Email marketing is a chance for nonprofits to grow a loyal supporter base while maximizing time and resources. Learn how with this guide, which includes tips on choosing an email marketing service for your nonprofit, plus best practices and inspiration for effective campaigns.
Traditional marketing methods favored by nonprofits like face-to-face fundraising and events came to an abrupt halt in 2020. With the pandemic context organizations had to find new ways to stay connected with followers and attract new supporters.
Email marketing proved an effective solution.
From donation drives to updates on your activities, email offers nonprofits an efficient way to reach supporters while still creating a personal experience.
Below you’ll find all the essentials on building an email strategy for your nonprofit that uses the channel to its full potential.
Why email marketing is a must for nonprofits
For nonprofit organizations looking to build a base of loyal supporters, email marketing offers distinct advantages over other digital channels and offline strategies.
Here are just some of the benefits your nonprofit could gain from adding email to its marketing mix.
It’s cost-effective
In a sector where budgets are often tight, efficiency is key. Email offers nonprofits a communication channel that is both affordable and brings results.
There’s none of the hassle and cost that comes with posting out appeals and updates to supporters. Your email campaigns don’t even have to cost you a penny.
What’s more, email works. The channel is known for its high return on investment. In a nonprofit context, for every 1,000 fundraising emails organizations raise an average of $78.
It’s personal yet efficient
While nothing beats a one-to-one conversation with a supporter, email marketing can offer the next best thing.
As a nonprofit, you’re likely juggling limited resources. So, as your supporter base grows you can’t communicate with every contact individually.
Email enables you to reach more people without sacrificing the personal touch. Unlike channels such as social media, messages arrive direct to the contact’s inbox and you decide who receives what, so you can make sure content is relevant.
Plus, your email marketing platform will collect data on how contacts engage, so you can personalize your approach even more.
It boosts engagement
Email offers a direct line of communication with those interested in your cause, allowing you to keep the conversation going and nurture the relationship. You can show your appreciation with a timely thank you and inspire further support by sharing updates on your work and ways to get involved.
While there will always be debate over the effectiveness of email vs. direct mail for nonprofits, the trend towards digital engagement is undeniable. Online giving grew by almost 21% in 2020 compared to the previous year and by more than 32% over the past three years.
Email lets you create a seamless donor experience that can boost response rates. Rather than having to fill out and return a paper donation form, the supporter clicks a button to donate straight from their device.
Choosing the best email marketing service for your nonprofit
Before diving into your nonprofit’s email strategy you need to make sure you have the tools to make it happen.
With so many services to choose from, deciding which is best for your nonprofit’s email marketing can be a daunting task. To help with your research, here are some factors to bear in mind.
Features
Aside from affordability, here’s some tools nonprofits should look out for in an email marketing software:
- Email templates. These will make your life much easier. Rather than starting from scratch, you’ll have professional, mobile responsive designs to customize for your organization.
- Signup form builder. This will allow you to collect subscribers for your nonprofit’s email list.
- Segmentation and personalization. You’ll want the ability to divide up your lists based on your own criteria to target contacts with the right campaigns and messaging. You should also be able to personalize content within emails using contact data, like their name or donation details.
- Automation. Instead of impersonal bulk campaigns, this will enable you to trigger emails to contacts for defined scenarios.
- Landing page builder. This will make it easy to create dedicated pages to link to from your emails, with more detailed information to convert those who click through.
- Built-in CRM. This will let you store contact data within the platform, including details for personalizing communications and a history of your interactions.
Ease of Use
If you’re in charge of your nonprofit’s email marketing, you may well be wearing multiple hats. So the last thing you want is to spend your time fiddling around with overly complicated tools.
Creating email campaigns will likely take up much of your focus. So an intuitive, drag and drop editor for adapting the format and layout of your content is a must.
Trials and free plans are great for testing out different software and getting a feel for how user-friendly they are.
It’s also worth checking the level of support available for if you do ever get stuck. Particularly on cheaper plans, not all services will offer human support, meaning you’ll have to trawl through help articles for answers.
