The Apostle Paul used the technology of his day to help spread the Gospel. He used Roman roads to tell how the Gospel changed his life. Historians credit the Roman road system as a key component used by the early Church to spread the Gospel throughout the known world. Paul used those roads to make travel between churches easier.
He also used the mail system of the day to write letters to the churches he had founded. Those letters comprised most of the New Testament and were delivered via that same Roman Road. One historical reference stated that a relay of horses could carry a letter 800 km in 24 hours.1. Today, those same letters can be sent anywhere in the world via the Internet in less than a second.
The Internet is today’s Roman Road. Consider these staggering statistics,
- As of 2022, there were 4.95 billion active Internet users, meaning 62% of everyone in the world is active on the Internet.
- 6 hours and 56 minutes is the average online internet user time.
- 81% of U.S. adults report that they go online every day.
- 1.8 billion websites and counting is the number of sites they must choose from.2.
To communicate with our 21st-century world, you must be on the modern-day Roman Road, the Internet. However, with 1.8 billion website options, you need a strategy to drive people to your site. One strategy that I have used to keep donors connected to vision is email. A well-written email can raise significant financial support and is a key part of my summer giving plans for churches.
While traditional snail mail is not dead, email has replaced it as the favored means of communication. Consider these facts,
- 4.37 billion worldwide is the number of email users in 2023. This is a 2.7% increase from the previous year and represents more than half the global population.
- Analysts expect this number to continue rising in the coming years, growing by 2.5% to 4.48 billion in 2024 and another 2.5% to 4.59 billion the following year.
- By 2026, the number of email users worldwide is projected to hit 4.73 billion.
- In other words, in just four years, the number of people using email worldwide is forecast to grow by 11.1%.3.
Today if you want to communicate instantly with your people, email can get your story out quickly.
Here are my 10 Key Tips for Improving Your Emails.
- Have an interesting subject line. If they don’t open it, your message is lost. So, create interest in your subject line that will make them want to open the email and read it. The more effective the subject line, the better the open rate of the email and, thus, the better your results.
- Personalize it! ‘Dear Church Member’ is not personal. ‘Dear Mark and Valerie’ is. Work to make your appeals as personalized as possible. The best email tools can automatically and affordably do this for you.
- Be short and to the point! People are multitasking as they work and walk. No matter how compelling the message, they won’t read an epistle from you. You can be longer in a snail mail piece, but keep emails short and to the point. With that in mind, think…
- Two to four paragraphs. In our fast-paced society, people only give you a few brief seconds to make your point. So, make your point!
- Use bold and underlined text. People skim articles and emails. With that in mind, use bold and underlined text to draw your readers’ attention to key points. This makes your appeals more readable and, thus, more effective.
- Provide clickable links to your giving page. We want people to respond, because we believe in what we are doing and that it is worth funding. So, if donations are a reason to send an appeal, make sure they can easily give. Use embedded links that go straight to your giving page, such as this one from one of our church partners, https://brentwoodbaptist.com/stewardship/.
- Use multiple links to your giving page. Again, since people skim, you must put your giving link in multiple places. Consider putting a link early in the text and another somewhere further into the text. Then put another link in the PS. Speaking of which …
- Always have a PS! Studies have consistently shown that people almost always read a PS. Use the PS to focus on digital giving or summarize the appeal’s gist. The opening sentence and the PS might be the only two lines of your appeal a donor reads. So, make sure they are appealing and to the point.
- Determine the best time to send the appeal. Studies show that more charitable gifts come online around 2 PM EST during the middle of the week. Pay attention to your past email to see your best time for sending it.
- Follow the three C's. Great "asks" are clear, concise, and, most of all, compelling! Remember, while you are making your appeal, others are doing the same thing to your members. The appeal that best impacts their heart will be the appeal that gets the dollars.
This summer, your church will do amazing things. At the same time, many of your people will be in and out, and they could miss out on hearing about all those amazing things. After each major ministry or mission event, sending out a short note will help your members see what you are doing and how their gift is making a difference. Using today’s technology, you can instantly tell a story of life change that will motivate people to want to give in support of that story.
We would love to show you how our platform and system can enhance your ability to tell your story. Contact us today at (615) 206-4000 or email us at support@onlinegiving.org, and we will show you how our 15 different methods of giving will help increase generosity at your church.
The Stewardship Coach
Keep your donors connected to the vision this summer by sharing stories of life change. A well-designed email is a key piece of any summer giving strategy.https://t.co/ANcCTI5aNK pic.twitter.com/Y5U0eQ48XP
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) June 8, 2023
1. https://www.vindolanda.com/faqs/journey-times-on-roman-roads-and-postal-systems
