Leading up to and in the wake of COVID-19, donor newsletters have arisen as a way to communicate with donors en masse and more regularly than once per year. The most effective ones have done more than provide updates while in-person offerings are not available. They’ve served as a way to amplify important voices in and around the organization, highlight aspects of the organization that donors may not be as familiar with (such as community partnerships), and more. As we edge closer and closer to the new normal and many organizations plan to continue offering donor newsletters moving forward, here are some tips to craft a newsletter that delivers value while strengthening your donors’ attachment to you and your organization. 

In reviewing dozens of donor newsletters within the arts and more generally within the nonprofit sector, we found that the most effective ones can be characterized by three key traits: they are differentiated, resonant, and consistent. Let’s dive into these characteristics and identify examples of each. (You can download a PDF copy of the slides here).

Differentiation

First and foremost, it’s essential that the donor newsletter be differentiated from what your organization would offer to everyone. At every step of the way, it might be helpful to ask: what about this content, or its delivery, makes it especially meaningful for donors — folks who have already gotten to know the basic appeal of our organization? Telling memorable, relatable, and inspiring stories that profile people, not just programs, is arguably the most important way to differentiate your donor newsletter. Other effective strategies include offering customized invitations, updates, and content (the scope of which can expand exponentially when organizations strategically capture data), or using the donor newsletter as a platform to provide insider tips, discounts, and exclusive content. Check out these artifacts from Houston Grand Opera, Scottish Ballet, and the Public Theatre for examples of each. 

Resonance

We’ve noted that storytelling is an important way to differentiate your donor newsletter – but what makes for a good story? Digging deeper into Houston Grand Opera’s ‘Opera Unleashed’ makes it clear: a good story is one that resonates with readers on an emotional level. Oftentimes, this means using pictures or video (for digital newsletters), incorporating direct quotes, and finding creative ways to show rather than tell, helping to make the story feel as real as it is. 

In these examples from HGO, profiles of people involved in the organization in various ways give everyone something (or someone!) to connect with, illustrating the depth and breadth of the larger community, and the impact of donors in bringing them all together.

Consistency

Last but not least, it’s essential to offer a newsletter that is thematically consistent over time, giving donors something to look forward to that is easily identifiable with the organization. Of course, thematic change is okay, so long as there’s a context and a framework for the change. In the examples that follow from Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, everything from style to tone to content type aligns with the organizations’ characters. 

More Examples

So, to recap: as you craft your organization’s next donor newsletter, you’ll be looking to answer ‘yes’ to the following three questions. 

1. Are we differentiating this content from what we offer to everyone?

2. Are we being thematically consistent with what we’ve offered before (or if not, how are we framing the change)?

3. Are we resonating on an emotional level? 

To ensure you’re making the most of the tools at your disposal in order to answer ‘yes’ to all of the above, feel free to keep this (non-exhaustive) checklist in your back pocket, along with these additional examples for inspiration. 

Once more, for a PDF copy of the slides, see here. The Advisory Board for the Arts will be covering all of this — and much, much more — as part of our members-only research summit this week, May 24-27. If you’d like to gain access to the content but you’re not sure how, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Member Adviser or info@advisoryboardarts.com.