How to Write The Perfect Fundraising Email [TEMPLATES]
There’s no universal formula to get the perfect fundraising email every time. However, there are fundraising email best practices, and following them can help take your email marketing strategy to the next level.
To help you write an effective fundraising email, no matter what the situation, we’ve put together this two-part roundup with our most popular email resources and templates.
First, we focus on how to nail the many email types your organization might send to potential donors. Then, the second half has the information you need to mobilize your peer-to-peer fundraisers to write emails that inspire their networks to take immediate action.
Fundraising Email Templates and Resources
Email is a significant part of how nonprofits communicate. That’s why we’ve put together the following resources to help elevate your marketing emails.
Learn how to stand out in your donors’ inboxes with:
- Attention-grabbing subject lines that increase open rates
- Captivating stories that emphasize a sense of urgency
- Effective calls to action (CTAs) that drive supporters to your donation page
The Comprehensive Guide to Nonprofit Welcome Emails
The first fundraising email you send to a new community member sets the tone for your entire relationship.
Sending a sequence of emails that introduces your nonprofit organization in a personable way increases the chances donors return with a follow-up donation or nonmonetary contribution. That’s true whether a donor supports your cause through online fundraising, attends one of your events, or contributes their time as a volunteer.
Use these introductory email templates to write a welcome email series that resonates with your supporters and strengthens their personal connection to your cause.
Beginner’s Guide to Email Appeals
In this guide, we review tips for crafting a wide array of appeals for your next email campaign. From peer-to-peer fundraising to recurring giving to year-end campaigns, get the best practices and real examples you need to whip up your donation requests.
26 Sample Email Subject Lines for Your Fundraising Campaign
When increasing your open rate, nothing is as crucial as getting the email subject line right. It’s what hooks someone long enough to decide to give your message a fighting chance.
Email subject lines done right smoothly engage supporters and help bring in the revenue you need to succeed. Use these sample email subject lines and tips to optimize email opens and response rates on desktop and mobile devices.
2 Soft Launch Email Templates to Kick-start Your Fundraising Campaign
A fundraising campaign soft launch—the release of your campaign to a limited audience before the general public—allows your organization to establish early momentum toward its fundraising goals.
These email templates will help introduce your campaign in a way that emphasizes your supporters’ unique value and motivates them to help kick off your fundraising effort.
Learn how to introduce and motivate your biggest advocates to get involved and follow up with the donors who didn’t engage with your appeal the first time.
Templates to Engage Donors Year-Round
It’s critical to communicate with donors in ways beyond hard asks and campaign promotions. Use these templates to develop a well-rounded communications plan that balances the right mix of touchpoints with the donors on your email list.
Donor Retention Email Templates
To retain donors over time and further your relationships, you must diversify your messaging. From messages of thanks, storytelling, and impact, these templates will help elevate your email content and remind you to take the time to offer words of gratitude and heartfelt appreciation.
5 Email Templates for Stronger Recurring Donation Appeals
Well-crafted recurring donation appeals are critical to building, growing, and sustaining a robust recurring giving program. To help inspire your email recipients to get on board with a subscription gift, we’ve crafted five email templates sure to resonate with any audience.
Giving Tuesday Email Templates
Prepare for the days leading up to Giving Tuesday (and the day of) with templates specific to this monumental fundraising event. These 10 email samples will help you rally support no matter what type of fundraising campaign you run for the big day.
6 Giving Tuesday Email Subject Lines to Drive Donations
Get to know the research behind email marketing to make your Giving Tuesday email subject lines stand apart. Get inspired by these creative ideas and experiment with tactics to catch your donors’ attention.
6 Year-end Email Templates to Raise More for Your Nonprofit
If you’re looking to run an exceptionally successful year-end fundraising campaign, email marketing is a wonderful tool to engage new and existing audiences. We’re here to help ensure your communications stand out to your audience to produce the results you want.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Email Templates and Resources
For peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, the need for great emails is twofold. First, you need to have a well-developed email engagement plan to nurture and support your fundraisers’ success. Second, those fundraisers need an effective email engagement plan to rally their personal networks to give.
To help secure a plan for your organizational administrators and peer-to-peer fundraisers, we have two resources to share. One is a guide that will help elevate the emails you send to your peer-to-peer fundraisers. The other is a list of tips and tricks for creating fundraising email templates your supporters can use to reach their individual fundraising goals.
A Guide to Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Emails
When you give your fundraisers the tips and tools they need, their ability to raise significant donations is all the more likely. This guide provides the information you need to keep fundraisers informed, motivated, and moving toward their goals.
These fundraising email examples feature supplemented design callouts and helpful formatting tips to ensure you cover all the bases. Download this free read to prepare for your next peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.
Creating Your Own Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Templates
Once you’ve developed a communications plan to educate your peer-to-peer fundraisers, you’ll want to create fundraising letter samples to supplement the experience.
When your fundraisers have less writing to do, you eliminate a barrier to fundraising and allow them to send quick appeals on your behalf via email, social media, or text. Not to mention, there are certain aspects of a great fundraising appeal—like mission details and calls to action—that your nonprofit is better equipped to write. Take care of those details for them, so supporters don’t have to do unnecessary research.
Below are a few points to include in your letter samples to help guide your peer-to-peer fundraisers toward their goals.
1. Establish the Arc
At a fundamental level, you want to ensure you introduce the problem that needs to be solved, demonstrate a solution to that problem, and end with a strong call to action that invites potential supporters to become a part of the solution.
2. Make It Emotionally Relevant
If you can get readers to imagine themselves as being personally affected, it increases their feelings of empathy with those your organization serves. Another good approach is highlighting a real-life example of someone affected by the cause. This personalization tends to tug at one’s heartstrings to inspire action.
3. Offer a Tangible Impact and Clear Call to Action
It’s crucial to support your call to action with how each donation will make a tangible impact. Correlate your campaign’s default fundraising goal with a specific outcome.
For example, if the default goal is $250, the text for your peer-to-peer fundraisers might read something like: “$250 will fund a full year’s education for five children in the developing world. Join me in making this happen by visiting my donation page!”
Pro Tip
Encourage supporters to highlight their personal connection to the cause in their fundraising letters. A personal note accomplishes two things: it further legitimizes the message in the reader’s eyes and helps the reader empathize with the beneficiaries of the fundraising effort.
For more insight on how to help your peer-to-peer fundraisers reach their goals and maximize their impact, read Quick Tips for Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers to Get Started next.
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