Mailing lists are very important to the success of a fundraising campaign. Today, mailing lists seem to travel from source to source at an alarming rate. No sooner do you sign up for a weekly circular at your local supermarket than you find ten other pieces of promotional mail in your mailbox. Despite antispam laws, you sign up for an e-newsletter and suddenly you're the recipient of junk e-mail.

Pros and Cons

Many organizations have their own membership lists. Members join most organizations and place their names on such a list with the understanding that you are keeping their information private. The more personal the information on the list, the more imperative it is that you safeguard it. If people lose their trust in your organization, you can lose members, and your prospective pool of donors may shrink. In short, this is a very strong reason not to sell your mailing list; many believe this practice is highly unethical and can even jeopardize your organization if your list lands in the wrong hands. The FCC and the postal service are cracking down on list-selling activities.

That said, some research indicates that the exchange of mailing lists can point organizations to future supporters. The debate continues about the practice of exchanging mailing lists, so consider the consequences before doing so.

Should You Buy?

Another option to consider is buying a mailing list. Some list-selling companies build their following by selling lists to organizations like yours in hopes that not only will you be a steady customer, but you will recommend them to others as well. Be warned, however, that not all list companies are alike. Some will sell you the names of 20,000 people who are not at all interested in what you have to say. Because many organizations have never purchased such a list before and are not familiar with the mailing list industry, there is still a learning curve that favors the sellers. Therefore, it is buyer beware. When buying a mailing list, it is usually for limited use, meaning you can only use it one time and by a certain date.

There are a few questions you should ask to ensure that you are getting the most useful list possible. First, find out how often the list is updated. Consumer lists age at a rate of 2 percent per month. In one year, 25 percent of the list can be outdated. Next, ask how the list was generated. It's important to know where these names are gathered. If this list is the reproduction of old lists that have been sold many times, the people on the list may have been inundated with mailings. Finally, in what ways can this list be categorized? Many lists can be broken down by various types of information to help you reach your target audience.

When shopping around for a mailing list, it's advantageous to get referrals from others who have used the company to purchase their list(s). Be sure to ask about what type of response they received and how current the list actually was.

E-Mail Lists

There are plenty of places to purchase e-mail lists. Here, too, you must take heed of what kind of e-mail list you are buying and from whom. It is easy for almost anyone to build up a random mailing list of thousands of people's e-mail addresses, and the recipients may very well become angered that they have received your “junk” e-mail. While there are some legitimate online list sellers, you may have better luck creating your own e-mail list.

Gather addresses by asking people who come to your website or communicate with you in any manner if they will give you their e-mail address. It's unethical to take their e-mail address from another source. Also, have a privacy policy drawn up to guarantee them that their information is safe in your hands and will not be sold or distributed elsewhere. Post this policy on your website so that supporters are comfortable giving their e-mail addresses; by posting the policy, you will further enhance your organization's integrity.

One of the foremost complaints from Internet users is the inability to unsubscribe from a list. Make sure you allow people to unsubscribe easily if they do not want your newsletter or e-mails.

Another complaint from those who send e-mails is that there are times when server glitches cause an e-mail campaign to malfunction, and this prevents supporters from receiving your materials. In other instances, organizations do not get enough supporters to opt in to make an e-mail campaign effective. For this reason, it is important to track the results of your e-mail campaigns. Some programs even enable you to track how many recipients actually open your e-mails. You may find it is worthwhile to deploy a mix of strategies incorporating both e-mail and direct mail.

The advantage of e-mail marketing is reaching people very quickly all over the world at little cost. You can also be quite current because they will get the message that very day, and perhaps they will be inspired to take action immediately. Too many people forget the immediacy of e-mail and send the same message month after month. Always add current information and updates so people know your correspondence is fresh and not something written months ago.

You can also use chat rooms and newsgroups to spread the word about your group or cause if the group is amenable. Some news groups have policies against solicitation, so be sure to read the forum's guidelines before posting. Even if there are no rules against it, you may want to feel out the situation. Don't just jump in with a sales pitch or solicitation or you might alienate everyone. Remember, it's unethical to use information you gather online without the person's consent, such as copying email addresses from a chat room or other list. For younger generations, social networking has all but replaced e-mail. Social networking is examined in further depth in Chapter 12.