BlogMembership How to Write a Newsletter Your Members Will Actually Want to Read + 16 Ideas to Use in Your Next Email Membership How to Write a Newsletter Your Members Will Actually Want to Read + 16 Ideas to Use in Your Next Email Author: Marlena Moore September 10, 2024 Contents 🕑 10 min read Does your member newsletter have low engagement? Even after spending a lot of time building the email, crafting your message and sharing relevant information. Leading you to think, “Why do I even send these emails at all?” You’re not alone. We’ve got the best tips for writing an engaging member newsletter that will get opens and clicks. Read on and start optimizing your email newsletter! Why Should Your Organization Have a Member Newsletter Your membership relies on your communication for organizational updates, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities – you name it! But where do you share this information? Most organizations will have all this information on their website. Still, you want to make sure your members get this information promptly. This is where a regular email cadence, or member newsletter, comes into play. Sending weekly, monthly or event quarterly newsletters will ensure your members have a consistent place to receive the critical information and resources your organization shares. Here’s some data on email communication if we haven’t convinced you yet: Over 4 billion daily email users and 97% of Americans check their inbox at least once a day. 77% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months. (Not Another State of Marketing, 2021) 55% of emails are opened on mobile devices. (eMarketer, 2023) 46% of smartphone users prefer to receive communications from businesses via email. (Statista, 2021) How to Write a Newsletter for a Member Writing a membership newsletter is easier than you think! Just break down the elements of a great email and pop in the content specific to your organization. Short and Sweet Subject Line Subject lines are the first thing your members see when they receive your newsletter. You want to make sure it’s short enough to be easily (and thoroughly) read, whether on mobile or desktop and eye-catching, with an idea of what to expect in your newsletter. Here are some things to keep in mind when creating your subject line: 5-10 words or 40-50 characters Avoid “spammy” language like “free” and “apply now” (here’s a whole list from HubSpot to check out) Include a teaser that gives a glimpse of what’s inside to spark curiosity Example newsletter subject lines: Exciting Updates and Events: Your [Month] Newsletter Inside! Your [Organization Name] Update: What’s Happening This Month Get Ready for [Event Name]—All the Details Inside! See How Your Support Is Making a Difference This Month! Break Up Your Text No one wants to receive an email that’s just a wall of text. Your newsletter isn’t a term paper! Break up the text into easily scannable sections for members to find the information they need. Try using headers in your newsletter like these: Upcoming events Volunteer highlights Educational content Announcements and news Fundraising updates Add Eye-Catching Images (Or GIFs!) Just like with breaking up the text, adding images or GIFs can make your newsletter easier to read and more appealing to the eye. Add relevant pictures of those in your organization to show your membership what’s happening. GIFs and memes can provide fun and humor to further engage your members. Here are some examples: Photos of volunteers at their last service site Group photo of your newest members This Spiderman meme is great for prompting members during GivingTuesday. On the final week or month or your fundraiser? This StarTrek GIF reminds members there’s time to reach your fundraising goal. Include Call-to-Action Buttons Call-to-action buttons, or CTAs, will be how you can prompt your members to take action in your newsletters in a better way than just a hyperlink. CTA buttons can be colored to your organization’s branding and stand out in your text. Here are some ideas of the CTAs your organization might use: Donate here Sign up now Apply for [position] Types of Member Newsletters While you can put all your information in one newsletter, it’s a great idea to segment your membership base and give them newsletters based on their interests. This helps avoid email fatigue if you have to update about something weekly, like volunteering and allows members to avoid information they don’t need or want. Monthly or Quarterly Updates A monthly or quarterly update newsletter is the most common type of newsletter you’ll see organizations share. It’s perfect for members who need a regular, top-down view of your organization and what’s going on. Use this member newsletter to share organizational announcements, upcoming events, program highlights and member achievements. Fundraising Newsletter A fundraising newsletter will focus exclusively on your org’s fundraising efforts. This informs members about your fundraising efforts, events, opportunities and progress. The content will specifically share details on campaign goals, progress reports, donor recognition and any upcoming fundraising events and registration. Volunteer Newsletter A volunteer