As a nonprofit, you’ve to be constantly scouting for donors convincing them of your cause. A decrease in fundraising affects the cause you are associated with directly impacting the lives of people who are dependent on you for help.
The best way to start a fundraising campaign to raise money is to start a donation page on an online fundraising platform. You can share the page link on your social media channels and also in emails.
Fundraising emails have proven to be successful with 26% of the online donors inspired to give after reading it. Social media comes next at 25% followed by websites at 17%. So, email is cost-effective as well as the best strategy to raise money online.
A fundraising email is a specifically written message to solicit donations from potential and existing donors. But rather than sending general emails to all, you have to personalize them to increase the chances of click-through rates. In 2020, charities raised $78 for every 1,000 fundraising emails. Emails may help you create a meaningful relationship with your donors by sharing impact stories, inviting increased engagement, and collecting frequent gifts, especially given how affordable they are to send.
Let’s now know the key details to be included in a fundraising email.
Subject line: The first opportunity to hook your donors, the fundraising email subject line should be short reflecting what’s inside the email. Start it with the donor’s name to give it a personal touch.
Greeting: Customize the fundraising email with the recipient’s name in the greeting line say like Hi Rebeca or Hello John.
Appeal: The appeal starts with the story of the cause. Supplement the story with compelling images and videos. Use emotional language, personal testimonials, and more to establish a connection and encourage them to donate.
CTAs: After the story, make a brief appeal to donate. Then include a CTA. You can write about the amount that will help the cause such as ‘Donate $30 to fund the doctor appointment’, ‘Donate $100 for the medicines’, or ‘Donate $1000 for the surgery costs’.
Other details: Here, you can include details about the volunteering activity or urge the donors to give a monthly gift to your charity.
Contact details: Include the contact number, social media links, and email address, for donors to contact you for queries.
Before you start emailing your prospective donors, check out these eight fundraising email best practices to get the highest click-through rates.
Maybe there are thousands of potential or existing donors who have opted-in to receive your emails. But don’t compare them with the same yardstick. Each subscriber has different needs. So don’t make the mistake of assuming a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. The best way forward in fundraising email is to segment the email list based on-
Some surveys have reported an increase in revenue as much as above 700% in segmented email campaigns. When you send targeted emails depending on these parameters, you get a better response than sending general emails.
You might have heard of the best times to post on social media. Similarly, there are some days when the email opening rate is high and those are-
A survey has reported a 20% increase in open rates when you send emails on a Monday. But, it doesn’t mean that the same works even for you. You have to try sending emails to recipients at different times using the A/B testing and see which day and time of the week or which months give you the best results.
Also, it is a known fact that the month of December just before the vacation gets the highest donations. Plan to send emails at least 1 or 2 months in advance in October or November requesting donors to give money.
Do you know almost 50% of the recipients decide to open the email based on the subject line? Here, it goes. Now, you know the power of crafting a good fundraising email subject line. If your audience doesn’t like the subject line, they are simply not going to open it.
Here are some tips for writing a good fundraising email subject line-
Work on the line. It requires time, creativity, and strategy. But, in the end, it’ll be worth it.
You segment the audience to personalize their experiences. It increases the click-through rate by 14%. You can opt for any bulk email marketing tool that allows you to select from varied templates and personalize the email’s greeting. Again use A/B testing to find out which type of personalization works best. When you greet your recipient in the email, you can consider options such as-
Hi John, Hello John, Hello John Grant, Dear John, Hey John, Hello Mr. Grant…
The type of variation you use depends on the tone of content inside your email. But make sure you use a personalized greeting as it helps you bond with the recipient at the start itself.
The main aim of your fundraising email is to evoke the emotion of empathy for the donors to connect with the cause. You want the donors to respond to the email and click on the CTA. When you tell the story remember to include how fundraising will help the cause. Essentially, the essence of the story is to tell people how they can be a part of the cause and make the world a better place. Here are some ways in which you can get the reader invested in your story-
And another crucial point, keep the content concise. A well-crafted story is decisive to obtain a higher response rate but you don’t stretch it too long. Complete the story in 2 paragraphs. Keep it attractive, engaging, simple, and to the point.
What’s an email without including compelling photos? When we say, use powerful images, we mean images that pull the readers’ emotions. Keep it natural without looking forced.
Pictures show your commitment to the cause and your request for donation proves you are here to solve it. For sure, powerful images help your cause get good funds.
Any fundraising email is incomplete without a strong call to action because you want your readers to take the desired action. But don’t confuse them with multiple requests. Be clear on what you want your readers to do and the best practice is to limit the fundraising email to one CTA so that it remains the focus of attention. Use bright colors to make it pop out. Usually, a click on this CTA takes the reader to the donation page set up on the online fundraising platform.
It is a good practice to include your contact information in the fundraising email. Your contact details legitimize your charity and make it easy for readers to reach out with any queries. Here’s the contact information you need to include in the fundraising email-
Lastly, give readers the option to opt out of emails. It shows you care for them and you don’t force them to get involved in your charity.
Here are some mistakes you have to avoid in your fundraising email-
There are many factors in a fundraising email that drive conversions. A simple change in the subject line or even sending emails at the correct time may help you boost open rates by 50%. You’ll have to test it continuously to see what clicks.
Before you start your email campaign, make sure you set up your donation page on GivingX, an online fundraising platform. You can then easily share the donation page link in emails and on social media channels. Ready to see how GivingX can help you in your fundraising efforts? Take a tour of our platform now.