Nonprofits Challenged With Integrating Email, Growing and Retaining Email Marketing Contact Lists, According to Sage Survey

AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwire - Mar 1, 2012) - Sage North America today announced the results of its Sage Nonprofit Insights, Q4 2011, survey of U.S. and Canadian nonprofit organizations, which focused on questions related to nonprofits' email marketing ("e-marketing") goals and objectives and use of email marketing tools.

According to the survey, the most significant email marketing challenges for nonprofit organizations are growing and retaining contacts (38% of respondents), integrating email with other systems (38%), and integrating email with other tactics (38%). By far, the main barriers to overcoming email marketing challenges are inadequate resources and expertise (71% of respondents).

"E-marketing is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways a nonprofit can build stronger relationships with its supporters," said Krista Endsley, senior vice president and general manager for Nonprofit Solutions at Sage. "Some of the challenges faced by organizations are a direct result of their use of the wrong email marketing solution. Stand-alone e-marketing services and email tools are not always as good of a fit for not-for-profits. Nonprofits need to strongly consider services, such as Sage E-marketing, that can easily transfer data from their donor management system."

The Sage Nonprofit Insights, Q4 2011, survey also revealed that:

• The top tactics for growing email lists are website registration (62% of respondents), newsletter registration (60%), and "email to a friend" (55%).
• Although most organizations (83% of respondents) are actively working to grow and retain email contacts, 74 percent indicated their list has grown at a slow pace over the past 12 months.
• A large number of organizations are taking measures to improve email deliverability by removing hard bounces (49% of respondents), followed by regular data cleansing (44%) and removing inactive contacts (38%).

An executive summary of the Sage Nonprofit Insights, Q4 2011, survey and results is available at the following link: http://bit.ly/Ab0DAY. The online survey was conducted among Sage customers in the U.S. and Canada during December 2011. The survey had a total of 361 respondents, 192 of which are involved in their organization's email marketing strategies. The margin of error on the overall sample is +/-5 percent (greater for sub-samples) at a 95 percent confidence level.

Sage has been serving nonprofit and governmental organizations throughout North America for more than 30 years. The company helps more than 32,000 unique not-for-profit organizations increase efficiency and more easily manage their operations through the use of technology. From fund accounting, donor and fundraising management, and grant management, to online donation processing, human resources (HR), payroll, and fixed asset management, Sage offers a software product or service to meet the organization's need. For more information, call 800-811-0961 or visit www.sagenonprofit.com. Follow Sage Nonprofit Solutions on Twitter (www.twitter.com/SageNonprofit) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/sagenonprofit); read their blog (www.sagewords.net); and join their community for not-for-profits http://community.sagenonprofit.com)

About Sage
Sage is a leading global supplier of business management software and services for small and midsized businesses. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs more than 12,300 people and supports more than 6 million customers worldwide. For more information about Sage in North America, please visit the company website at www.SageNorthAmerica.com.

© 2012 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, Sage Software, Sage logos and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc. or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.