How To Create Viral Fundraising E-mails

In the business world, viral marketing is the best thing since sliced bread. That’s because it takes the whole concept of advertising and combines it with the bottom line phenomenon that every owner or executive loves: exponential growth.
Why not put that same dynamic to work for your organization? Why should it only be the for-profit groups that benefit?
The great thing about fundraising e-mails is that they are uniquely positioned for viral strategies. Simply put, people love to feel like they’re doing a good thing, and forwarding a fundraising message to someone’s contact list is a pretty easy thing to do.
The challenge for fundraising directors, therefore, is in putting together something that people will want to send to others in the first place. Here are four tips to get you started:
Start with a story. Talking about clean water in a rural Third World area is one thing; explaining how a family was able to improve their health with a new filtration system is much better. When it comes down to it, most people care a lot more about other people than they do abstract facts. Illustrate your cause with a personal story, and you create something that can be forwarded again and again.
Think simple. Fancy graphics, lots of links, and embedded photos might make your e-mail look a lot better, but they’ll also greatly decrease the odds of it being opened or passed on. With the high number of spam filters and other inbox guardians in use today, a simple e-mail with a strong story and a plea for help has a much better chance of being effective than even the best-designed HTML message.
Ask for something small and easy. I sometimes wish more fundraisers would understand how important it is to make it easy for people to donate. In the case of an e-mail, the best scenario is usually to ask them very clearly to click through to a simple donation page where they can fund your cause from a variety of sources, as well as find out how to receive future updates and information.
Also, realize that most people aren’t going to give huge amounts of cash over the Internet – especially if they aren’t that familiar with your cause. Give them the chance to feel good for contributing a small amount, as it increases the odds you’ll get what you’re asking for.
Create a page that shows your progress. Donors like to know that they’re making a difference, that goals are being reached as a consequence of what they’re doing. For that reason, a simple progress page can help increase giving by letting recipients see that their donations are adding up to a tangible result. In fact, why not end your e-mail campaign by letting everyone know when you’ve reached your goal? Everybody loves a happy ending, and it could open the door for future donations.