It's not just e-mail, it's B-mail.

My weekly messages are the best way for us to stay connected and get to know each other. Once a week, I send my very finest stories, info, and resources directly to your inbox - to help you make the most of your nonprofit journey. 

The Archives

Too many emails, not enough time? Catch up on the B-mail you missed, they're all here: 

• D is for Downer (55%)

• Five of My Most Unpopular Opinions About Nonprofits (50%)

• The MVP of emails 🏆: open for two things you can't afford to miss. (51% - clicked 4%)

• Blame it on the Bossa Nova 💃🏼(53% - clicked 2.5%)

• Because everyone is writing about Barbie 🎀. (51% - clicked 3%)

• I've made donations to 31 nonprofits this year, here's what I've noticed. (55% - clicked 2.5%)

• I went surfing. It didn't go well.  (55% - click 6%)

• Coping with the unexpected when you're in the middle of killing it. (53% -click 8%)

• Making the most of your "slow season." (59%)

• Eat carrots, read books, and go on a hike. (57%)

• Kramer and other cosmos.(53%)

• Leggo my ego. (59%)

• The subject line you never got to see. (55%)  

• To fee or not to fee, that is the question. (52%)

• I'm a little afraid to tell you this but it's true. (54% - click 3%)

• Attention-Seeking Behavior (58% - click 7%)

• Obnoxious AF  (58% - click N/A)

• ❤Be Yours❤ (55% - click 4%)

• This message is for the birds. (56% - click N/A)

• Yes or no - would you read this? (54% - click 7%)

• Words to avoid in 2023. (54% - click 12%)

• Peace out. Peace in. (53% - click 3%)

• As it was in the beginning. (60% - click 4%)

• tbd (60% - Click 6%)

2022 email stats:

Average open rate = 52% , Average click rate = 2.5%, Average unsubscribe rate = 0.33%. 

I sent 40 emails in 2022 - up from just 18 the year before. Not bad, but still room for improvement.😊 After a year of sending B-mail at the same time every week, consistently cleaning up my list, and using plain text (vs. HTML), open rates went from around 40% at the beginning of 2022 to over 55% at the end. The highest-opened emails were My Favorite Non Sequitur (62%) and How it's going & how's it going? (62%). 

 In 2023, my goals for B-mail will be to send more messages (50), increase click rates (5%), and grow my list by 50%. Additionally, I hope to make more sales through email this year. In order to reach those goals, I will continue to try to work ahead so that I don't miss an email when things get busy, improve my calls to action with more valuable links, and use new outreach methods to attract more subscribers. 

Another important measure of engagement for 2022 was the amount of replies and handwritten notes I received from subscribers. Personal outreach is a powerful indicator that the content is meaningful, relevant, and serving its true purpose and makes all the effort to write weekly messages worthwhile. Thank you!

2022

• Mistakes were made. (56%)

• How many people ACTUALLY make donations at the very end of December? (58%)

• Patience pays off (and a shout out!) (52%)

• I have an announcement to make. (57%)

• Stand with Us. Give Hope. Learn More. Get Involved. Start Now. (56%)

• [Just Like] Starting Over (58%)

• What I Learned (& Didn't Learn) at NIO Summit 2022 (58%)

• I'm leaving on a jet plane ✈. (53%)

• My Favorite Non Sequitur (62%)

• I know you can feel the movement 💪🏼 (57%)

• How it's going & how's it going? (62%)

• The best thing I've read in at least a week. (56%)

• What happens when you ass=u+me? (51%)

• Which of these four (fast!) donation-page fixes could you try? 🐴 (59%)

• This is the slide I added to my email marketing presentation. (61%)

• Who can work with all this summer going on? (56%)

• The unlikely question that changed my perspective. (52%)

• Special email to highly-engaged readers. (90%)

• Breaking up is hard to do - but it's totally worth it! (56%)

• Winner, winner. Chicken dinner.  (61%)

• Much ado about governance. (36%)

• Ubiquitous You (50%)

• Break it all the way down. (51%)

• Write this, not that. (51%)

• You say 'basic' like it's a bad thing. (53%)

• So many light years to go, and things to be found. (52%)

• Fundraising probably isn't your biggest problem. (42%)

• All we ever hear from you is blah, blah, blah. (41%)

• Read this and then decide who is right. (38%)

• Are these three pages the best they can be? (39%)

• Don't hate the player...or the game. (41%)

• I could only come up with 8 sentences today.(38%)

• 8.33% of months are March. (40%)

• Someone you know might be streaking in their spare time 🙈 (36%) Sent at 2pm.

• When you're not pulling heartstrings, give them butterflies. (36%) Sent Monday at 2:14 pm

• What's more important: urgency or patience? (39%)

• Three research-backed ways to get more people to open your emails. (37%)

• January inboxes are like parking lots at the gym. (37%)

• Less is more. (41%)

• I hope you can use this in 2022! (46%)

In 2022, I'm experimenting with posting the open rates for each email with the intention of identifying the types of content that elicit the most interest. To keep comparisons consistent, I will be sending all messages on Tuesdays at 8:45 am unless otherwise noted.

2021

• YE

• Living Downwind of Little Debbie

• What [Not] To Do

• Expert Status (In 8 Easy Steps!)

• Over Communicating FTW

• It's About Time

• What we've got here is failure to communicate.

• No screaming, marching, or BDUs required.

• Take a look at my Q1 numbers 👀*

• No Scrubs

• A Shot in the Arm

•  🥧, ⏰,🌑, 🍀, 😴 & 📝

• 92.8% Success Rate vs. Keeping it 💯

• Remember This?

• With my Mind on my Money and my Money on my Mind

• How I figured out that 1 + 6 = 7 (AKA the email where I call my shot)

• Whenever I'm tempted to Predict the Future, I think of This

• Challenging Times Call for... More Challenges?

 *Most-opened email of 2021 (51%)

2020

• I'd Rather Be Full Sending

• If At First You Don't Succeed, Go Back Home and Eat Breakfast

• Just Another Taco Tuesday

• I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie

• Truth Hurts

• Call Me, Maybe?

• Kids, This is Called a Mixtape

• This Makes Some People Uncomfortable

• A Quiz, a Blog, and a Workshop Walk Into a Bar

• Right Click to Rename

• And?

• I Blame It All on LeBron James

• I Hope This Email Finds You Well

• Bring Back My Change

• I don't always do my own graphic design, but when I do...

• No Way to Control It, It's Totally Automatic

• Something About Like So**

• Every Little Thing Is Gonna Be Alright

• I Am a Rock, I Am an Island

• Frank Fleer's Flop

• Everybody Ride the Bus!

• Help Is On the Way

• The Difference a Day Makes

• A New Decade is Yours

• Let's All Turn to Page 17...

**most-opened email of all time (64%).