Crafting Impactful Emails for Fundraising for Email Fundraising Success!

Did you know even now that less than 68% of all nonprofits use email marketing in their overall fundraising campaigns? Yet many nonprofits say that emailing their donors and supporters directly resulted in an average of 16% of their yearly revenues according to a recent M+R Benchmarks report, and nonprofits that emailed regularly with updates and fundraising appeals had even higher rates of opens and actions taken.

It makes sense that there is money in an active email list. Even today more than 26% of donors say that email is the form of communication that inspires them to give to their favorite charities, with social media coming in at a close 25% as the second most reliable channel to fundraise. Just these two marketing channels account for more than half of most charitable contributions not to mention the indirect result of getting supporters to join an online charity auction or event that later results in a gift.

Email outreach is also extremely important for another reason, donor engagement. Email is still a powerful way of letting your supporters know about all of your organization’s important work and impact, all of your upcoming events and even volunteer opportunities. And the best part is charity communication through email can be automated and even personalized as we will soon see. With today’s tools creating an email list, sending email blasts and even creating email sequences is super easy with the right email marketing tools and platforms like PayBee that can easily integrate your email solution straight into your organization’s back end.

The importance of creating an effective fundraising email campaign should not be taken lightly. It’s not just about asking for donations or support, it’s about building an actual relationship with your donors on a more personalized level, keeping them informed so they are engaged with your brand constantly, and in the end making them feel valued and heard. With every email you send to your list, there’s an opportunity to strengthen donor engagement and foster a sense of community around your cause in a way that doesn’t overwhelm or disrupt your supporters time and attention.

Understanding Your Audience: Identifying and Segmenting Your Audience

You whole email marketing campaign hinges on your actual emails, what exactly your supporters get in their inboxes. The problem is, not everyone is the same, nor will one message appeal to all. This is why the very first step in creating your campaign lies in intimately knowing and understanding your list at a very deep level. Knowing who your donors are, what motivates them to act, and how they prefer to engage with your organization can make all the difference in your campaign's final impact.

The Importance of Segmentation in Email Fundraising

Audience segmentation is the practice of dividing your email list into smaller, more defined groups based on shared characteristics that can range from anything from geographical location, business owners, supporters with children, or even by age groups, anything that helps to clearly define a set group of supporters in your organization from another.

For example, if you’re looking for sponsors to give items for a charity auction, it would make more sense to email only your business owners and not bother the rest of your list. Similarly, if you want to hold a golfing charity event, it would be very powerful to know which people on your list actually play the game rather than just doing an email blast and hoping someone responds.

Effective Methods to Segment Email Lists for Targeted Campaigns

Donor Demographics: One of the most common ways to segment your email list is by demographic factors such as age, gender, location, or income level. Just by understanding these basic characteristics and segmenting your list accordingly allows you to target your emails more effectively. For example, if you have a list of individuals over the age of 50, you should probably guess they are not likely to go to a rave fundraiser. While at the same time if you know your target audience is families, knowing which people on your list have children will make it a lot easier to appeal directly to them and result in a much higher engagement.

Donation History: Segmenting your audience based on their past donation behavior is a great way to segment your list. First off these are people that have already given to your cause, so you can speak to them as actual financial supporters. You can categorize them by the frequency of their contributions, the amounts they typically give, or even by the specific campaigns they have supported so when you do anything similar, you’ll know they’ll most likely be interested in attending. You can even communicate with loyal donors who contribute regularly so they can receive updates on how their ongoing support is making a difference, while one-time donors might be re-engaged with messages that remind them of the positive impact of their previous contribution while at the same time encouraging them to give again.

Engagement Levels: Analyzing how your donors interact with your emails can help you segment your audience based on their engagement levels. For example, you might identify groups of donors who consistently open your emails but don’t click on any links, or those who click through but don’t actual make a donation. Understanding these interaction patterns with your emails can help you to better tailor future communications in order to increase your opens and click-through rates by simplifying your call to action or providing more compelling reasons to donate.

Interests and Preferences: Another effective segmentation strategy is to group your audience based on their specific interests or preferences. Perhaps you have people on your list that have a particular interest in sports and would be interested in any sports related events you may be planning. Or perhaps they enjoy collecting signed memorabilia and would be excellent candidates for your live or online auctions. Not only will your open rates be better for super targeted campaigns, your supporters will feel that you really know them on a deep, personal level.

Event Attendance: If your organization hosts events, consider segmenting your audience based on their participation in your organization’s activities. Donors who regularly attend your events might be interested in exclusive invitations or early access to upcoming events, while those who haven’t yet attended might appreciate an introduction to what they can expect and how they can get involved either as an attendee or even through volunteering.

