October 30, 2003 | Read Time: 2 minutes
In a survey of college fund raisers, conducted by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, in Washington, 51 out of 119 respondents said their institutions have started making some of their annual-fund appeals via e-mail.
The study found that e-mail solicitations still make up a very small part of colleges and universities’ overall fund raising. Of the 41 respondents who specified how much money their institutions raised through the appeals, more than half reported that they brought in from $1,000 to $9,999 per year. Three said they brought in $50,000 to $99,000 per year; five said $25,000 to $49,999; four said $10,000 to $24,999; and five said less than $1,000.
Almost all of the respondents whose colleges and universities send e-mail solicitations — 38 out of 41 — said that they are additional appeals and do not replace direct mail or telemarketing.
Of those who have started using e-mail solicitations, 28 said they send them to everyone for whom they have an e-mail address, 28 said they send them to alumni, and 20 said they send them to donors who gave last year but have yet to give this year. Fund raisers also reported sending e-mail appeals to online donors, parents, campus faculty and staff members, and students.
More than half of the respondents whose institutions do not currently use e-mail in their annual fund raising said they plan to do so in the future.
The report also includes comments and advice about e-mail fund raising from survey respondents.
“I think e-mail reaches people who just toss the appeals we send via regular mail,” wrote one respondent. “We received gifts from people who never gave before, as well as lapsed donors and regular donors.”
Another advised, “If soliciting donors by e-mail, make sure you are also communicating campus happenings, etc., via e-mail as well. Donors get irritated if all they get is e-mail solicitations.”
For more information: Go to http://www.case.org/research/emailsurvey.cfm.
