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E-mail UsE-mail Salutations
July 27th, 2010There is a certain level of formality that is necessary in direct mail. If I don’t know you, you should address me as “Mr. Allenby.” If you don’t know me, but know that I know your organization, you should address me as “Daniel.” If we know each other, it’s okay to call me “Dan.” Regardless of the scenario, you’ve done 50% of your job if your prospect has opened the letter and is even reading the salutation.
A salutation in e-mail, however, is more important.
If I receive an e-mail that begins “Dear Daniel,” it’s likely that it will be deleted before I even have a chance to see who sent it to me. “Dear Daniel” lets me know that you don’t know me. It’s a signal to me that you’re a spammer.
Building a good e-mail list of constituents and prospective donors is one of the most important things that a nonprofit organization can do. While you’re building your list, don’t underestimate the importance of collecting good “preferred names” on your constituents.
That’s no easy task. It might even require that you get out and talk them once in a while.
I agree whole heartedly! And at the risk of great “boos” from the crowd, we have found repeatedly one of the best ways to not only find out how your donor/supporter wants to be addressed but also how they want to be communicated with is to ASK THEM. The best way still remaining to do that is over the phone…with a well trained internal staff or call center partner and a plan to gather and use the data that makes all of your communication most effective and efficient for your shareholders.