In the nonprofit world, communications become essential to driving awareness, interest and action.

• But with so many different channels to choose from, how do you know which one is right for your organization?
• And if you have multiple audiences or interests, how do you segment them all in the same place?

Creating a newsletter can provide a great solution. An organization’s newsletter is its primary communication channel outside of its website and other digital properties.

It’s also the most cost-effective way for nonprofits to reach a lot of people with relevant information regularly. Even better, because it’s produced as a standalone document rather than an article on the website or social media feed, it doesn’t take up valuable real estate or visual space on other sites. Read on to find out more about how you can create an excellent nonprofit newsletter that keeps your audience informed and interested.

What to include in your newsletter

When planning and writing your newsletter, it can help to keep an eye on the basics of what makes for an effective newsletter. The best newsletters have a specific goal for their audience and are full of information and resources that meet that goal. First, think about your audience and what you want to communicate to them. What are their interests? What topics do they need and want information on? What are their challenges? What would help them do their jobs, businesses and lives better? Another helpful way to think about your newsletter is in terms of it being a company-wide blog post. It should be about one topic that your readers can take one action on as a result of reading it. This can be something as simple as signing a petition, sharing your story or something as complex as planning a year-long fundraising campaign.

How to create a newsletter

First, decide what type of newsletter is right for your organization.

• Are you targeting a wide audience, or is this newsletter more for donors or volunteers?
• Do you want to send the newsletter on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis, or have you been allotted a certain amount of space on a key date?
• Do you have the staff and budget to produce a printed newsletter, or do you need to publish it online? You can also choose a newsletter format.
• The most common options are:
• Printed newsletters: If you’re printing your newsletter, decide on the format. Are you doing a tabloid-style booklet with many pages of content? Will you be printing on tabloid-sized tabloid pages or full tabloid-sized pages?
• Online newsletters: If you’re publishing your newsletter online, think about what types of platforms are out there. What do they cost, and what types of options do they give you? You may want to look at services like LaunchCMS and see what their options are for creating newsletters and other publications.

3 tips for an effective newsletter

1. Define what makes a good nonprofit newsletter. Before you start creating your newsletters, settle on the qualities of a good nonprofit newsletter. This can give you a good starting point for what to include and how to organize it. If you’re unsure of where to start, here are some qualities to keep in mind:
2. Engage your readership. Your newsletter should be more than a list of facts and figures. It should be engaging. This can be as simple as using an easy-to-read layout and including photos, infographics or other visual elements. You can also use other tools and content to capture reader attention, such as polls, quizzes or games.
3. Use your staff expertise. The people on your staff know their areas of expertise inside and out. You can use these experts to create content for your newsletter. You can also try to find outside experts who can provide content or interviews that meet your newsletter goals. - Keep in mind your readers’ needs and interests. The last thing you want to do is create a newsletter that isn’t useful to your readers.

Wrapping up

A well-crafted newsletter can be a helpful and convenient way for your organization to meet its communications goals and make sure people get the information they need from you. If you’re creating a printed newsletter, consider other ways you can get this information out to people. If you’re sending it by snail mail, consider other ways you can get this information out to people, such as putting it on social media. If you’re publishing a digital newsletter, think about other digital ways you can get this information out to people. Contact LaunchMailTool by Tommy House Studios and let us help you with your newsletter campaign!