Obama Web strategist says ditch the e-newsletters

Thomas Gensemer, the brain behind then-Sen. Barack Obama's Web-based election campaign, says nonprofits should forgo email newsletters and focus on short, more personal email notes providing specific instructions for participation in fund-raising efforts. "Email newsletters don't get read, yet they take more effort to prepare than a 250-word email," he told an audience at City University in London this week. "Email is still a killer application, but only when used properly."