Community Service:
Charitable Email Marketing Projects

BlueHornet's email marketing industry experts teamed up with other members of the Email Experience Council (eec) in helping a selected nonprofit facing an email challenge with achieving their e-marketing goals. The goal of the eec's NonProfit Projects is to provide members with a chance to expand their skill sets and network with peers - all while giving back to the community.

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Andre Agassi Foundation: 2008-2009

Founded in 1994, the Andre Agassi Foundation is dedicated to transforming U.S. public education for underserved youth. The Foundation drives reform by engaging in practice, policy and partnerships that provide quality education and enrichment opportunities. At the core of the Andre Agassi Foundation is Agassi Prep-a charter school located in Las Vegas, Nevada-offering academic programs that enhance a child's character, respect, motivation and self-discipline in preparation for college.

The Goal: Take the Foundation's existing quarterly email, which leveraged its print newsletter content and graphics, and develop an email program filled with industry best practices. Introduce regular communications based on subscriber profile data and relevant content updates about the foundation and its efforts. And, most importantly, build a sustainable program that the Foundation can carry forward beyond the eec Nonprofit Project timeline.

The eec was also tasked with growing the subscriber base, attracting a broader range of donors, and assisting the Foundation with entry into the social media arena. During the first 8 months of the project, the eec has helped the Foundation with:

• a rebrand;
• development of a new sign up page;
• a HTML branded double opt-in email;
• triggered emails, designed to follow up with new subscribers and deliver content they specifically requested during the sign up process;
• a new newsletter template;
• creation of branded badges which supporters can download and host on their own blogs, social pages and websites.

Still to come is the launch of the Andre Agassi Foundation blog and further entry into the social realm. The eec team is also working alongside the Foundation's marketing and communications director, Julie Krell, to develop a comprehensive integrated marketing plan where email plays a significant role.

Those involved with the project were BlueHornet's Chris Frasier, Account Development Manager, and Rachael Anderson, Marketing Manager, along with other expert members of the eec.

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The Women's Bean Project: 2007-2008

The Women's Bean Project (WBP) helps women break the cycle of poverty and unemployment by teaching workplace competencies for entry-level jobs through employment and by teaching job readiness skills in their gourmet food production business. Founded in 1989, the Denver-based nonprofit primarily provides employment through its catalog and online store, which sells bean soup, cornbread, salsa, brownie mixes and other food items made by the women in the program. Sales not only provide the women in the program with critical experience, they also defray a significant portion of the organization's overhead expenses.

The Goal: Build an email marketing program for the WBP, which had previously sent out event invites, calls for volunteers and donor announcements using Outlook. Construct a variety of email templates for different messaging to reach its three audiences: customers, donors and volunteers. Develop a content strategy and email calendar. Ensure that the WBP staff is sufficiently trained to continue the email program at the end of the project.

The Result: We developed an ambitious but practical content strategy for the Women's Bean Project, where email can help reach new audiences, drive more ecommerce sales and donations, and simplify volunteer outreach. Initial emails generated 32% open rates and 15% clickthrough rates. Page views from email subscribers are two times higher than other sources.

• For more on the project planning, read the September 2007 project update.
• For more on our competitive reconnaissance during the planning process, read Competitive Recon for the Women's Bean Project.
• For more on the results of the project, read How Email Impacts Society.
• For the full case study on our work with the Women's Bean Project, download the Women's Bean Project Case Study for free from the Whitepaper Room.

Those involved with the project were BlueHornet's Rachael Anderson, - Marketing Manager, Susan Tull. - VP of Marketing, along with other expert members of the eec. For more information or to get involved, visit the Email Experience Council at www.emailexperience.org.