If you’re using email as a communication or fundraising tool, there is an important measurement you should have your eye on – email open rates.  You should know how many people are opening the email messages you are sending.  After all, if they aren’t opening your messages, they can’t read them or respond to them.

Here are some tips for getting your emails opened:

• Use a service like Constant Contact to manage and send your emails.  Don’t use Outlook.  If you’re sending hundreds of messages from Outlook, some spam filters on the receiving end won’t let your message through.
• Keep your data as clean as possible.  Don’t continue to send messages to email addresses that are bouncing or not going through.  I usually try to send something two or three times, but if my messages continue to bounce, I delete the address.
• Use a clear, concise, and interesting subject line.

Make sure to keep the body of your message clear and concise as well.  Remember that we are all much more impatient online than off, so don’t make your readers wade through a lot of text to get the point of your email.