Email Marketing for Nonprofits: An Essential Guide (2023)

Developing a strong email marketing program is absolutely essential to building a reliable and income generating fundraising organization. Whether you're creating a new series of automated introductory emails for followers or a one-off campaign togive tuesday, Email marketing is the perfect way to show donors your appreciation through ongoing and exciting engagement.

Index

• Why invest in email marketing?
• 4 types of email required
• 6 Great Email Strategies to Increase Donations
• 5 Effective and Affordable Email Marketing Platforms
• 5 Great Email Campaign Examples

Why invest in email marketing?

There are a multitude of benefits that your particular nonprofit can experience by investing in email marketing. And all these benefits are related to something specific.fundraisingYou must be obsessed with: saving money and increasing giving in general.

1. Email marketing saves time and money.

It is true! non-profit organizationBudgetsare generally scarce and resources scarce. How much money did your annual fund manager spend on your last postal call from him? How muchTempoHave you spent visiting the post office and writing addresses and putting real stamps on the envelopes?

Many great email marketing software platforms are free and many are very affordable (eg.mailchimpmiSendinBlue🇧🇷 When you do this, you pay a small monthly or yearly fee and you can focus on writing, designing, and scheduling your emails.

What's even better?Email marketing saves money and makes money.In other words, it has a high return on investment. Studies show that organizations raise an average of $78 for every 1,000 donation emails sent.

Hear from Donorbox Nonprofit Trainer Cara Augspurger as she discusses email marketing, the cost-effective way to raise awareness for your cause. Get ready to learn some new tactics to easily grow your nonprofit marketing!

2. Email marketing is efficient but personal.

The common belief of most fundraising professionals is that face-to-face meetings with donors are most effective. That's probably true in most cases, but what about donors who don't have the time or inclination to meet in person? What happens to the valuable time and resources of you and your team?

Email marketing allows your nonprofit organization to reach thousands of followers with a single click. And there's a million possibilitiesPersonalize emails🇧🇷 Set up your campaign to directly address followers by name. Segment emails so donors only receive information about what is of personal interest to them. Add a call to action that motivates donors.

3. Email marketing increases donations and engagement.

Digital giving is easy and affordable, and email marketing is a great place to encourage this form of donor engagement. All donors have to do is click a button,possiblyScroll through more than one page to select the specific donation amount or fund, and you've made a donation to your organization. Email marketing reduces the need for donors to send checks, cash, or money orders to their favorite nonprofit organization.

The reports show thatonline donationit grew nearly 21% in 2020 and more than 32% since 2017. Imagine how that number could grow today and with a continued shift to remote work in the coming years.

4 Must-Have Types of Email for Nonprofits

Now we know why email marketing is so important and how it can benefit our nonprofits, but how do we decide what kind of emails to send?

1. Bulletin.

MI-NewsletterThey are the best way to keep supporters informed and enlightened, raise awareness for your cause, highlight impact stories, statistics, specific volunteers, donors and staff, and provide resources to grantees.

The best newsletters are simple, structured, consistent in format and branding, and sent at the same time and date each month. To structure your emails and save time, use a template very similar to this onethe ones shown here.

2. Automated support series.

By setting up automated email series for a variety of situations, you save time and engage with your donors without having to think about it.

For example, a 3 part filewelcome seriesFor new subscribers, it's a great way to showcase your nonprofit's mission, programs, impact, and opportunities for engagement. Similarly, a multi-part thank you series for donors who have reached a specific milestone in their giving is also a great way to show you care and are grateful for their support.

3. Fundraisers.

Whether it's an annual event, holiday, party, or special occasion (p.disaster relief) or Giving Tuesday campaign, sending emails whose sole purpose is to raise money for your organization is crucial.

Tips and tricks for those emails?One motivational tactic is to include countdowns and updates on how much you've raised in your campaign. Emphasizing urgency, referencing a waiting list of recipients (eg, "how many families still need this holiday season"), or including a personalized or emotional video will also surely inspire your donors to give.

