Newsletters: Introduction

January 18, 2011 · By Christopher Howell

Yes, in the 21st century there’s still a place for good old-fashioned paper newsletters. A lot of nonprofit marketing or communications “experts” may disagree with me but in many ways a mailed, paper-based newsletter is preferred over a more difficult to access electronic blog or email-type newsletters. Electronic newsletters and social media have a place in your overall communications plan, but paper newsletters should also be a part of the mix too, especially if you’re part of a small nonprofit. Let’s talk a little bit about newsletters in general and why they’re an important part of your overall marketing communications plan.

In a for-profit corporation newsletters have always been used to help bring in new customers. In the non-profit world, the newsletter’s primary purpose is to promote your agency’s mission. Many grant applications ask that to attach a copy of your latest newsletter. It is also used to recognize your volunteers, communicate your services to your clients, inform your board of directors, thank your financial supporters, and to plead your case to community leaders or elected officials.

A well-crafted newsletter can help bring in some financial or in-kind support. Don’t have high expectations. The cost of producing, printing and mailing a newsletter will almost always exceed any donations you may receive. Look at the newsletter as more of a communications channel rather than a fundraising tool. You may sell advertising in your newsletter. Even so, your newsletter is not going to bring in significant amounts of money to your agency.

Don’t underestimate the amount of work it takes to produce a newsletter. Be ready to devote the time and resources it deserves to get the maximum return. For small nonprofits, be realistic. Think about doing a one-page newsletter three or four times a year. Forget about expensive paper and printing costs. Go for the four cents per copy deals at your local copy shop. You can mail a few newsletters but save money by distributing many of them by hand. Establish a grass roots network of volunteers, staff, partner agencies and others who can help with distribution.

A larger nonprofit can think about devoting more resources to newsletter production. Figure between thirty and forty-five hours to write and edit the content of an eight page newsletter. Just counting printing and mailing costs it can put you back ten thousand dollars or more to publish an eight page full-color newsletter four times a year.

Moving your newsletter through the approval process can take one or two weeks depending on how many management levels you’re dealing with. Printing can take a week or two. If you prepare the publication for bulk mailing in house, look at another week. It’s not unusual for a newsletter to take a month or more from the start of the editorial process to final delivery to your readers.

Don’t underestimate the commitment and don’t commit to a publication schedule until you’re ready. Publishing on a regular schedule gives your organization credibility. Don’t tell your audience you’re doing a monthly newsletter only to have your issues trail off to nothing after 6 months. That’s one way to blow your credibility.

Newsletters can be divided into two main types, internal and external. Internal newsletters are targeted at those folks inside your organization like employees or volunteers. It’s difficult to justify the resources required to produce an internal newsletter unless your organization has a couple of hundred employees. Small nonprofits should focus their efforts on the production of an external newsletter aimed at those interested audiences who are external to your organization. Don’t include content aimed at internal audiences in your newsletter targeted at external audiences. Your external audience probably doesn’t care about Joe’s birthday or the news that Nancy had her baby.

Remember, the newsletter is primarily a communications tool not a fundraising tool. It will probably operate at a loss. Learn to love the paper newsletter for what it can do. Promoting your agency’s mission and getting the word out about the work you’re doing is essential and the good old-fashioned, paper-based newsletter is one of the best ways to do it.