"E" is for engagement: 18 ways today's emailers are bringing constituents closer.

Ever since sitting down and giving online gifts to 65 charities in one day, I've become a pretty popular guy in the nonprofit community. Indeed, hardly a day goes by when 20 to 25 of America's biggest and best charities don't reach out just to touch base.

Exactly how organizations are reaching out is vastly different. Unlike just a couple of years ago, when the great majority of emails were straight solicitations or text-heavy News Bulletins, more and more charities have begun doing an excellent job in using the e-medium to fulfill its greatest asset--to truly engage. They bring donors closer to their cause. To inform. Amuse. Surprise. Entertain.

And, you know what? There's some really good stuff out there. Here's a quick look at what has hit my email box in just the past couple of weeks--something we'll call 18 Ways Charities Are Using the E-Medium to Bring Donors Closer to the Cause:

1. Sign Up Your Constituent For A Daily Reflection: Nothing is more powerful than stickiness that gets your message out every day. Covenant House gives the opportunity to just "click here" and receive a daily message. They're short--usually less than 25 words--but say a lot about mission.

2. Give Your Constituent A Chance to State An Opinion: The 2007 Alzheimer's Association Leadership Opinion Survey is good. It was short, informative, and very useful.

3. Give Me Tips that Will Make My Life Easier: Arthritis Foundation sent links with tips on the ABC's of Gardening, and a personal 12-Week Walking Plan.

4. Send Me A Slide Show: The Humane Society of the U.S. sent a powerful slideshow documenting Canada's 2007 Commercial Seal Hunt. Hearing about what's going on would have been interesting--but seeing what's at stake made the message much more powerful.

5. Invite Me To Review Your New Interactive Web Site: The Alzheimers' Association sent me that opportunity.

6. Send A Free E-card To A Friend: CARE sends this invitation all the time--the Environmental Defense Fund piggybacked this invitation with news about all their Earth Day initiatives.

7. View A Video Online: Since sending a gift to Project HOPE, they've been great about getting back with highly visual and interesting stories about what they're doing, and how they're making a special difference. They're worth watching and it gives a unique perspective on what makes them special.

8. Invite Me To A Free Workshop: The good folks at MD Anderson Cancer Center sent an invitation to a Free Breast Cancer Program for Couples, featuring noted journalist and book author Marc Silver. Can you imagine how powerful that Invitation would be to a constituent struggling with breast cancer? It's just the type of engagement that solidifies a friend for life.

9. Invite Me To Play A Game: The Environmental Defense Fund put together an interesting little quiz called Earth Day Jeopardy. Rather than go on and talk about the issues, they challenge visitors to take a few minutes to test their knowledge. It is a really nice engagement idea.

10. Invite Me To Play A Game Part II: Not to be outdone, the Smithsonian Institution invites donors to play their Focus Trivia game. I never knew where Smithsonian benefactor James Smithson was buried, but after playing the game I do now. And in the process, they taught a few extra things about what makes their mission so special.

11. Invite Me To Make My Own Web Page--Free: This invitation came from Covenant House. As part of this invitation, they're inviting all their donors to build "an easy-to-create Web page about the books that have changed your life." And in doing so, likeminded supporters can share their favorites with others--a kind of virtual library.

12. Invite Me To An Online Discussion: As part of their superlative Weekly Newsletter, the people at THIRTEEN invite donors to join a Washington Week discussion online. But that was just a taste of it.

13. Invite Me To Watch Nova Online, Or View A Bill Movers Podcast, Or Blog THIRTEEN, Or Watch Interviews With Performers And Premiers Online: Yes, THIRTEEN has the advantage of a rich media asset, unlike most any other. But still, you have to admire how creative they've been about giving access to what they're all about. Think of all the media your organization has created through the years and ask yourself if sharing this today would help your constituents feel closer to you.

14. Sell Me Something: CARE has its own clothes they're calling CARE Wear. Feed the Children has been smart about reminding donors about its Spring Virtual Gift Catalog.

15. Make Me Fatter: Ok, I can probably do that on my own. But the team at Ducks Unlimited has done a nice job of sending provocative recipes. The other day the organization sent a recipe for Red Plum and Toasted Sesame Grilled Duck from its Hunt and Home Wild Game Cooking Catalog. You have to believe its core constituency is just licking their fingers thinking about it.

16. Invite Me To Stop On By: After the recent controversial Supreme Court of the United States verdict on partial birth abortion, the NOW team sent an invitation to go to a planning meeting in the town right next door. Sometimes charities seem to forget the incredible power of the e-medium to "localize" their brand. This was a great example of how they're doing it.

17. Send Me A Reading List: Four charities did this during the past two weeks. It sounds simple, but it's a clever way to provide thoughtful service to your constituents. At the same time, you point them towards information which might bring them closer to your cause.

18. Give Me A Front Row Seat To Your Show: Who can watch something like the San Diego Zoo's PandaCam for five minutes and not care more about their mission?

That's just a quick smattering of what has come in. Of course, besides these engagement and entertainment (remember, it is the e-medium) tactics, there has also been the usual mix of solicitations and newsletters with which we're all so familiar. But these 18 approaches were eye-catching, and raised the likelihood that a donor will open their email next time. And when all is said and done, isn't that why you have an email program to begin with? Which ideas could you start using now?

Tom Gaffny is executive vice president of the direct response fundraising and database agency Epsilon in Wakefield, Mass. He is also a contributing editor of The NonProfit Times.