Everything you need to know about email marketing can be learned from a 1970s shampoo commercial. A successful product simply comes after, “I told two friends and they told two friends and so on and so on....”

It's not an ancient secret that your message is more likely to be heard if it is passed along by a friend or acquaintance of the recipient. With careful planning your nonprofit's email marketing can go from deleted spam to bringing home the bacon with a few modifications.

• Clearly spell out the message so that the originator of the email was the nonprofit and the subject line expressed an immediate need for action.
• Pay attention to avoid any form of deception that is prevalent in other Internet solicitations in order to separate the serious from the spam.
• Convince your support base to take up the role of recruiters in order to mobilize support for the cause.
• Take advantage of time-sensitive hooks, such as proposed legislation, upcoming elections or holidays. If it's in the news or the public arena all the better,
• This type of marketing has a shelf life. Identify your window of opportunity and be prepared for it. Consider allowing the donor to add a personal message to their gift. It can add a level of accountability to the numbers that are accumulated and reported.