Nonprofit Email Marketing: The Ultimate Guide To A Successful NPO Email Strategy

Effective email and newsletter selling is important for a nonprofit organization’s (NPO) success. With scarce resources, constricted staffing, and divided enactment attention, investing successful selling efforts tin often instrumentality a backseat to much urgent matters.

Luckily, email selling is some cost-effective and little time-consuming than different NPO selling strategies. Regularly sent out, well-crafted newsletters tin springiness your nonprofit authorization portion besides helping you enactment astatine the forefront of your donors’ minds.

By speechmaking this post, you volition observe however your nonprofit tin enactment connected with donors and pull breathtaking caller prospects done personalized and meaningful email marketing.

Table of Contents

• Why does email enactment for nonprofits?
• Email Marketing Best Practices For Nonprofits
• How to Write an Amazing Nonprofit Newsletter
• Examples of Nonprofit Fundraising Emails
• Free Email Marketing Software for Nonprofits

Why does email enactment for nonprofits?

Studies amusement that email continues to connection the highest instrumentality connected concern (ROI) of immoderate outreach strategy. TruConversion reports that an email selling run tin present a instrumentality of $40 for each $1 spent. This makes email the transmission with the highest ROI that nonprofits tin usage to scope prospective donors.

Additionally, 91% of each US consumers inactive usage email daily. Email tin truthful alteration NPOs to scope audiences that mightiness not different prosecute with their selling efforts connected societal media.

Pro tip: Before starting a caller email campaign, marque definite it aligns with your nonprofit selling plan and helps you scope your organization’s goals.

Email Marketing Best Practices for Nonprofits

1. Commit to regular sends.

Nonprofits are often stretched for resources, and it's casual to acceptable selling speech for matters that look much pressing. However, regular email selling is 1 of the astir effectual ways to turn your organization. A contented docket for your emails tin support you organized you tin often prosecute with and steadily turn your donor base.

Making email sends an "always on" portion of your selling strategy volition play a large relation successful your occurrence connected the channel. "Always on" doesn't mean that you're bombarding your email database with changeless messages — it means that you're committed to consistency successful however often you nonstop your emails.

Send informative emails connected a predictable schedule, alternatively of lone erstwhile you're actively moving a run oregon seeking donations. This volition assistance nurture your assemblage towards deeper forms of engagement (like donating oregon attending an event) successful the future. Remember: the extremity is gathering semipermanent relationships.

Setting the close cadence for your emails is important to support the members of your database engaged with your organization. When you're archetypal starting out, this requires a cautious balancing act. You don't privation to nonstop excessively fewer emails, but you besides don't privation to veer into imaginable spam territory. More connected that successful the adjacent section.

Pro tip: Double-check that your email offers worth to your readers earlier sending. Value could see the latest accusation astir your nonprofit, ways to get involved, upcoming events, oregon caller projects your enactment has completed.

2. Be wary of spam folders.

If your assemblage is lone utilized to proceeding from you connected a one-off basis, you’ll request to gradually displacement to sending much emails. A abrupt power could trigger immoderate users' email clients to nonstop you to the spam folder.

Email deliverability tin beryllium a analyzable subject, but present are a fewer important things to retrieve if you’re transitioning to much predominant email marketing.

• Don't straight embed forms oregon see attachments successful your emails. Linking retired to web pages with forms is simply a amended practice.
• Send your emails from a recognizable address. If you can, debar sending from a [email protected] address. Use a sanction your readers volition recognize.
• Lead with informative taxable lines alternatively of nonstop calls for donations. Check retired our blog station connected picking large email taxable lines.
• If you're emailing a database that isn't utilized to predominant sends, fto them cognize what's going on. Tell your readers that you program to commencement sending much informative emails, and astir importantly, let them to opt out. It mightiness look counterintuitive successful the abbreviated term, but cleaning disengaged folks disconnected your email database is important to the semipermanent wellness of your email program.

Pro Tip: Assign a unit subordinate to nonstop your monthly newsletter utilizing their name. This increases your accidental of avoiding donors’ spam folders.

For much tips connected improving your email deliverability, cheque retired our blog station connected the subject here.

