When done well, newsletters build trust and strengthen your connection with your stakeholders. Use this guide to learn how your nonprofit can create a newsletter that truly wows your supporters!
Newsletters are a great way to show your stakeholders why you value their support. They also give you an opportunity to record a history of your organization’s activities and achievements over time. Tracking these key moments in your organization’s history will also help you share your story with a wider audience, such as grant funders, the general public, or even your own staff and volunteers.
First things first—newsletters are typically between one and four pages long and are distributed on a monthly or quarterly schedule. When you’re getting started, select a distribution schedule that your organization can consistently achieve so your supporters know they can count on hearing from you.
Next, a great newsletter starts with a name that will draw your stakeholders in and will indicate the newsletter’s content at a glance. When deciding what content to include, there are several routes you can take to illustrate the impact of your supporters’ contributions—from sharing stories to highlighting awards your organization has received. Here are a few angles you may consider taking:
Although you’ll still want to keep your newsletter at a digestible length, combining a few of these elements can help your audience understand all of the incredible work your organization is doing. Don’t forget that photos and graphs can be wonderful tools to tell your story as well!
Our advice? Experiment! Every audience is different, but with a little patience, you can determine what works best for the people in your community.
Now that you have your stakeholder’s attention, is there any specific action you would like them to take, such as donating to a project or volunteering for your next fundraiser? You can cover this with a simple call to action. Here are a few great options to consider:
Congratulations! You now know how to format a newsletter that will leave your subscribers feeling inspired and connected to your organization’s mission. Before you get started, here are a few final tips to keep in mind:
Remember, good newsletters lead to a more engaged community—and you can focus on this as a metric of success. With these tips in mind and a little experimentation, you should be on your way to creating a newsletter that wows all your subscribers in no time! You might also find our tips on how to create a nonprofit annual report and how to create a record of good helpful as you establish your nonprofit’s footprint in the world:)
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