and are planning to become expert in one or two of them. Some are hosted, some have a great price point, some integrate with Salesforce . . . so there isn’t a one size fits all.

When you start looking for an enewsletter tool, make sure you understand your communications strategy, you have a good idea of how much you plan to send, and if you will be segmenting your newsletter. (Segmenting is like use a mail merge - you send your newsletter to a LOT of people - but you insert the right first name, ask for the right donation, or invite them to take the right class at your agency). And make sure you figure out how you’ll track the responses, too.

You can tell that this is an area where there will be significant growth, a lot of learning, and new tools and offerings, too. I’ll keep you posted about what we’re learning!