--- title: "Daily Buzz: Whittle Down Your Email Newsletters" id: "43723" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-whittle-down-your-email-newsletters" published_at: "2018-08-10T21:10:03+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T22:34:37+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/08/10/daily-buzz-whittle-down-your-email-newsletters/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/08/10/daily-buzz-whittle-down-your-email-newsletters.md" excerpt: "What changes would make your email newsletters more engaging? The Wall Street Journal is starting by cutting back on the number of newsletters it produces. Also: Developing a volunteer management plan." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "audience engagement" - "Marketing" - "newsletters" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: Whittle Down Your Email Newsletters How many newsletters does your organization send out each week? If, like *The Wall Street Journal*, the answer is too many, it’s time to consider a new strategy. *WSJ*is taking steps to innovate how audiences interact with newsletters, starting with whittling them down. The newspaper has reduced its number from a staggering 126 newsletters to about 40 audience-driven emails. From there, the newsletter team is aiming to restructure their content and design to promote more engagement, with new features such as real-time capabilities and invitations to interact with staff at the newspaper. “One of the things we’re aiming for is to establish a sense of whimsy around what we do, which might sound silly coming from *The Wall Street Journal*,” said Cory Schouten, *WSJ*’s senior newsletter editor, [in an interview with Nieman Lab (opens in a new tab)](http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/08/how-the-wall-street-journal-is-revamping-its-newsletters-and-trying-to-add-some-whimsy/) . The result, *WSJ* hopes, is a more interactive newsletter experience that pushes people to subscribe to the newspaper, which is well-known for its paywall. ### Maximizing Volunteers’ Time > If you run a [#nonprofit (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/nonprofit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > – or even are just budget-conscious – you probably depend on [#volunteers (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/volunteers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > . Some thoughts on how to develop a volunteer management plan: [https://t.co/OxYs8QlJPa (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/OxYs8QlJPa) > > — Future Value (@FVCTweets) [August 10, 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/FVCTweets/status/1027940232656814086?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Many organizations can’t function properly** without the willingness and help of volunteers. To make the most of their time, adopt a volunteer management plan. The first step, [writes Claire Warnick for the NTEN blog (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nten.org/article/how-to-develop-a-volunteer-management-plan/) , is understanding the value volunteers can bring to a project. From there, you can develop a staffing plan, position requirements, and strategies to recruit—and keep—volunteers. ### Other Links of Note **The one thing every social strategy needs: preparation.** The Wild Apricot blog breaks down how the right plan can [leverage engagement and membership. (opens in a new tab)](https://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/2018/08/09/social-media-for-nonprofits) **Make your leadership style about partnership.** Diverse membership communities require leaders to becomes partners, [writes Jeffrey Cufaude of Idea Architects (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ideaarchitects.org/2018/08/organizations-and-meaning-making.html) . **Marketing stunts aren’t easy to pull off.** But [Hootsuite shares (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.hootsuite.com/marketing-stunts-that-worked/) a few that worked and what you can learn from them. (MissTuni/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#audience engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/audience-engagement/) [#Marketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/marketing/) [#newsletters](https://associationsnow.com/tag/newsletters/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoDaily Recap: Day 1 from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 13, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/13/daily-recap-day-1-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoThe Future is Yours to Create. 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