😵 Unalive marketing channels?

I'm going to ask you a bit of a controversial question. The podcast host laughed.

Alright. I agreed, leaning forward.

I was at a conference recently, and one of the keynote speakers said that email marketing for nonprofits is dead. Do you agree?

I don't think any singular marketing avenue is "dead" - but I DO think that people aren't using these avenues effectively. That's why they (you?) aren't seeing the results they hoped for.

And I often hear nonprofit leaders say this about email...

❌ We send emails, but get no funds.

❌ We have acquisition incentives, but get no engagement.

❌ We don't have the capacity to stay consistent.

I see where email marketing wouldn't work in these cases. But that doesn't mean email marketing is dead - that means email marketing isn't working for you at this moment. There's a colossal difference here.

My favorite way to bridge these gaps is through strategic story-driven emails.

We know that storytelling is a powerful way to engage donors and share your impact. But how can you tell stories in a way that invites donors to be main characters in your story?

Before you encourage supporters to donate or engage, you must give them a sense of belonging. They want to feel valued, like they're a part of something greater than themselves. That’s what gets them to engage. That’s what motivates them to show up to your events and allot an amount for you in their monthly budget.

What connects donors to your mission?

How can you show donors that they are part of the transformation your work is accomplishing?

Think about something a volunteer did that was out of the ordinary. Or a truly incredible story about a beneficiary, and how the donors funding that program made it possible. These are ways you can keep your story donor-centric while highlighting important data from your work.

These stories are a great way to start conversations, build transparency, and help donors envision what their lives could look like when they support your mission. They feel connected. They engage. They stay engaged.

That's how you can go from:

We send emails, but get no funds. → We sent campaign emails and met our goal.

We have acquisition incentives, but get no engagement. → We followed up immediately, and prospects are engaging with our emails (opens, clicks, replies).

We don't have the capacity to stay consistent. → We have automations in place to help our team be more consistent. Now our audience knows when they'll hear from us.

Reaching that point takes strategy. It takes time. Remember, email is the long game.

If you know that engaging, story-driven email marketing is the missing piece to your nonprofit marketing strategy, hop on a call with me. No commitment - just good vibes and email ideas.

Stay kind, -Amanda

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PS: This podcast interview was with Meghan Speer from Nonprofit Hub. I can't wait to share it with you when it airs!

PPS: I was supposed to be leading a discussion about this with the Tennessee Nonprofit Network last week as part of their Immersion Series, but it was postponed due to Nashville being in a state of emergency. If you're in Tennessee and you're attending this event (now in March), reply to this email so we can connect! I'd love to meet you IRL!