Why Mail Newsletters?

Newsletters = Cultivation Opportunities

Rescigno's Mailing Solutions assists many organizations with their quarterly or semi-annual newsletters. Newsletters are an excellent opportunity for non-profits to nurture and cultivate their donors and to educate their prospects as to the efficacy of their mission. "For profits" successfully use newsletters as a means of updating their customers on new services or products. The information listed below confirms our belief that when used properly, newsletters help create a positive mind-set about your company or organization in the mind of the reader.

Why Mail Newsletters - Survey Results:

Standard & Poor recently conducted a survey on the importance of company newsletters. Though only “for profit” businesses were surveyed, the results may also be of interest to the non-profit community.

An overwhelming number of recipients read the newsletters they receive.
More than 80% found the information useful.
Print remains the most popular newsletter format. 33% prefer print, 21% favor e-mail, and 41% would like to receive both. Only 5% preferred a newsletter available only on a website.
Respondents said they had a negative impression of a company that discontinued its newsletter. 25% would feel the value of customer service had diminished. 28% would think the company might be struggling financially. And 30% would feel they weren’t as important to the company.

Non Profit Tips:

Since Non-profit newsletters are excellent opportunities to talk to your constituents one-to-one, why not make a commitment to doing just that. Don’t write “to them” “from us.”

Direct Mail donors are individuals, that is how they donate. And it’s how they read your newsletters…one at a time. If your goal in your newsletter stories is to inspire donors to give and give again, write to them as individuals. And write as a person, not a committee.

Does the following paragraph sound like it was written by a human being or a group?

"The recently opened Vascular Medical Hospital will allow for the tying together of loose ends from various medical disciplines, local, regional and national, in the area of vascular study and research."

Reading a sentence like that is akin to saying to your donor, “I want you to have as little information on how we are using your money as possible.” It’s also why many donors become non-donors. You’re not connecting with them in a warm and personal way.

Rescigno's Mailing Solutions is not suggesting you study soap opera writing. But we do suggest you write as though there was going to be one recipient of your newsletter. Here are a few additional tips we’ve picked up over the years:

AVOID FORMAL LANGUAGE – Don’t write, “The largesse of the philanthropist was surpassed only by the individuals insistence upon secrecy” when you can write “The very generous donor requested anonymity.”
Don’t refer to leadership teams as “management.” Give the individuals names.
Don’t use last names or titles unless absolutely necessary. They are too formal.

For more newsletter tips, contact us today. We’ll look at your last newsletter or help you create your first one. We do it all!