Nonprofit organizations need to use many types of communication to establish their messaging, advance their goals and raise funds to achieve those goals successfully. Interactive communication requires a specific skill set to know how and when to use each type of communication to connect with a supportive audience. Nonprofits can use email marketing to connect with advocates, fundraise, share exciting content and encourage active support. Promoting an organization digitally is a great way for a nonprofit to connect with people and increase fundraising and membership.
The online Bachelor of Science in Strategic Communication with Nonprofit Certificate program from Arkansas State University (A-State) enables graduates to identify, create and execute consistent messaging that can advance a nonprofit organization’s goals. As part of the program, students will gain real-world experience by creating a social media and communications plan for an existing nonprofit organization while networking and learning from A-State professionals who work in the not-for-profit sector.
The Evolution of Email
Email has changed from an instrument of inter-office communication to an important marketing aid. With roughly four billion email users worldwide, it’s become the preferred form of communication for many companies, universities and nonprofit organizations. As more and more organizations use email to promote products, communicate with target audiences and advocate their brands, it’s essential to focus on email marketing and strategies.
As the Internet was made readily available to the public in the early 1990s, email accounts went from being a paid subscription service for online access to a free channel of communication for nearly every person and organization. Today, email is the preferred method for long-distance communication, and users can customize their accounts to filter spam messages and other information, or schedule email posts.
Email Trends for Nonprofits
While social media may appear as a competitor to email marketing, email is still the most effective way to manage a nonprofit organization’s outreach program. With an inventive, thoughtful and focused email campaign, a nonprofit can have a high return on investment of its marketing efforts. Here are a few trends that are on the horizon for optimizing email usage:
- Using data provided when users sign up for an email list or express interest in a nonprofit, marketers can personalize email messages that encourage individuals to open emails with custom content. Tailor-made emails can increase revenue by as much as 760%.
- Email marketing automation tools use workflows to increase the return on investment and automate the work so marketers and employees can avoid the time-consuming tasks of manually entering information. By delivering personalized and timely emails, a nonprofit can create a close relationship with invested supporters.
- Artificial intelligence. Using artificial intelligence (AI) to manage email lists for nonprofit organizations is gaining popularity. As nonprofits collect large amounts of digital data, AI can analyze and process combinations of subject line ideas and email content to drive the most interaction and clean up email lists.
Next Steps
Graduates of A-State’s online program will gain valuable skills, such as understanding and utilizing communication tools to convey messages to an organization’s supporters and build relationships. Graduates will also learn how to write grants, organize fundraisers, create cross-platform content campaigns and improve communication methods to enhance company workflows. This online program can prepare students to achieve positive results by applying principles and strategies of communication via digital media.
Learn more about Arkansas State University’s online Bachelor of Science in Strategic Communication with Nonprofit Certificate program.