I think it is all about timing. I like getting periodic updates from organizations I support (It reminds me to give) but hate getting spammed. Recently signed up for an organization's newsletter and started getting daily emails...turned it right back off. Giving me the option to choose "touch" frequency would have been nice.

I use e-mail blasts to help promote my blogs, etc. and limit them to no more than one per month. I also include an opt out e-mail, which I do respect. Typically I get a few requests to no send any more e-mails.

Its easy to get overwhelmed by all the requests for donations and support for various worthwhile organizations. One of my fears is being bombarded by Spam as a result. I know that with retailers in particular, the privacy of the customer must be respected and if the customer does not want to receive offers or updates they need to be given that option. Respect your supporters (this means customers) and they will respect you back with their continued support.

My wife and I have asked to be taken off of charity call lists because of this unprofessional activity. Organizations should ask the customer how often they want coorespondance and the best mode of communications. Spamming customers just ticks them off and extra telephone calls can be a huge turn off.

That's exactly how I felt about one of my organizations after making a donation.Finally, I had the opportunity to opt out of phone calls and whatnot. So they made up for it. 
 
It needs to become a standard practice to have a checkbox to opt IN (not opt OUT) on the donation forms. It all depends on how the donation came about. 
 
Orgs don't need to waste money with more calls and emails or sending me address labels.  
 
This example can be applied to retailers. You buy something and they start bombarding you with emails. Some smart ones give you the opportunity to opt in or out of newsletters AS you make the buy, not after the fact. Some let you choose how often you want to receive a notice -- better fewer emails than unsubscribe completely.

Thanks for the great post Ellie, once again a pointed piece on what can happen when communications are abused, it would seem these organizations could use some help wrt best practices. 
 
 
 
I'm certain these organizations are well intentioned and we all know how important their audience of support is to their funding. that said, the experience you;ve described is a clear indication that they are still operating in some very traditional ways, using outbound tactics that are increasingly outmoded. It will take time, but we can all hope that such organizations will soon realize that permission based contact will ultimatley serve their goals and objectives with greateer success and that resources they're allocating now to these interruptive actions can be conserved for more effective communications development initiatives...it is 2010 afterall! 
 
 
 

Funny you should mention this. I am am the board of several non-profits and the number one reason for offending people is not personally thanking them for their donation. Number two is that they are never provide any specific about the impact of their giving.  
 
It all comes back to a value trade-offs. Lists remain loyal and will continue to covert if you are continuously providing them value. 
 
Ryan Malone 
SmartBug Media

In a donor's case the best thing could have been a thank-you note and something like a small story of the person being helped.Spamming has never been a solution, always definite timings should serve the purpose whether you are sharing the events, new initiatives e.t.c everything should be at certain timings whether it's a Facebook message or an email.

Sounds like they don't have their customer contact database in sync. Too bad.

Video - used correctly - is the perfect antidote to this problem. Yes, nonprofits need donations (now more than ever) but if the relationship is only and always about asking, people quickly become turned off and opt out. A much better way to proceed is to understand that successful and long-term relationships are always two-way - each party receives from the other. Creating short videos that show the impact of your donation, the passion of those who volunteer, the stories of those the nonprofit helps, human or otherwise, and then sending those videos out regularly will give emotional gifts to donors. They'll feel like they get something from the nonprofit, and who doesn't like a short little video that melts their heart AND that they can share? Video is the perfect way to send donors (and potential donors) emotional rewards that create and foster that two-way relationship, so that the next time they're asked, people are much more likely to donate freely - and generously.