IAWG Insider

Overview

Organization: Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises
Collaborators: Secretariat, Steering Committee
Date: July 2019
Goal: Deliver accessible resources to IAWG members. Create equitable opportunities for coalition members to share content. Raise awareness of the latest resources.
Results: Developed a monthly newsletter, averaging a 22.6% open rate and 3.58% click rate on par with sector averages as reported by MailChimp.

Opportunities / Risks

Screenshot of PUSH Journal from February 2018 — Screenshot of *PUSH Journal* from February 2018

Before 2018, IAWG did not have a defined email communications strategy. A listing of resources called the PUSH Journal aimed to promote resources and generate a value-add for coalition members. The new email marketing strategy aims to address several key issues:

Equitable Opportunity to Share
Allow coalition members at all levels have equal opportunities to share news, resources, and events.
Inclusive Subscription Process
Reduce barriers to accessing content and mitigate knowledge hoarding.
Accessibility of Content
Assure email content is accessible for people with limited connectivity, people with disabilities, and people without existing technical knowledge.
Data-Driven Decisions
Collect KPIs and use measurement to drive decisions.
Create Consistency
Adhere to a regular schedule for content solicitation and publication.

Screenshot of November 2020 issue of IAWG Insider. — Screenshot of November 2020 issue of *IAWG Insider*.

Action & Results

Equitable Opportunity to Share

Created a transparent, public form through which all coalition members can submit content (link opens in a new window), averaging 20 submissions each month.
Highlight a community-based organization (CBO) each month with a feature profile, typically ranks in the top three most popular stories.

Inclusive Subscription Process

Created a transparent, public subscription form (link opens in a new window), averaging one new subscriber each day.
All coalition members can sign-up to receive the newsletter, regardless of their commitment level.

Accessibility of Content

Designed mobile-first templates to serve nearly 25% of our audience who view emails on mobile, often from field locations with limited connectivity.
Review and edit all submissions to ensure language is easily digestible for non-technical audiences.
Adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, including using correct headings and providing alternative text for images.

Data-Driven Decisions

Collect and share KPIs monthly.
Review quarterly and annual email performance to make data-driven decisions about communications strategy.
Share glossary of reporting terms (link opens in a new window) to increase transparency and accessibility.

Create Consistency

Send a call for content to the entire audience twice a month.
Send the newsletter on the first business day of each month.
Display content covering defined categories, including news, resources, research, opportunities, and events, so the audience knows what to expect when the email arrives.

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