How to Create Compelling Emails

Email marketing is all about using already existing and proven marketing strategies to get a potential donor to take action through a systematic approach that can be duplicated over and over. One such approach is the AIDA technique.

AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action):

• Attention: Capture the recipient's attention with a compelling subject line and header.
• Interest: Build interest with engaging and relevant content such as impactful stories or important updates.
• Desire: Increase the desire to help through emotional appeals or showing the direct impact of donations.
• Action: Encourage action with a clear, compelling call to action (CTA), such as "Donate Now" or "Support Us Today."

Each step in the acronym is important, as each builds on each other. By using AIDA in all your emails, you are really using an approach that even the largest corporations use in their own emails. It’s just about using the approach in a way that matches your own needs.

Attention

We already explained a few ways to grab attention above when we talked about our headlines and the preview text following them. But that doesn’t mean the attention aspect of an email should go by the wayside once the individual begins reading the email. Each paragraph should still open with something that will keep their attention in order for them to actually read the entire email, including any sub-heading you may have if the mail is lengthy.

Interest

One of the best ways to peak someone’s interest is to get them involved in a story, your story. It’s the same as watching a movie. It keeps you interested due to the plot, characters and visualizations. Your email should be similar in that it grabs the reader and they simply do not want to stop reading because they’re so involved in the story, hopefully in a personal way. The more you can emotionally involve your readers, the more they will bond with your charity and its cause. These stories help to humanize your campaign and illustrate the real tangible difference that their donations can make.

But just because your telling a story with words doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be including visuals. Images and video are super impactful, and while reading about a child going hungry in Cook County is already heart wrenching, seeing images of the actual faces of those children your charity has helped can really bring the awareness home creating an emotional bond not to just your cause, but to your brand as well. See the whole story, complete with plot line, visuals and even characters such as those in need and those whom you’ve helped. Making it a complete story will massively help keep their interest long enough for you to create the desire to finally act.

Desire

Just because you’ve created interest doesn’t mean anything will come with it. For action to take place you must create a strong desire within the individual to act, and preferably immediately. This takes a little art to skillfully implement without going over the top. You want your reader to emotionally feel things so they are compelled to become part of the solution. Having a complete story line with images that show the devastation your charity is trying to solve can really touch someone’s heartstrings. It doesn’t matter if you focus on people or the planet.

But this doesn’t mean everything should be doom and gloom. You must have a balance. If someone thinks the problem is too large for your organization to ever solve, they may feel less compelled to donate. One great way to do this is by sharing success stories so the potential donor can see themselves in the story as the one who is helping solve the problems, to make them the ‘hero’ of your story. A great way to do this is to write something like, ..one of our donors made a sizable contribution guaranteeing Paula three healthy meals for the next year of her life. This simple line gives the reader a chance to be that donor. They can now see the problem while simultaneously see how they can make a real difference.

Success stories not only instill in the reader a desire to help, it also demonstrates that your charity can be effective in eradicating the problems your organization has decided to tackle. That there can be a happy ending to the story with their help.

Action

When we are talking about action here, we mean your supporters either making an actual financial donation, or in some way advancing your mission either through donating their time as a volunteer, or by simply spreading the word about your charity. Remember, not everyone has the funds to donate, yet they may also have the desire to help in some even small significant way. Don’t discount these people!

But most often, the action we’d like someone to take is to make a donation to our cause. That means you’ll need a clear and impactful way for someone to do just that. This can be in the form of a CTA (Call-to-Action) somewhere in the email, or even a link to a donation landing page or pledge form where they can make a donation. It doesn’t matter what ways you collect donations, you just have to have a clear way of getting your readers to them.

You have probably noticed many emails contain a CTA button, often they really stand out and are an announcement on how they can contribute. Regardless of which type of CTA you choose, a button or simple text, one of the best ways to get them noticed is by place multiple CTAs throughout your content. The first should always be above the fold, or in an area that the reader sees upon opening your email without needing to scroll down. Then at the very end of your mail. Depending on the length you can have more CTAs, just don’t clutter the page or make it look like your begging or getting a donation is the only reason for the communication.

You should also be using action-oriented language that incites urgency, such as "Donate Now" or "Make a Difference Today." Make sure the CTA stands out by using a button with a contrasting color to the email body, often red or orange stands out best. And always leave a little space between your content and the buttons for even more presence.

Three Examples of Powerful Fundraising Emails 

Email 1: Holiday Season Appeal

Subject Line: This Holiday, Give the Gift of a Full Plate

Email Body: Dear [Recipient's Name],

Attention: As we prepare for a season filled with warmth and giving, it's hard to ignore that not everyone will have a table surrounded by food this holiday season.

