ALTogether Now newsletter

Over the past year or so, we’ve talked a lot about the pros and cons of working in a hybrid or remote environment. We’ve also spent a lot of time discussing ways to enhance communication between our teams and across Advancement in general. At Advancement Leadership Team (ALT), we often talk about how we can improve the effectiveness of our own communications with broader Advancement staff. Our chief vehicle for communicating with everyone is the ALTogether Now newsletter. I’d like to spend a few minutes this morning sharing some stats that put our newsletter into the context of employee newsletters more generally. I will also share the guidelines ALT has adopted to help us keep some consistency as we rotate authorship of the newsletter.

First, let’s talk about the Average Unique Open Rate. This is an important metric that gauges the initial engagement of ALTogether Now. It represents the percentage of recipients who opened the email out of the total number of emails delivered. In our case, we have achieved a 79 per cent Average Unique Open Rate over the past year.

How does this compare with newsletters in other organizations? Industry benchmarks for the education sector are around 50 per cent. The number climbs to 65 per cent for the broader not-for-profit sector. The average open rate for internal newsletters is 68 per cent. So, it is clear that at 79 per cent, ALTogether Now surpasses the typical industry range. 

But this stat just means the newsletter captures employee attention more than most. How do we demonstrate the value of its contents?

One way to do this is to look at the Average Unique Click-to-Open Rate – another important metric to help assess the effectiveness of our newsletter's content. It represents the percentage of recipients who not only opened the email, but also clicked on the links within it. Over the 38 issues we have produced during the past year, we have achieved an 83 per cent Average Unique Click-to-Open Rate. The numbers for education and the not-for-profit sector are 23 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.

With these metrics in mind, on behalf of ALT, I want to thank you all for engaging in ALTogether Now on a weekly basis. You have made it a success by any standard!

Below are the guidelines that ALT have adopted to help us keep the newsletter coherent and on point. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Purpose 

ALTogether Now  is a valuable communication tool that keeps Queen’s advancement professionals informed, engaged, and aligned with the mission, vision and values and goals of the Office of Advancement at Queen’s University. The purpose of this guideline is to confirm the newsletter’s guiding principles and objectives, and the process for its development.

Guideline

While there are constrained resources to oversee weekly communications, resulting in varied approaches to the newsletter, the following principles should guide newsletter content:

• Focus on information that is directly relevant to Queen’s advancement professionals, aligned with the mission, vision, values, and goals of the Office of Advancement at Queen’s University.
• Encourage employee engagement through calls to action.
• Draft in short and concise segments, respecting employees' time and attention.
• Ensure content is sensitive to diversity and cultural differences.
• Use language that is respectful and inclusive to avoid misinterpretation or offence.
• Avoid content that may trigger strong emotional responses or discomfort, such as politics, religion, personal tragedies, violence, or trauma. And, where it's unavoidable to address such topics, consider including a trigger warning to alert readers.

The newsletter objectives are to:

• Ensure all Queen’s advancement professionals are on the same page regarding Office of Advancement developments, initiatives, and objectives
• Ensure information is disseminated to everyone, to help build trust and reduce speculation or rumours
• Encourage employee feedback and engagement through surveys and other means
• Be accessible to all Queen’s advancement professionals, including remote, hybrid, and on-campus staff working from mobile devices or computers
• Provide a platform to recognize and celebrate employee achievements, fostering a positive and supportive work environment
• Share training opportunities and resources to support employees' professional growth and development
• Reinforce and promote the Office of Advancement’s culture
• Promote the Office of Advancement and showcase its achievements

The process to create the newsletter is:

• ALT members will rotate responsibility for the newsletter's content on a weekly basis, submitting content to Marketing, Communications, and Donor Relations (MCDR) the Wednesday preceding the distribution date for which they are responsible.
• The Vice-Principal (Advancement) will be responsible for the first and last newsletter of each calendar year.
• The newsletter will be on hiatus during July and August.
• The Executive Assistant in the Office of the Vice-Principal (Advancement) will manage the annual schedule.
• MCDR will disseminate the newsletter each Monday morning, except during the summer hiatus or university holiday closures. 
• MCDR will disseminate the newsletter on Tuesday morning during weeks the university is closed on Monday for statutory holidays in Ontario.

Responsible Officer: Executive Director, Office of the Vice-Principal (Advancement)
Contact: Deanna Bennett
Date: October 17, 2023

Nominate an Advancement colleague for a Heney Award 

Just a reminder that the deadline to nominate a fellow Advancement staff member for the John J. Heney Award is no later than midnight on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. 

To nominate someone please use the online nomination form.

Flynn award

Just a reminder that the deadline to nominate an individual member of the Queen’s community who has made a significant contribution to Advancement for The T. Geoffrey Flynn Advancement Champions Award is Nov. 1, 2023. 

For more information, please contact Bianca Bruni.

Jobs with Advancement 

We need your recruitment help. Know great talent that would be a good addition to our team? If so, please promote the vacancies below with your networks and let’s find some amazing new team members.

Applications (including a cover letter and résumé) must be submitted through CareerQ. For more information on this posting, please reach out to either Carla Ferreira Rodrigues or the hiring manager for the position you are interested in.

The countdown continues.