3. Leverage idiosyncratic connections with your audience.

Personalizing your emails is simply a elemental — but almighty — measurement that you tin instrumentality to make a idiosyncratic transportation with readers.

First, marque definite you're utilizing an email instrumentality that enables personalization. It mightiness beryllium an concern upfront, but having entree to personalization features volition greatly amended the worth your assemblage gets retired of your email sends.

Worried astir coming disconnected arsenic creepy oregon not definite wherever to start? Focus connected personalizing emails based connected actions your email recipients person taken connected your website, advises Rachel Leist, a VP of marketing, automation, and request procreation astatine HubSpot. Instead of utilizing idiosyncratic information successful your interaction absorption system, possibly convey them for a donation oregon downloading a report.

"If a idiosyncratic receives an email that refers to an enactment they took connected your website, they volition not beryllium arsenic tense arsenic they would if you were personalizing astir circumstantial idiosyncratic accusation you hap to person connected them," Leist explains.

Pro tip: Personalize your emails by utilizing archetypal names and interesting taglines. Emails with personalized taxable lines make six times higher transaction rates.

4. Segment your database.

A segmented email database tin assistance you guarantee that the close idiosyncratic receives the close email astatine the close time. While everyone connected your email database believes successful your organization, you don't request to nonstop every email to everyone. Each idiosyncratic successful your database is astatine a antithetic signifier connected their travel with your organization, and the emails they person should bespeak that.

For example, idiosyncratic who has donated $5 to your enactment successful the past twelvemonth is astir apt not arsenic engaged arsenic idiosyncratic who has donated $1,000 to your enactment successful the past month.

Factors similar donation amount, events attended, and actions taken connected your website oregon societal media channels tin each beryllium important indicators of engagement level, and shouldn't beryllium ignored erstwhile you're sending retired emails.

More engaged assemblage members volition apt respond much positively to much predominant emails, portion folks with less interaction points should person less emails giving them much basal accusation astir your NPO.

Pro tip: When radical download your contented oregon subscribe to your newsletter, marque definite you participate them into a circumstantial drip campaign that sends them automated emails applicable to the topics they are funny in.

5. Test, analyze, and accommodate accordingly.

Finally, moving an email programme is not a "one-and-done" selling strategy. You’ll request to enactment cardinal show indicators and marque changes to your attack based connected real-world data.

If you’re conscionable getting started, industry benchmarks tin beryllium a utile constituent of comparison. But remember, not each NPOs are the same, and not each NPO audiences are going to respond the aforesaid mode to emails.

To start, support way of a fewer cardinal email metrics, measurement them with each email send, and look for trends implicit time. Our nonfiction on email selling metrics for beginners offers a adjuvant starting spot if you're not definite what to track.

Pro tip: Regularly show your email unfastened complaint utilizing the Hubspot email wellness tool.

How to Write an Amazing Nonprofit Newsletter

1. Write an eye-catching taxable line.

Subject lines tin beryllium tricky. You’re looking for a abbreviated operation that communicates your intent portion retaining your non-profit’s unsocial voice. An absorbing taxable enactment should see the pursuing elements.

1. Urgency. You privation recipients to consciousness the urgency to some unfastened emails from your NPO and instrumentality action.
2. Specificity. If you person an absorbing statistic oregon information constituent to share, beryllium definite to enactment it successful the taxable line.
3. Upcoming events. To summation engagement, your newsletter should fto radical cognize what upcoming events they tin be oregon unpaid at.
4. Name recognition. Pique your audience’s involvement by including their sanction successful the taxable enactment (when appropriate).
5. Relevancy. If existent events oregon authorities power your nonprofit’s goal(s), referencing those events tin marque your newsletter much applicable and timely.

Pro tip: 46% of email opens instrumentality spot connected mobile, truthful beryllium definite to marque your taxable lines 50 characters oregon little truthful mobile viewers tin work the full message.

Explore this blog for much taxable enactment champion practices.

2. Give compelling updates.

An astonishing nonprofit newsletter should see the latest and top from your organization. Inform your recipients of caller goals reached, heartwarming stories of those you help, beingness updates of unit and volunteers, and thing other of note.

Pro tip: To marque your emails visually interesting, instrumentality pictures during events to see successful your newsletters. With permission, see the names of the volunteers pictured and picture what activities took place.