newsletter is excellent to have separately for your volunteers and those members who want information on your volunteering program. In addition to sharing new volunteering opportunities, use this member newsletter to recognize and celebrate the contributions of individual volunteers or teams. You can also include interviews, stories of impact and appreciation messages from those your volunteers help. Event Newsletter Your event newsletter will focus on specific events or activities the organization executes. This will include things your volunteer or fundraising newsletter would do, like an upcoming fundraising gala or clean up the highway event. But what sets your event newsletter apart is that it also shares every upcoming event your organization puts on – training workshops, webinars, member appreciation luncheons, book club meetings, and the list goes on. Be sure this newsletter includes each event’s details, schedules, speaker information, registration links. Don’t forget to include post-event summaries or photos. Seasonal Newsletter A seasonal newsletter is a great email for your members based on the time of year. This is likely quarterly, sharing what is happening for each season and the holidays. The content of this newsletter will provide seasonal messages, themed events, relevant tips and holiday greetings. Monthly Digest If your organization produces a lot of content (blogs, podcasts, white papers or case studies) you’ll want a monthly digest. This member newsletter will summarize all key content you’ve shared and updates from the past month. Give a recap of events, articles, and announcements, including important dates. Training and Development Newsletter Some members join organizations for personal and professional development opportunities. A training and development newsletter is dedicated to these opportunities, allowing members to easily see all this information in one place. Include digital content like on-demand training or webinars, educational pieces on thought leadership, and information on upcoming workshops with details on how to register. 16 Great Member Newsletter Ideas to Engage Your Members You can implement many of these ideas by creating one all-encompassing member newsletter or a couple more segmented email newsletters. These membership newsletter ideas will engage members and provide important information in a timely manner to newsletter subscribers. 1. Promote Upcoming Events Share your upcoming event details with interactive elements like RSVP buttons, calendar integrations or live countdowns. This will simplify the registrations process and boost your attendance rates. 2. Share Your Newest Content Get more eyes on your content like blogs, case studies or white papers by putting it in your newsletter. Give a couple highlights of the piece so readers have an idea of what the content is about. 3. Spotlight Your Members Shine a spotlight on your members by featuring them. Include a photo, how long they’ve been a member, why they became a member, their contributions and some fun facts about them. This allows your members to get to know each other better and who they are beyond membership. 4. Recognize Volunteers Volunteers are an integral part of your organization; recognize their efforts! Highlight a volunteer’s recent contributions and include a testimony from the volunteer and the person/organization in which they benefitted. 5. Celebrate Milestones It’s essential to call attention to your members whenever they achieve something big. Celebrate a member through your newsletter when they have reached a certain number of years as a member, a certain number of volunteer hours, accomplished a certification or degree, or something else specific to your organization. 6. Announce New Members Welcoming members can be included in your regular member newsletter, too! Like member spotlights, share some fun facts about the new member, include a photo, why they joined and what they’re excited to do as a member. 7. Highlight Your Membership Benefits Members can easily forget about all the benefits they receive with their membership plan. Remind them by including a link to your member resources or you spotlight a specific benefit quarterly. Keep the value of your membership top of mind! Plus, this will help you retain members who may lapse without being reminded of your member benefits. 8. Promote Fundraisers and Goals Just as you highlight your upcoming events in your member newsletter, promote your fundraisers too! Be sure to include your goals, whether it’s a monetary amount, hours of volunteering, number of registrants or items donated for an auction. 9. Recap of Past Events Sharing what has happened at past events is crucial for your members to stay in the loop, especially if they have to miss an event. Give highlights of the event, photos of attendees, any fundraising achievements and be sure to get quotes from those who attended, sharing their experience. 10. Share Your Social Media If your organization shares a lot on social media, whether it’s Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook, include links to them in the footer of all your newsletters. It’s a good idea to highlight your accounts occasionally and encourage members to follow you. 11. Promote Volunteer Opportunities Gain more volunteers for your service opportunities by promoting them in your newsletter. This lets you share how your volunteers have impacted your organization and local community. 