Top 5 Tips for Better Fundraising Emails

Email is an indisputably important part of the multi-channel campaigns that will get the message across to your donors and earn you donations. As you continue to get the word out this fall, make sure that you’re making the most of each email appeal with our suggestions below.  

1. Subject line, subject line, subject line. A great subject line can make a big difference in determining whether someone opens your email. Make your subject line eye catching and engaging to pique the interest of your recipients. Look for free tools to test your subject line in advance, such as www.subjectline.com.

2. Less is more. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes and make sure the length of your email appeal isn’t overwhelming. If the reader can’t read your email quickly, they may not read it at all. 

3. Resend as needed. If someone never opened your email, they won’t notice if you send it again, right? It only takes a few quick edits to get your email ready to send again. Switching out the subject line and selecting people who never opened it the first time may just get your message read by more people. 

4. Don’t be afraid to be inspired. Many people receive email blasts from a variety of nonprofit organizations large and small. If you receive email blasts from nonprofits, even those with different mission areas and locations, it’s time to pay attention. If something catches your eye, it just might work for your own organization’s contacts as well. Think donate buttons, infographics, subject lines, and postscripts. 

5. Make it easy. If your call to action involves having the reader make a donation, ensure it’s easy and obvious how to do so with a brightly colored donate button. Don’t push your donate button all the way to the bottom of your email if you want to make sure people see it as soon as they open your message, and don’t be afraid to find more creative language other than just “DONATE.” If a gift is going to help kids, for example, why not try “I care about kids!” or “I want to help!” for your next button text? 

It’s important to review your email analytics regularly. If your open and click through rates are not where you would like them to be, consider some of the above tips to make sure your emails are engaging your readers.

By Paige Jarret. Paige is a Personal Fundraising Coach at Network for Good. She is based in Philadelphia, PA.

Published: October 25, 2021