3. Have an cognition of gratitude.

Your origin is adjacent and beloved to those who subscribe to your newsletter. Their clip spent volunteering and wealth donated should ever beryllium received with a tone of gratitude.

Let email recipients cognize the contiguous interaction of their donations with absorbing information points. For example, “Your donation helped x fig of families” oregon “Your unpaid efforts fed x fig of children.”

Pro tip: Some of your newsletter recipients volition beryllium much progressive than others. Consider opening the enactment of connection with these donors by sending a personalized, non-automated email that references their circumstantial efforts to the cause.

4. Include a Call-to-Action

A call-to-action (CTA) is an invitation to your assemblage to bash something. In an email oregon newsletter, your CTA should beryllium a fastener that links to the enactment you privation recipients to instrumentality next.

Examples of CTAs for your nonprofit email could beryllium “Subscribe to the newsletter,” “Donate now,” “Refer a friend,” oregon more. Don’t beryllium acrophobic to get originative with your CTAs, and beryllium definite to measurement your conversion rate.

Pro tip: There are tons of CTA tools you tin usage to marque linking to the adjacent measurement easier. Explore communal options here.

Examples of Nonprofit Fundraising Emails 

Want to enactment unneurotic an effectual fundraising email? Check retired immoderate examples to get a consciousness of what your newsletter tin look like.

Alzheimer's Association

This Welcome email from the Alzheimer's Association doesn’t pb with a petition for a donation. Instead, the squad connects recipients to the origin by providing them with resources to larn astir the disease.

The main CTA urges readers to “learn the facts.” By gaining a greater knowing of Alzheimer’s email recipients are encouraged to enactment — either by advocating for the group, volunteering, oregon donating.

What we love: There are respective resources shown successful this email, targeting antithetic groups affected by Alzheimer’s disease. A loved 1 could entree a enactment group. A household looking for attraction solutions tin research their options. Most importantly, radical surviving with Alzheimer’s are fixed autonomy and tin get matched with a attraction team.

Black Girls Code

This email from Black Girls Code focuses connected 1 webinar that is unfastened to all. By including events and information opportunities, the nonprofit demonstrates worth to those connected its email list. As a subscriber, you’ll marque definite you ne'er miss an event.

What we love: This email utilizes plan to strategically absorption readers’ attention. The graphic that includes the panel’s talker accusation and clip are beautifully designed with eye-catching colors that popular implicit a achromatic background. The lone different colorful elements? Two bold registration CTAs successful lavender.

The End Child Poverty California Coalition (ECPC)

ECPC’s email demonstrates the value of keeping your donors and volunteers informed. This conception of the group’s newsletter explains however overmuch the coalition’s Imagine Campaign secured and wherever funds were used. An infographic makes knowing the complexities of authorities budgeting easy.

What we love: ECPC has mastered transparency. The radical acknowledges that not each of its priorities were included successful the authorities budget. After, the conjugation celebrates wins they were capable to achieve. The usage of honesty makes the nonprofit consciousness trustworthy and garners adjacent much support.

The Trevor Project

Awareness days, holidays, and important anniversaries connection peculiar opportunities to prosecute your audience. This is particularly existent erstwhile you tin necktie the lawsuit to your nonprofit’s ngo oregon research.

The Trevor Project sent a dedicated email connected Intersex Awareness Day. In the email, the enactment explains what it means to beryllium intersex and the value of acknowledging this community. Then, it links to a study wherever radical tin larn much astir the well-being of intersex youth.

What we love: Not lone does this email item Intersex Awareness Day, it besides reminds recipients that October is LGBTQ History Month. Readers who didn’t person their calendars marked are present informed and volition beryllium much apt to prosecute with different Trevor Project research.

The International Rescue Committee

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) faces the urgent task of assisting radical successful struggle zones and catastrophe areas. This email some explains what the enactment does and its humanities impact.

What we love: Highlighting articles and the organization’s past increases the subscriber’s affectional investment. Readers volition besides person a amended knowing of the IRC’s values.

The Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is 1 of the largest depository and probe networks successful the world. Keeping up with each depository and section would beryllium exhausting. Luckily, the nonprofit’s selling squad has gathered the highlights into one, easy-to-read newsletter.

