I just got back from Project HOPE’s 2010 Spring Gala, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.  I’ll remember this evening for a long time!  We met Adm. Gary Roughead, the current U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, who gave a passionate talk about the new relationship between Project HOPE and the U.S. Navy.  This relationship has allowed Project HOPE to bring the hospital ship the USNS Comfort to Haiti, where Project HOPE’s volunteer doctors provide much-needed care to suffering people aboard a state-of-the-art floating hospital anchored off Port-au-Prince.  It’s an honor to work with an organization as worthy and important as Project HOPE.  Won’t you please support Project HOPE today?

With a huge need for funds and tight time-line, political campaigns have become the best illustration of the simple fact that until you are aggressively collecting e-mail addresses you aren’t really raising money on-line. Visit a political website. Many have “splash screens” that simply identify the site and ask you to sign-up by providing your e-mail address and zip code. There is, if you look for it, usually a “skip” button that will let you into the main website without entering your email address, but that certainly not the most prominent path.

Possession of an active e-mail address provides a means of staying in contact with potential supporters at a very low cost. Whereas sending a printed newsletter requires paying for the printing at the postage, an e-mail newsletter is, by comparison, either free or nearly free. Whereas sending a printed newsletter requires lead time for printing and mailing, e-mail newsletters are nearly instantaneous. Having an e-mail address allows you to stay in closer, more timely contact with your supporter.

E-mail also allows you to reach out to a supporter with timely information in order to urge that particular action be taken. Political campaigns, of course, capitalize on this by pointing out that the other candidate made some statement sure to cause a reaction and then urging that those who receive the newsletter to give generously to avoid having someone who holds such opinions elected to office. Non-profits, however, must keep a careful eye on current events and stand ready to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

Through the use of technology that tracks recipient response, an organization can develop a profile related to an e-mail address that quickly will reveal what topics interest a particular constituent and allow the organization to segment appeals for maximum response. In addition, e-mail address collection is the first step towards bring a constituent closer to the organization so that, eventually, thee constituent will open their social network to the organization and become a volunteer fund-raiser.

Step one, however, remains getting that e-mail address. Consider all the places your organization captures physical addresses and ask why you aren’t also capturing e-mail addresses. Think about all the points of contact between your organization and the public and find a means of turning those points of contact into tools for building future relationships by collecting e-mail addresses.

Once an e-mail address is captured, it, of course, must stay “live.” On your solicitation response cards and other places where you verify a supporter’s current physical address, print the e-mail address and request that it be kept up-to-date.

Just add this simple question to the list of things you consider when reviewing communications with the public: Why doesn’t this ask for their e-mail address?