1) Brainstorm your marketing objective

Email campaigns can be used in a variety of ways, from selling products to fundraising to event management.  Begin your campaign by determining why you want to use email and for what purpose.

• What is your ‘big idea’ for reaching out to constituents via an email campaign?  Are you promoting a new product or service?  Do you want to raise money to support a new program? Is there information (e.g. surveys, reports) you publish that constituents want to receive?  
• Be sure to involve key stakeholders in the discussion, such as board members, staff, volunteers and representatives from the constituent group(s) you want to reach.

 2) Create a plan

Take time to write down:

• What you want to accomplish (goals)
• What you want to say (message)
• How you want to say it (email format, e.g. text or HTML)
• Who’s going to receive your message (audience)
• When to deliver your message (timing)
• Who in your organization will be responsible for sending the message (who to send)
• How you will measure your success (results tracking)

3) Evaluate technology and staffing resources

How will you organize, track and send email?  Assess your internal resources, such as staff capacity, computer hardware and software, and ISP connectivity, to determine if you can manage the process in-house with desktop software and systems, or if you should look to outside resources for assistance.  Also, establish an email address that uses your organization’s domain name (e.g. info@yourcompanyname.org) so constituents will recognize who is sending the email message.

4) Build your list

Look at the ways you interact with your constituents and build in methods for them to provide you with email addresses:   

• Leverage your web site by adding an email link and contact sign-up form
• Invite constituents to contact you via email on all printed materials (e.g. company brochure, ticket order form, class registration).
• Do a special postcard mailing to constituents for whom you lack email addresses promoting the benefits of providing you with their email contact information, such as receiving timely updates and helping to reduce printing costs for your organization.
• Capitalize on viral marketing by encouraging constituents to forward messages, e.g. “email this message to a friend” and include subscription information in every message.

5) Draft, test & send your message

Treat every email from your organization with the same editorial care you give a print document.  Just because email is informal, don’t let typos or grammatical mistakes go unchecked and tarnish your organization’s professional image.

• Write your message offline as a word document first.  Keep it simple and brief!
• Use a “from” name your constituents will recognize and trust.
• Provide opt-in and opt-out instructions in every email, along with your company contact information (telephone #, email, web site).
• Add a note at the end of the message telling constituents how they got on your list in the first place (it may not be obvious and people forget what they have subscribed to).
• Test your message before sending it to the full list.  Try different Web browsers, Internet connection speeds, and email systems to ensure everyone can read your message. 
• Send your message in the email format (text or HTML) requested by your constituents.  If you don’t know what they prefer, use text-only messages.