What we love: When we spell to museums, we marvel astatine the artifacts and objects connected display. The Smithsonian newsletter uses photographs to replicate this acquisition connected immoderate device.

Save The Children

When folks archetypal motion up for your emails, it's a bully indicator that they're feeling engaged with your mission. Check retired this automatic invited email from Save the Children introduces the enactment to a caller subscriber and requests a donation astatine the end. Your assemblage wants to assistance — don't marque them wait!

What we love: Save the Children created a elemental infographic to amusement however a tiny donation tin marque a large impact. This tin promote supporters to contribute.

Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) demonstrates successful the email beneath however to update subscribers connected important existent events. By referencing caller argumentation changes that were adjuvant to their cause, CCL tin some convey their email subscribers for their hard enactment portion getting them excited astir aboriginal progress.

What we love: This email does a bully occupation of providing relevance and timeliness to the nonprofit’s conversation.

826 Boston

826 Boston is simply a writing, tutoring, and publishing nonprofit that works with students and assemblage members. As a section nonprofit, assemblage events connection an accidental for Boston residents to get progressive and larn much astir the organization. This email highlights Books for Breakfast, including captious accusation astir wherever the lawsuit is held and when.

Pro tip: If your enactment relies connected donations from firm sponsors, email offers an accidental to showcase your partnership. This creates added worth for the businesses you enactment with.

Wikimedia

Not each donor oregon subscriber should beryllium emailed each day. Wikimedia is sparing with its calls for donations, making their infrequent sends much impactful. By highlighting a past enactment and demonstrating urgency for a repetition donation, recipients volition beryllium much apt to give.

This benignant of email works champion for past donors and little progressive members of your email list. Even though they don’t sojourn your website daily, they whitethorn beryllium consenting to donate connected occasion.

What we love: This email from Wikimedia shows what percent of your donation goes to which parts of the organization. This creates transparency and makes donors consciousness bully astir their contributions.

Free Email Marketing Software for Nonprofits

Want to usage nonrecreational email bundle for your nonprofit without breaking the bank? There are respective escaped versions of nonrecreational selling bundle that you tin use. Check retired what immoderate of the astir fashionable programs offer. Then, determine which enactment works champion for you.

1. HubSpot Email Marketing Software

HubSpot offers a escaped mentation of its paid email selling bundle that integrates with its escaped CRM software. Users tin tally a blase selling run and get entree to forms, landing pages, and Facebook, Instagram, Google, and LinkedIn ads, arsenic good arsenic templates.

HubSpot besides has entree to interaction absorption and unrecorded chat capabilities. These tools let you to optimize the acquisition for each subscriber. There are besides postulation and conversion analytics capabilities for run optimization.

2. Sender

Want to scope tons of radical with beautiful, personalized emails? Sender could beryllium conscionable close for you. This programme has extended HTML editing and personalization capabilities. Sender besides has awesome analytics capabilities that let you to way the transportation and opening of idiosyncratic emails. You’ll besides beryllium capable to physique idiosyncratic recipient profiles to further optimize your strategy.

3. Sendinblue

If you're looking for assortment successful your emails, Sendinblue has you covered. This programme includes implicit 70 responsive templates for emails that tin beryllium designed for immoderate screen. The escaped mentation gives you the quality to nonstop 300 emails a day.

You besides person the quality to usage A/B investigating to find email contented that works and segmenting options to marque definite the close idiosyncratic receives your message.

4. SendGrid

SendGrid specializes successful email campaigns that are tailored to idiosyncratic preferences. Its escaped mentation gives you entree to a wide scope of personalization tools, including APIs, Webhooks, and STMP Relay.

You'll besides person granular power implicit who receives your emails with a wide scope of transportation optimization tools. Plus, you tin entree blase email editing and analytics tools that let you to optimize sends for your people audience.

Start Today

You don't request to beryllium a nonrecreational marketer to get nonrecreational results from email marketing. However, you bash request to acceptable immoderate clip speech to get started.

Remember, email selling erstwhile done thoughtfully, tin person a large payoff. Get started contiguous if you haven't already, and you could make much buzz for your enactment than ever before!