Interest: Did you know that over 13 million children in America go to bed hungry? These are children in our neighborhoods, kids who sit beside our own at school.

Desire: Imagine the difference we could make if each of us stepped up. Your donation can fill the plates of these children not just once, but throughout the holiday season. Together, we can ensure that children like Emma, a 7-year-old in your community, receive a daily, nutritious meal. Last year, Emma told us that the Christmas dinner she received was the best meal she’d had all year.

Action: Don't let any child go hungry this holiday. Donate Today (CTA Button or Link) and turn your compassion into action. Your gift could mean a world of difference to a child like Emma.

Warm holiday wishes, [Your Charity’s Name]

Email 2: Back-to-School Campaign

Subject Line: Help Fill Backpacks and Bellies This School Year!

Email Body: Dear [Recipient's Name],

Attention: As the back-to-school season approaches, excitement fills the air. But for many children, this is a time of uncertainty about their next meal.

Interest: School meals are sometimes the only meals children like Lucas, a third-grader from Chicago, rely on. With your help last year, we were able to provide over 250,000 school lunches across the country.

Desire: This year, with your continued support, we can reach even more children. Your contribution will ensure that kids like Lucas can focus on their studies and not their stomachs. Every $10 donated feeds a child for a week.

Action: Join us in making this school year different. Give a Gift of Meals Today (CTA Button or Link) and watch as your generosity helps students thrive academically and physically.

Best regards, [Your Charity’s Name]

Email 3: Year-End Giving

Subject Line: Your Year-End Gift Can Change Lives

Email Body: Dear [Recipient's Name],

Attention: As the year draws to a close, we reflect on the impact we've made and the work still needed to combat child hunger in our nation.

Interest: Thanks to supporters like you, this past year, we expanded our reach to over 30 new schools, touching the lives of thousands of children who face food insecurity daily.

Desire: But there's still much to do. Children like Mia, a nine-year-old in Atlanta, depend on our programs not just for meals but for the hope of a brighter future. A year-end gift could provide Mia and her classmates with consistent, nutritious meals throughout the winter.

Action: Make your mark this year. Donate Before December 31st (CTA Button or Link) and receive a tax deduction. More importantly, you'll receive the gratitude of countless children who will go to bed well-fed and ready to face the new year.

Thank you for your compassion, [Your Charity’s Name]

Some Final Advice

Remember, the fundraising emails you send out are hopefully going to be read by a real person. Someone that may work hard each day for their paycheck, yet would still like to be involved in something bigger than themselves. These are real people that often don’t have a lot of time, so your messages must be clear, impactful and in some way stand out from the hundreds if not thousands of emails they pour through over the course of the day.

Simply ask yourself, and even better a few colleges, if I were to see that headline, would it compel me to open the email? If I read that email, would it compel me to click a link, or take the next step? Does this email make me feel anything at all for the organization or the cause? If the answer is no, then we suggest you work a little more and keep crafting it until it does. Just remember, one email can eventually bring in thousands of dollars to your cause, so they’re worth the effort!

Technical Aspects of Fundraising Emails

Creating effective fundraising emails is definitely the biggest part of the whole process, but in order for them to be effective, they need to get to your supporters. This mean deliverability of your email campaigns is as important as what information they contain. Your email are also subject to certain legal standards and laws, you are after all soliciting funds from the public. So in the next section we’re going to go over the technicalities of email deliverability and compliance while providing you with actionable strategies to optimize your campaigns for both impact and legality.

Email Marketing Services

One of the first steps in getting your emails delivered in a legal manner has to do with the service provider you choose. There are hundreds of different email marketing services all over the internet, the problem is many of them are very different. Stick to an extremely reputable provider such as Aweber, Constant Contact or Convert Kit.

These services have been around for years and work with the email services your supporters are using directly. After all, it is their business to provide a service, so these long standing companies won’t allow spam emails or black-hat shortcuts some other services allow. This in turn makes their email delivery rates much higher than much of the competition.

Which one you decide on is going to have a lot to do with your own organization’s requirements. Just be sure that whom ever you choose can be easily integrated into your organization’s backend. For example, our platform Paybee was specifically created for charities and foundations, understanding that email marketing is such an important part of charitable marketing we’ve made sure that any of the larger services integrate smoothly within your user dashboard for seamless integration. So always check, you don’t want to deal with coding problems if your tech isn’t all compatible with each other!

