Webinar Review - Everything You Need to Know about Building a Newsletter

Hi everyone! Katie here. Today, I'd like to share some highlights from the CanadaHelps webinar, Everything you Need to Know about Building a Newsletter. It originally took place on June 22, 2023, and was presented by Tamara Rahimi. Even though this webinar was charity-based, the information is transferable and can easily be applied and adapted to museums and historic sites regardless of their charitable status.

Why Produce a Newsletter?

Rahimi feels that a newsletter gives you the opportunity to maintain regular communications with your supporters. They can assist in building trust, making connections and educating people about your organization. Newsletters are a great outlet to showcase your site by providing updates on what you've been doing, what you are planning on doing and the impact you have on your community or sector. These are all things that can improve supporter confident and provide transparency. Some supporters will even start to look forward to seeing your newsletter in their inbox. 

The Value of a Good Newsletter

According to MailChimp, charity emails have a higher rate of being opened, 25% more in fact, compared to other industries. This certainly works in the favour of museums!

This medium reaches all generations, which is a huge bonus. Newsletters are easy to print off, forward on to friends, post on social media and gives people something to talk about. All these things contribute to expanding your reach.

Rahimi reminded that a good newsletter will educate and inspire the reader. Using good visuals, ones that match your newsletter's goal, theme or purpose, provoke emotion far better than words alone. Show off your achievements, let people know your value and place in the community, and share with them why you can't do it alone. Using a Call to Action is imperative. Tell your readers what you want them to do. If you want them to click a link, share a story, tag a friend or make a donation, this is the time to ask!

What else can a Newsletter do for my Museum?

Attract Volunteers

Some interesting statistics were shared in the webinar. Did you know that 58% of charities are run solely by volunteers? Across Canada, the volunteer sector is waiting for a rebound, as volunteer numbers are lower than before the pandemic. 

Rahimi encouraged participants to think of a newsletter as a great recruiting platform. Since youalready have a captive audience that supports your organization on some level, since they are subscribed to your newsletter, make the ask! Use their motivations to get them interested in you. Some of the top reasons why people volunteer - they want to learn new skills, they have a genuine interest in wanting to help, for self-fulfillment, they may have a personal connection to the cause, or to gain experience. Share volunteer opportunities, let them know what they'd be doing, humanize the volunteer experience and share volunteer wins and success stories to attract new volunteers to your team. 

Fundraising

Newsletters are a great way to promote your campaign and to gain new donors, while encouraging past donors to give again. Be sure to outline the purpose of your campaign and share stories and images. Don't forget to include timelines regarding what you are doing or will be doing, and how the raised funds will be spent. The more transparent you can be, the better. Include a link to your online donation form so that the donation experienc eis as easy and seamless as possible. It never hurts to include a phone number too, as some people don't like donating online.

Trust Building

Storytelling and testimonials can be excellent ways to build trust. According to CanadaHelps, 23% of people don't give because they don't believe the money is being spent responsibly or they just don't trust the organization. To curb this, use numbers to prove your track record. Imagine being able to share something like this: that thanks to a fundraiser, the  museum was able to restore three paintings in its collection. 

Rahimi cautioned the importance of including an overview of exactly where your donors' money is going. If you're running a program, what is the cost to run it? How long is it? Who participates? What are your other sources of revenue? You can even go one step further and share an impact report. This report is a more detailed document on financial data, key goals and more; it educates readers and builds greater trust. 

What does a good newsletter look like?

Rahimi reminded that content should be easy for your reader to scan through. Using bullet points, easy to read fonts, highlighting key areas, using heads, sub-headings, short blocks of text and good images will all help to tell your story. If you don't grab your reader's attention in the first few seconds, they may stop reading.  

Before you jump into your newsletter writing, focus on a goal, purpose or theme, will help you to narrow down the key content that you are trying to express. If your newsletter isn't focused ,your audience will either stop reading or they will become confused about the purpose of your newsletter. keep your writing clear, concise, and make sure your reader knows exatlt what you want them to do.

Did You Know?

Being consistent when sending out your newsletter is another way to build trust. A good target is once a month, unless you have a big campaign coming up, such as Giving Tuesday.

Good quality images that are relevant to your content are a must. Your images should reflect the goal, purpose or theme of your newsletter. Your reader should be able to identify what your newsletter if about as soon as they see that first image. 

Rahimi said that 'Donate Now' buttons are important, but 'Unsubscribe' buttons are just as important. Infact, in Canada it is mandatory to have an easy-to-locate button or link for unsunscribing. It has other benefits too, as this simple button helps to improve transparency and shows that you respect your supporters' decisions. After all, just because someone unsubscribes from your newsletter, doesn't mean that they no longer support your organization. 

Depending on the software that you are using, you can schedule a delivery time for your newsletter. This can be a very helpful feature when it comes to planning and organizing. Some programs also allow you to insert the recipients name in the subject line, which can help your organization build a personal connection and relationship with your reader. 

So, do you have a Newsletter?

If newsletters are not already a part of your communication plan, you might want to consider adding them. The value of a well thought-out newsletter is worth the effort. If you are already producing a newsletter, is it working for you or is there room for improvement?

I hope this review helps you and your museum unleash the potential that newsletters can bring to your facility. It's just one way you can promote all the wonderful things that you and your museum are doing!

The full webinar can be viewed here.