4. Stewardship-E-Mails.

Administration is often more important than the application itself, because donors are people too! If your friend keeps asking you for money but doesn't give you anything in return, would you be inspired to donate again or would you burn out? We can avoid this burnout by writing and sending donorsThank you very muchEmails.

What should be included in these emails? Personalized donor statistics and impact stories, e.g. B. Information about how much money a donor has donated so far or what this money has been used for.

6 Great Email Strategies to Increase Donations

1. Build a healthy email list.

Make sure you have a strong email listanteriorDiving deep into email campaigns is critical to maximizing the return on the time you spend on these initiatives.

One way to encourage new followers to provide their email address is to ableimagnet🇧🇷 This is a "free" giveaway designed to entice your target audience to provide their email address to receive it. If your nonprofit supports children's mental health and many of your donors are concerned moms, your main magnet might be a list of the top signs a child is suffering from depression.

You can also build your list by asking for emails whenever possible. Bring an email sign-up list to every event you host.

2. Wait to ask for money.

Before asking for money, send your new follower a series of personalized welcome emails. Your series must contain everything about youMissionand value statements to presentations of your programs, team members, and statistics and stories about your organization's impact.

Send these emails at least one week apart and no more than two weeks apart. We don't want to bombard our nonprofit's new friend!

3. Get approved to send emails to your followers.

If you're emailing people who never wanted to hear from you, you probably won't get high engagement rates. Sending marketing emails to individuals without their consent may violate data protection laws, such asGeneral Data Protection Regulation.If you violate the GDPR, you could face penalties of 2-4% of your income.

Also, followers who don't want to receive your emails may mark them as "spam", which affects the deliverability of your email marketing campaigns (ie, if they end up in inboxes or folders).

To get approved, you rely on things like lead magnets and personal registration forms. Always add an unsubscribe option and update your email list as soon as someone unsubscribes.

4. Deliver persuasive and targeted messages.

One sizedefinitelynot all fit. Instead of sending the same email to all your donors, segment them based on your donors' preferences. Are you a non-profit animal rescue organization with some donors interested in cats and others interested in dogs? In this situation, create two segments, and depending on the segment, send more emails focused on dogs or cats.

Most email platforms allow you to segment your lists, so creating and sending targeted emails to multiple segments is an easy process. To collect preferences from your donors, create a signup page when new donors sign up and request those preferences. Send out a survey to existing subscribers and ask them what they think of your emails and what topics interest them the most.

5. Optimize your email marketing platform.

Most email marketing platforms come with a variety of design and build options that are great for increasing email engagement rates.

There is much more to consider than just the body of the email itself. Keep your subject lines concise so that as many characters as possible appear on your computer and phone screens. Your messages should be attractive, with adequate spacing, text wrapping, images, and linked buttons.

6. Use Serious Insights!

Data metrics and informationin you email marketingwrenchto create an effective strategy.

Most email marketing platforms provide metrics for open rates (the percentage of followers who opened your email), click-through rates (the percentage of followers who clicked on one or more links in your email ) and the time a follower spends checking their email. and the most common days and times that your followers open the emails.

Your data might tell you that the majority of older donors click through to the email on Thursdays at 11am. m. Younger donors do this on Tuesdays at 9 am.Segmentyour email list and send emails to these different groups of followers on different days and times.

5 Affordable and Effective Email Marketing Platforms

1. Mailchimp

mailchimphelps you reach all your followers at the right time.

Features:Robust marketing automation, segment customers based on behavior and preferences, automatically send emails at the same time in different time zones, access reporting insights, grow your audience with Facebook or Instagram ad campaigns, and much more.

Preis:Non-profit organizations receive a 15% discount. Free, Essential, Standard, and Premium Marketing plans range from $0 to $299 per month.

Donorbox te permiteintegrate with Mailchimpto facilitate communication and sending personalized emails to your donors.

2. The campaign monitor

campaign monitorhelps you connect with your audience through simple email marketing and automation tools.

Features:Professionally designed email templates, customization of all aspects of your email marketing strategy, highly targeted emails through segmentation, visual journey designer, automated emails and triggers, multiple integration options, metrics and insights , and much more.