Ensuring Deliverability On Your End

Avoiding Spam Filters: The last thing you need is to get tagged as a SPAM email and end up in the folder that no one ever looks at. This will significantly decrease your deliverability rates and is something serious to be aware of. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a legit organization or not, there are certain aspects to know and even some of the biggest brands in the world can end up in your SPAM folder. So familiarize yourself with SPAM laws and ethical email sending to be sure you never run into this problem. Until then, we’ve listed out of few of the most common reason this happened even to the best charities.

Maintain a Healthy Sender Reputation

Email Service Providers (ESPs) judge your trustworthiness as a sender based on several factors, including spam complaints, how often your emails are opened, and whether your emails trigger spam traps or algorithms. Keeping a clean list, removing inactive subscribers periodically (also called scrubbing your list), and keeping lists segmented so irrelevant emails are never sent can all help maintain a great relationship with your ESP.

Avoid Spam Trigger Words and Phrases

Certain words and phrases, such as "free," "guarantee," or "no risk," are known to trigger spam filters as they are normally connected with spammers. This is especially true in your subject lines and in the follow up text that can be seen in your inbox. Always make sure the headline grabs the readers attention, but isn’t promoting or offering something that isn’t true. As a nonprofit, you really shouldn’t be using many of these triggers, but it is wise to be sure you aren’t using them accidentally.

Use a Recognizable Sender Name and Email Address

Ensure that your email's "From" field is clearly identifiable, preferably your organization’s name as the URL. Something like suppors@worldaddictioncharity is always preferable. This not only helps in avoiding spam filters but also boosts open rates as your supporters can see right away that the email is indeed from your organization..

Optimize Email Formatting

Overly large images, messy code, and excessive links can also flag your emails as spam. Many ESPs provide HTML templates that look great, but can sometimes be bloated with code and trigger a SPAM mail. Tons of images and links can also do the same. Don’t forget, images are not small files, and many email providers don’t want large files in their inboxes. So always be sure not to stuff too many images in your mail.

And lastly, try not to have more than three to five outgoing links in your emails. Especially if the links go to other places on the net other than your own site and social media platforms. Again, a spammer will loads lots of links to get the click, so ESPs are always watching out for this.

One of the best ways to make sure your emails are cleanly coded, balanced in text-to-image ratio, and contain clear, straightforward link is to test them out across a few clients before sending it to your complete list to be sure there are no problems or flags being raised.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

Compliance with Laws and Regulations: Ensuring your email practices comply with laws such as the GDPR in Europe and the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States is not just about avoiding fines or getting your emails tagged as SPAM, it's about always demonstrating trust with your donors. And since many of your emails will have to do with supporting your cause in a financial capacity, it is even more important that whenever you email for fundraising you are as compliant as possible. And while you may have an issue from time to time, if you just keep these four tips in mind at all times you should almost never have any serious legal problems.

• Permission to Email: Under both GDPR and CAN-SPAM, you must have consent to send your email. This means you must have explicit permission to send emails to your recipients. One of the easiest ways to demonstrate this to both legal entities as well as your ESP is to use a double optin. This means the person must subscribe to your email list, and then click a verification link in their welcome email confirming they want to receive your emails. This one step will save you a lot of hassles down the line, so it really is an important step.
• Clear Opt-Out Options: Every email must include an easy way for your recipients to unsubscribe from your mailing list or opt out. This link or button must be easy to find and use, without requiring the user to log in or navigate multiple pages in order to make it more difficult to unsubscribe.
• Honest Subject Lines: Your email subject line must accurately reflect the content of your email and never include any of the trigger words we described above. Misleading subject lines not only violate legal standards but can also damage your credibility with your supporters and the overall effectiveness of your email campaigns.
• Address Transparency: The CAN-SPAM Act requires that your emails include a valid physical postal address. The address should also match the address on any of your marketing material and website for total transparency. This adds legitimacy to your communications and is a legal requirement.

Once you get the hang of all the specialized gargon and how SPAM laws effect what you can and can’t do, you’ll find keeping up with legal issues and SPAM problems rather easy. It just takes a little time in the beginning to be aware of what to do and what not to do. But if you follow everything we’ve given you so far, you’ll already be 95% there.

Wrapping Up

Email fundraising is still and will always most likely be a powerful way to increase both awareness and donations for your charity and cause. All it takes is a bit of understanding when it comes to fundraising email best practices and the legalities behind it. Just remember that behind every fundraising email you send, there is a real individual reading it. An individual that wants to be engeged with your cause and wants to support you if you can just give them a reason as to why they should. Once you can demonstrate the how and why in your mail, you'll find fundraising to be a lot easier whenever you're using fundraising email marketing.

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