Many non-profits consider buying email lists to extend their reach and to find more donors or members. Most of the time this is costly with little return. Other times it is simply a disaster.

Buying another non-profit’s email list is rarely a good idea, even if their list is a good match to your organization. The people on that list never subscribed to your newsletter or mailings, they did not ask for them, and the chances of spam complaints are high. Your chances of ending up on a Spam block list are almost guaranteed.

It's bad enough that their information is sold many times for Traditional U.S. Mail and telemarketing, but people seem to be even more protective of their email addresses. Aren't you? While direct mail doesn’t cost you anything to receive, emails actually use resources that do cost money, even if it is just server space and your IT department’s time to keep the servers operational. If you think about it like it was your information, the decision is much easier.

Your best bet is to find another non-profit whose members are good fits for your organization. Instead of buying their list, ask if they would include an article about your organization with an invitation to subscribe to your newsletter. You'll be much better received and they'll appreciate that in the end. Perhaps you could even offer a reciprocal article for them, making it advantageous for both of you. This method is much cheaper and the non-profit is inviting their member to consider your organization instead of you trying to push your way in uninvited. Your chances of success will be higher and the spam issues are non-existent. It takes more time to build your list this way but the quality of these new subscribers will be higher and the end result will be happy new subscribers and, with a little luck, new members and donors.

Take your time and plan your invitations well. Your email success depends on it!