On Email
Building a network of supporters from scratch is a slow process.
Organizations should be much more conscious of soliciting email addresses from their supporters, particularly at offline events. Far too many presentations end before a signup sheet is passed around. By then it’s almost always too late.
While maintaining a Web site does require some specialized knowledge, maintaining an email list is easy. Human rights groups can use email lists to broadcast human rights abuses in real time, reaching out globally for solidarity and support. Whether publishing a newsletter, sending out an action alert, announcing an event, raising funds, building solidarity, or generally spreading the word, the costs for maintaining an email list are minimal. And the impact can be great. (See the examples page.)
There are several free listserv services available to individuals and small organizations.
Steer clear of “free” services from big corporations, though. Not only are these often padded with advertisements, but Yahoo! and Topica don’t much care for the privacy or security of your users.
Below is a list of organizations that provide email list services run by for activists, generally staffed by volunteers and funded by donations. They generally do not include advertisements on their email lists. Many have specific policies about the types of groups they support and the types of email messages they do not. See: autistici.org/inventati.org, cat.org.au, communitycolo.net, icomm.ca, interactivist.net, mutualaid.org, nodo50.org, onenw.org, resist.ca, riseup.net, sindominio.
You can also set up a free announcement list on your own Web server with phpList. The software is easy to install, manages bounces and multiple lists very well, and seems perfect for folks who are not yet ready to tackle Mailman or Sympa — two industrial strength applications.
If you do have a Web site, make sure it’s immediately clear on your site you do have an email list. And make it very easy for people to sign up. No need for pop-up windows — a prominent link or sign-up form will do.
Here are a few tips.
Be focused and clear. It should be immediately clear what are you trying to communicate, what are you trying to do, and what you asking the users to do. Sometimes too much information may weaken your impact.
Users have learned to be skeptical about mass email messages. They are likely to receive email messages from other campaigns, too. Be honest about what you are asking them to do and why. Depending on your audience, email response is quite different than direct mail. Emotional appeal may be less effective than a clear, upfront statement of facts. Demonstrate that you are doing something concrete that it can have an impact. If possible, include some good news.
Do not send large images and attachments. If your message depends on pretty graphics to make your argument, you should reconsider.
Also, if sending out HTML formatted email, please make sure to include a text option as well. To users with text-based email readers, HTML-formatted email looks like a whole lot of raw HTML code.
Make it easy to subscribe and unsubscribe. “Trapping” users on an email list without escape is a good way to alienate supporters.
Be upfront about frequency and privacy. Let the users know what they are getting when subscribing to the email list. Feature an explicit link to your privacy policy.
If you have a large list of supporters, segment your list. Create different messages for different audiences. Some software systems can associate geographic information or other preferences with a user’s email address. Some users may only wish to receive information about a certain issue, city or country, or with a certain frequency. You can also segment your list to test out different types of messages, measure response, and gauge which is more effective.
Write for email not for print. People read differently off a screen. Web and email writing should be concise and easy to scan. Put your main point at the top. See a few tips on Web writing here.
If at all possible or relevant, include action component with everything. Don't send information about a horrible human rights situation without offering the user an opportunity to do something.
Follow up. Most NGOs are particularly bad at this, and often send out action alert after action alert with little indication of the results of those actions. Those who only send repeated appeals for funds may quickly learn the limits of this approach.
I’ve found MoveOn a shining example of follow up. Their messages give subscribers a sense of how many people took action, what the effects of that action was, and thanking them for taking action. They even provide feedback in some innovative visual ways.
If you are collecting email addresses at an offline event. Be sure to add them to your listserv soon after the event. Perhaps send your participants a message thanking them for turning out and letting them know about upcoming activities.
Be open and accessible, follow up to questions and concerns from users.
When asking users to take an action, be sure to ask them if they’ve taken action. While some software systems can track online action and clickthroughs, they obviously can not know if a user has taken offline action. Provide a means to measure this. This could be as simple as a button or feedback form a user can submit if they have taken offline action.
Don’t Spam! Only send email to people who have agreed to receive it from you. Spamming your users is another good way to alienate supporters. It may also get your email messages blocked by various spam filters.
These pages offer a few other basic tips on using email for advocacy:
- A very basic introduction to email lists
- A more extensive list of techniques for email campaigns
- Notes on email newsletter usability
- Drafting effective subject lines
- Writing effective email action alert text
While some of these tips may seem like common sense, they are ignored with surprising frequency. In some cases, this may be because maintaining an online campaign is more resource intensive than it seems at first. At the height of its campaign activities in the 2004 presidential election, MoveOn employed a full-time staff of six (plus volunteers and consultants) to drive its online campaigns. A campaign that asks time and resources from its users should consider the time and resources it devotes to them.
Last modified on January 19, 2006 6:32 PM