12. Highlight Job/Leadership Opportunities Many of your members likely joined due to professional development opportunities, be sure to share these in your member newsletter. This is even easier if you have a job board on your website. Members can find opportunities that align with their values and preferred industry. 13. Feature Industry News and Content Not everyone is subscribed to every newsletter in their industry and it’s easy to miss important information with all of the inbox clutter. Sharing important industry news or stellar content that aligns with your organization is always appreciated in any member newsletter. 14. Inform of Upcoming Educational Opportunities Whether your organization is hosting an educational webinar or an in-person seminar, include this in your newsletter to let members be the first to sign up. Make registration easy with direct links to your reg page, and remember to include a member discount code if you have one! 15. Share Big Organization Updates Whenever your organization has a significant change, like hiring new board members or partnering with another organization, share it in the member newsletter. Keep members up to date with all the goings on in your organization. 16. Seasonal Messaging “First Day of Spring” and “Cheers to the New Year” are always fun ways to shape your newsletter’s messaging and design. Include fun imagery like snowmen in the winter and flowers in the spring to give your emails seasonality. Best Practices for Your Member Newsletter Now that we’ve shared some great ideas for your next member newsletter, remember to implement these best practices to ensure higher open rates and more member engagement. Be Consistent Consistency is key and so should your newsletters. Members will expect to receive your messaging regularly, so stick to a schedule. Be dependable for your members, whether a shorter weekly or a longer monthly email. Tip for the best engagement according to HubSpot: The best time to send a marketing email is 9:00 AM – 12 PM EST, then 12:01 PM – 3 PM EST. The worst is 1 AM – 3 AM EST. (HubSpot Blog Research, 2023). Automate Your Newsletter Automating your newsletter is the best way to stay consistent and get your emails out simultaneously, every time. You can do this easily through software with automated email capabilities. Plus, this tool automatically sends email confirmations and reminders for membership, events and donations. Most tools will also allow you to customize these messages using email macros. Hence, your members still get a personalized experience. Segment Your Audience If you’re going to have more than one membership newsletter, segmenting your audience is key. On your member profiles, you can designate their interests, like volunteering or fundraising, and you can send them each the newsletter that will resonate most. This ensures each member gets the information they want and keeps their inbox clear of emails they won’t ever open. Ensure Newsletters are Mobile-Friendly Since 55% of emails are opened on mobile devices, you’ll want to ensure your newsletters look good on a smartphone, tablet and desktop. Being mobile-responsive will allow your members to receive and read every email you send, no matter where they are. Build a Cohesive Design Building a strong brand is vital for every organization; you’ll want the same to be true for your email communications. In your membership newsletter, use your brand colors, organization’s logo and font, imagery that matches your “vibe” and consistent design. Members will be used to the style in which you send emails; if each newsletter looks different from one another, they may not realize it’s from your organization, lowering your open and engagement rates. Ask for Member Feedback If you’re implementing our ideas and best practices but are still struggling with newsletter engagement, ask your members! They know what they want and what information they need from you. Sending out a member survey on your newsletter frequency and content will help you build the perfect membership newsletter for your demographics. Level Up Your Member Newsletter with WildApricot WildApricot (that’s us!) is an all-in-one membership management software that provides comprehensive tools for managing your email campaigns and membership. With WildApricot, you get: A robust contact database to manage and segment your members effectively. Automate your email workflows and ensure timely, personalized communication. Build or maintain your organization’s website easily with our drag-and-drop feature. A built-in payment processing software that ensures smooth and secure transactions. Simple event management, build online registration forms, manage attendee data and ensure members can sign up for events without hassle. Sign up for a 60-day free trial of WildApricot today, the best membership management software you will ever need to level up your email game. 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