The Annual Giving Exchange

A recent survey of top tier university advancement programs revealed an average e-mail newsletter open rate of nearly 25%.  Imagine if all of your constituents:

• Opened your direct mail 1 out of 4 times you sent it.
• Answered the phone 1 out of 4 times you called.
• Read your magazine 1 out of 4 times they received it.

Many organizations underestimate the value of a strong e-mail relationship with constituents.  Moreover, many organizations who do recognize the value of e-mail, don’t always know if their program is working.  While there are many ways to measure the strengths of your e-mail program (i.e., bouncebacks, click throughs, opt-outs), one metric that should certainly be considered is “open rate.”

If you’re looking for substantive goals for the next fiscal year, make one of them a 25% open rate for your e-mail newsletters.