Want to grow your charity’s e-mail list?

Katya Andresen, vice president of marketing at Network for Good, a Bethesda, Md., organization that encourages online giving, provides a few tips for signing up new folks on her Katya’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog

First, give them a good reason.

“Don’t just ask them to sign up for your e-mails,” she writes. “Instead, ask them to sign up for your e-mails to get exclusive, e-mail-only insider information (or whatever the reward might be).”

Make your appeal at the right time, she stresses. Like right after they’ve given to your group, or had some other significant interaction.

“Be sure to incorporate your ‘join now’ link and teaser into the parts of your Web site where people are most likely to jump at the chance,” Ms. Andresen writes.

Make it easy to do so as well — so don’t bog down the sign-up process with a lengthy questionnaire or other time-consuming hurdles. You can also offer something tangible in return. “Get creative and make the thank-you screen itself a printable VIP ticket to your next event, or include a link to premium content,” she writes.

In the end, keeping the process short and simple gives the best results.

What are your experiences with building e-mail lists? What’s worked well for your group?