The forever free plan comes with more than enough to get you started, with features for designing personalized campaigns, collecting signups, segmenting your lists, and sending automated messages. There’s no limit to the number of contacts you can store and you’ll be able to send up to 300 emails a day.
4 Nonprofit email marketing best practices to guide your strategy
The steps below walk you through building an effective email marketing strategy for your nonprofit, from managing your audience to executing campaigns.
1. Build a solid contact list
Your nonprofit’s email list is the foundation of a successful campaign. It’s not just about sheer quantity, but also the quality of the data you have.
Don’t be tempted to buy a nonprofit mailing list as a shortcut to building up your contacts. You’ll see better results with a smaller audience truly interested in your work than if you send unwanted emails to people with no affinity to your organization.
Here’s some tips for how to grow your nonprofit email list the right way:
Get subscriptions from your online followers
Email marketing services let you create signup forms to promote via digital channels. For example, you can add your form to strategic places on your website like your homepage or blog. You could also create a dedicated landing page for your form to share on social media or link to in your email signature.
Simple is normally best when it comes to email signup forms. Take a look at this landing page promoting charity: water’s newsletter. In a few lines, they tell you why you should subscribe, while the image gives an idea of the kinds of real-life impact stories to expect.
The 4 best nonprofit email campaigns you should be sending
Now you know the theory, here’s some examples of must-have campaigns to include in your nonprofit’s email marketing strategy.
1. Newsletters
These are the bread and butter of your nonprofit email marketing. They’re a way of keeping supporters in the loop and engaged with your work.
The emphasis should be on informative rather than promotional content. While you’ll want to share what’s new at your organization, keep the focus on your supporters and how they’ve helped rather than making it all about you.
Here are some ideas for what to include in your nonprofit’s email newsletter:
- Stories from your work on the ground
- Educational content related to your cause — you could link to your blog if you have one
- Spotlights on a staff member, volunteer, or supporter
- Updates on campaigns you’re running
- Upcoming events
- Volunteer opportunities
- Themed content around relevant awareness and holiday events
Some elements that make this nonprofit email example stand out include:
- The branded header, which ensures the newsletter is immediately recognizable for readers
- The good mix of informative content, offering actionable ways to support the cause
- The human touch, with the introduction by the CEO, a volunteer interview, and a real photo from their schools program
2. Fundraising campaigns
For appeals like disaster response, holiday, or Giving Tuesday campaigns, send out shorter, dedicated emails. This will keep all the focus on the action you want recipients to take: donating.
Remember, it’s easy to miss an email in your inbox so it’s worth sending follow-ups to those who didn’t initially engage.
The campaign also showcases other effective tactics for nonprofit fundraising emails, for example:
- The fun, holiday-themed photo plays on the spirit of the season to create an emotional connection with the audience.
- The copy focuses on the impact thanks to their supporters, including figures for how many children they’ve helped.
- The reference to the waitlist emphasizes the need, creating a sense of urgency that persuades potential donors.
- The video lets supporters hear the importance of their contribution from those involved in the project.
3. Thank you messages
Getting supporters on board is one thing, but the real value comes in making sure they stick with you. And a personal thank you will go a long way in achieving this.
You should tailor your emails based on how contacts are contributing to your cause and the particular project they’ve chosen to support.
This thank you email from nonprofit charity: water, for example, targets donors to their monthly giving program:
4. Welcome series
When someone first discovers your cause, chances are they won’t be ready to jump straight into long-term commitments like setting up a regular gift or registering as a volunteer.
That’s where a nonprofit welcome email series comes in.
These messages introduce new contacts to your work, building on their initial interest so they become loyal supporters.
Get Started on Your Nonprofit’s Next Email Campaign Today
Whether it’s a call for donations, a promotion for your upcoming event, or an update on your latest project, email helps you get the word out and engage supporters.
Create signup forms to grow your email list, design campaigns in minutes with the drag and drop editor, and use segmentation to send the right content to the right people.
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