Wait—Who Are You, Again?

Allison King

Last year, my family made a donation to a zoo that we had visited on a family vacation. While I got an email receipt, I never received another email from them … until last week. Suddenly I started receiving solicitation emails for the zoo. And while I do like this zoo and would consider supporting them again, it was very jarring to have received nothing for so long—and then start receiving a number of emails from them.

What was missing from the flow of the donation receipt to fundraising emails? A welcome series. Without a welcome series, I felt adrift. (Did they care I made the donation?) When they started sending me random emails, I felt surprised. (Oh, I guess they want more money from me!) A welcome series could have helped build a partnership between me and the organization, and I probably would have been more inclined to give again when I got that fundraising email.

I hope my story helps you see the value in having a welcome series. But if facts are more your style, did you know that the 2019 Blackbaud Luminate Online^® Benchmark Report found that welcome series emails have a 20–30% higher open rate than fundraising, newsletter, and other type emails? Furthermore, constituents who receive a welcome series are 33% more likely to stay engaged with your organization longer.

Need to get your own welcome series started—or give your current one a boost? Register today for Blackbaud Luminate Online: Generating an Effective Welcome Series and the recently revised 90-minute course Organizational Best Practices: Marketing - Welcome Series.