Email is one of the best ways to raise money for a cause online. However, soliciting with email is often associated with spammers. There is a right way and a wrong way to use email. The wrong way violates the can spam act of 2003. The spam act is a set of requirements about your email that can be read here. Most of the requirements can be taken care of by creating an email template which you can then use for all of your emails.

Another wrong way of using email is collecting or buying email addresses of people, and then sending them emails without their permission. Getting their permission is done by having them submit their email address into an opt-in form on your website.

Once they have done this, they become subscribers to your email list and you can then send them newsletters about the issues and news surrounding your cause. The frequency of sending emails might be once a week or perhaps more. If you send too many, your list members will become unresponsive. Sending too few will cause some of your subscribers to forget who you are and you’ll run the risk of them placing your emails into their spam filters.

The two big challenges of starting an email list is getting traffic to your website and getting a good percentage of that traffic to join your list. Getting traffic can be done in a number of ways. You can write articles and submit them to article directories that specialize in your cause. You can also submit guest posts to relevant and influential blogs. In both cases, they should allow you to include a link in the bottom of your article that points back to your site. Interested readers will click through to your website.

 

How To Make a YouTube Video by James Wedmore

 

Another method of getting traffic is posting videos on Youtube. Youtube gets an enormous amount of traffic. Their videos often rank very well in the search engines which gives your video a double whammy effect because you’re getting traffic both from Youtube and the search engines. Social media sites such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Linkedin are yet another avenue of bringing in traffic.

Your website should make it clear what your cause is about and should be well designed and professional looking. There should also be a method of accepting donations that is secure.

Locate your email opt-in form in a prominent spot that doesn’t escape notice. In addition to asking the visitor to join your free newsletter, you can also offer them a gift for doing so in the form of a free pdf that contains information that your visitor values. This gift can also be anything else of value to the visitor.

Studies have shown that offering such gifts dramatically increase the percentage of visitors that join your list. These gifts also improve their disposition towards you and make them look forward to receiving your newsletters.

Email newsletters are a form of relationship marketing. With time, your list members will become familiar with the “voice” of your emails and will feel that they know you. When this happens, they’ll be more inclined to donate to your cause than they were when they first arrived at your website. The most important thing to remember is this:
don’t forget to ask for their donations.