Before you begin to build an e-mail newsletter for your organization, ask yourself the  following questions:

What type of information do we want to share? Consider including current news about your program, success stories, staff changes, official announcements, volunteer recognition, special events announcements, volunteer opportunities, donation information, or interesting changes to your website.

The key is to make content choices with your subscribers in mind, and send information that will be of interest to them.

How often should we distribute the e-newsletter? Weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly… whatever schedule you choose, be sure that you stick to it. The timely delivery of your e-newsletter presents a professional image to clients, funders, and prospective donors.

While a monthly issue works for many programs without overburdening staff, don't promise a monthly edition if you can't deliver. Think carefully up front about what your organization can handle. It’s okay to do a quarterly mailing, or occasional mailings.

What type of formatting should we use: plain text or HTML? Plain text is easy to create and you can be assured that everyone receiving the e-newsletter will be able to read it. However, HTML formatting can include color, images, and other visually appealing elements that make for a more engaging communication.

A plain text newsletter is a fine place to start, however, and many organizations use both plain text and HTML. If you distribute both a text version and an HTML version most e-mail programs will be able to view one or the other. Test your HTML version on as many e-mail software programs as you have access to. Send a test mailing to one or two colleagues at the office first, or even to your home e-mail address, and preview it before sending to the entire list.

Additional Tips

• Many e-mail messaging services offer a template or instructions for designing an e-newsletter; this can be a good place to begin for anyone seeking design help.
• Include links back to your website for more information on news items. This way, the e-newsletter drives people to your site, making it an important source of information for volunteers, donors, and other subscribers.
• Keep it short. Select just a few topics for each edition, and keep the text brief (but include links to your website for more in-depth information).
• When distributing the e-newsletter use an appropriate subject line and clearly identify yourself or your organization in the “From” field so that subscribers know it is not junk mail.

Use headers and footers in the body of your newsletter with the date, your contact information, and clear instructions on unsubscribing from the mailing list. You may also want to send an acknowledgment e-mail when people subscribe or unsubscribe.

Sample footer:
This e-newsletter is produced by the Senior Corps Program of Anytown, USA. Subscribe for free at nationalserviceresources.org. Unsubscribe by sending a blank e-mail to unsubscribe @yourprogram.org. Contact us at (phone number) or (e-mail).Consider other places to market your newsletter, such as adding a footer to the bottom of all of your office's outgoing e-mail that highlights the e-newsletter and offers a subscription link.

Consider other places to market your newsletter, such as in the signature line or footer of all outgoing e-mail; you can highlight the e-newsletter and offer a subscription link.

E-mail Etiquette

If you collect e-mail addresses on your website, state your e-mail-use policy clearly. Subscribers appreciate knowing that their e-mail address will be used only for what they’ve signed up for.

Never send unexpected messages to your e-mail list; this is a good way to erode trust. Keep your mailing list up to date, and promptly unsubscribe someone who no longer wishes to receive mailings.

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