Non-Profit Newsletter Ideas
A newsletter is one of the most important tools for a nonprofit. It is critical for fundraising as well as keeping an organization's members and donors informed about the group's plans and activities. To craft the right newsletter, it is critical to know as much as possible about the readers. Understanding who they are, what they hope to get out of the newsletter and how to most effectively reach them will be critical to the newsletter's success.
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Print vs. Digital
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The Internet has brought about tremendous changes in nonprofit newsletters. Many organizations still use traditional, printed newsletters, others have opted for email newsletters and still others have replaced their newsletters with blogs and Facebook pages. Many large nonprofits use some combination of these. Making a print version of the newsletter as well as an email version and asking members which they would like to receive can help keep readers happy, and potentially save the non-profit organization money on postage.
Templates
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For both print and online newsletters, there are a number of web sites devoted to templates for nonprofit, and other, newsletters. Templates are blank newsletters or web pages with the layout work already done. All an organization has to do is add its own photos, graphics and text. It is important to select images and graphics that represent the nonprofit organization in question as well as its goals and the items being discussed in the newsletter. Examples might include nature photography for an environmental group or artwork created by children for a children's charity.
Content
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The content of a newsletter is, of course, the most critical part. The choice of what stories, issues or ideas to write about will ultimately determine whether or not the newsletter is successful. What specific items should be covered in a newsletter depend on the organization. Recent news items on areas of concern to the non-profit and information on recent activities or campaigns will help reinforce the importance of the organization. Calls to action, which invite readers to get more involved by volunteering or writing letters, for example, will help to feel more involved.
Examples
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Many of these organizations devote a great deal of time and effort to member outreach, including their newsletters. In addition to having full time staff devoted to these areas, many groups conduct surveys, hire consultants and conduct focus groups to make sure their newsletters and other forms of communication are effective. Looking at how they approach newsletters will allow smaller organizations to benefit from their research.
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