Preis:Non-profit organizations receive a 15% discount. Basic, Unlimited, and Premier pricing plans range from $9 to $149 per month.

3. Email an octopus

email octopusoffers simple yet powerful tools to help you grow your business.

Features:Free email templates to help you create responsive campaigns for any device, drip email sequences, import contacts, custom reports, form integration, targeted email campaigns, and much more.

Preis:The Starter plan costs $0 per month and the Pro plan costs $24 per month. Offers 20% discount for non-profit organizations.

4. Flodesk

Flodeskis a small platform that helps new and specialized nonprofit organizations grow their business.

Features:Drag and drop email builder for quick customization, email template and form gallery, curated designs, streamlined workflows and live forms, connect to 3000+ apps viaZapier.

Preis:Non-profits get 50% off, 30-day free trial. It's only $19 a month.

5. Reference

a newoffers powerful yet simple tools optimized for business growth.

Features:Drag and drop builder, HTML editor, RSS emails, photo editing, premade email templates, color customization, A/B testing, marketing automation, list building, landing pages, insights, reports, integration with more than 1500 services and much more.

Preis:The Free plan, the Pro plan at $13/mo, and the Enterprise plan pricing depends on your organization.

5 Great Email Campaign Examples

1. World Wild Life (WWL): personalized emails based on statistics

Using numbers and statistics to represent the current state that needs people's help and support can grab your reader's attention.

emails as aboveWilde Weltthey are a great way to inform and inspire your followers as soon as the email is opened. Try to include statistics and numbers in your subject lines and in the body of your email campaigns. Also notice how the email addresses the recipient by name. This is a great way to create a personal connection with your donors.

2. Human Rights Campaign: Emails Requesting Donations

Donors love freebies and "gifts" in exchange for a donation! Incentives make donors feel valued and recognized for their donations.

This example ofhuman rights campaignIt's a bold, eye-catching display of an incentive: a "free" T-shirt for donors who donate $15 or more. The campaign emphasizes the urgency by limiting the time of this opportunity; i.e. the idea that t-shirts can only be had if donors donate on that ONE day.

3. Sevenly: Emails promoting the right giveaways

CorrespondentDouble the donation, gift mix is ​​the #1 factor that inspires givers to give more. According to a 2017 report, 84% of donors would be more likely to donate if their donation was matched by an outside source.

This example ofseventyit is beautiful and uncomplicated. It cleverly uses its Giving Tuesday campaign, an already popular time for giving, to market a doubling of all donations made. Inserting the word "double" multiple times gets the point across. The big bold button at the bottom of the email makes it easy for donors to know where to go and how to double the impact of their purchases.

4. LoveYourBrain: Thank You Emails

Administration is one of the most important parts of fundraising. Many donors want to feel valued in order to donate again.

take this examplelove your brain🇧🇷 This email has a big hot photo at the top of the email. Use numbers to highlight the fact that the Giving Tuesday campaign goal of $60,000 was exceeded. It then explains how the money is used for LoveYourBrain services.

5. The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation: Emails that tell a story.

oidentifiable victim effectIt shows that donors are more likely to give when a cause highlights a single person than a large group of people.Foundation of the Royal Children's Hospitalis one such organization that shares the moving stories of individual underprivileged children in their email campaigns.

By describing the needs of a specific individual, your nonprofit can provide a donor with a personal connection to your organization. This personal connection creates a sense of urgency for the potential donor. If your friend was in dire need, would he wait to give you money or other forms of support to help him through his difficulties?

conclusion

The next time you write a one-off email to a donor or donors, stop and think again. Are you using your time wisely? Is there a way to reach a larger audience, save time, and increase donation rates?

The energy and expense of investing in a great email marketing strategy is well worth it. A solid email marketing strategy can mean the difference between a mediocre fundraising department and an absolutely booming one. Invest in your organization and your supporters by taking this step today!

Donorbox, both a fundraiser and a powerful onedonor managementIt allows you to efficiently segment your donors and integrate with communication tools so you can build a lasting relationship with them. Check our resourceshere.