Email Marketing for Nonprofits: A Comprehensive Guide

Email-Marketing-for-Nonprofits-A-Comprehensive-Guide

Email marketing is a great way to help your nonprofit. It can spread the word about your cause, build relationships with people who support you, and even turn those supporters into donors.

If you're new to email marketing or want to do it better, this article is for you. We'll teach you how to use email marketing to its fullest potential. 

We've gathered the best tips and ideas to help you create successful email campaigns.

Why is email marketing crucial for nonprofits? 

Let’s start by reviewing the reasons why email marketing is valuable for nonprofits.

1. Most of us have an email address 

Email is a very popular way to talk to people all over the world. It's cheap and easy to use. Almost everyone who uses the internet has an email account.

You can use email to talk to people in Asia, Europe, Africa, or America.

2. Email is personal

Email marketing helps nonprofits connect with their supporters in a special way.

Nonprofits can divide their email list into groups based on what people like or want. Then, they can send emails that are just for those groups.

Emails that are personal and have interesting things for people to do can make supporters more interested and get more donations.

3. Email marketing is cost-effective

Email marketing is cheaper than most other ways to reach people. You don't have to pay for every click or view. Once you have someone's email, you can send them messages directly.

If you have someone's permission to email them, you will probably reach their inbox, as long as you follow standard email marketing best practice.

So, you only need to pay for your email marketing software. The cost usually depends on how many people are on your email list. The software has many tools to help you create and send emails quickly.


Free Email Templates in GetResponse.
Examples of free email templates in GetResponse

You can send as many emails as you want without paying extra. This means you can focus on building a list of people who are likely to donate regularly and run lots of campaigns to reach them.

If you need a good email marketing tool, we recommend GetResponse. As a nonprofit, you can get a 50% discount on their services.

If you'd like to compare other options, here's a list of the best newsletter software and their features.

4. Email marketing provides great return on investment

According to a recent study by DMA, for every dollar you spend on email, you can usually make back $38. This is because email is a very effective way to reach people and get them to do what you want, like buy something or donate.

If you test different versions of your emails to see which ones work best, you can make even more money from email marketing. This means you don't need to worry about how much the email software costs. You can focus on the money you'll make from other tools that come with the software, like webinars, landing pages, and automated emails.

5. Measurable results

Email marketing is easy to track. 

You can see how many people opened your emails, clicked on links, bought things, and more. This information is shown on a special dashboard in your email marketing software. 

Here's an example from GetResponse.



GetResponse Email Analytics dashboard main view.
GetResponse email analytics dashboard.

Using this information, your nonprofit can improve its communication, find the right people to talk to, and make its campaigns more successful.

Email marketing best practices for nonprofits and why they work

Here are some tips to help you write emails that people will want to read and donate to. These ideas will show you the best ways to use emails for nonprofits. You can compare your results to past emails and see how other nonprofits are doing.

1. Create newsletter templates 

A good newsletter template is really important for email marketing. It helps your company look consistent and keeps your message the same. This makes people trust you more.

You can also use the same template for many emails, which saves time and money. This is especially helpful for nonprofits that don’t have a lot of money.


Email templates in GetResponse.
Welcome Email Templates GetResponse
Here is a story about TechSoup Polska that shows how important newsletter templates can be. They saw a huge increase in sales (1200%) after using newsletter templates for a year.

TechSoup Polska follows these rules when creating their newsletters:
  • They divide their content into sections to make it easy to understand.
  • They always use the same colors and graphics.
  • They keep their newsletters clean and simple.
  • They send different content to different groups of people (for example, they tell people who use Google for Nonprofits about Google Ad Grants training).
Techsoup Nonprofit Email Marketing
TechSoup nonprofit email marketing

Here are some tips for making a good newsletter advice from Liza Nema for TechSoup Polska (Project Coordinator):

  • Think about what you want to say.
  • Choose a ready-made template.
  • Make it your own. Change the colors, add your logo, and make it look like your brand.
  • Tell people what to do. Ask them to donate, sign up, or something else.
  • Check it looks good. See how it looks on computers and phones.
  • Learn from what works. See what people like and change your newsletters based on that.
  • Try new things. Keep your newsletters fresh, but don’t forget your basic look.

Want to know more? Read this article for a deeper look at email design: Email Design Best Practices for 2023 article

2. Automate email marketing communication

When you're done making your newsletter, you can start sending it out automatically. This is a good way to stay in touch with the people you know and help them make good choices. You can use the information you have about your customers to send emails that are right for them.

Then with that, you can:  

  • Create automation events based on users’ behavior 
  • Take action based on selected conditions 
  • Use filters for even more precise targeting 
  • etc.
An example of an automation template that allows splitting contacts after signup.
Automation helps you divide new customers into different groups to see which email they respond to best.

You can use a ready-made template to send emails to new customers and see which ones they like best. 

Automation helps you send emails that are just for each customer. You can track what they do and use that information to send them emails that are more likely to interest them.

Once you set up automation, you can track how it's working and make it even better.

Automation will save you time and money, so you can focus on other things.

Here's an example of a coffee shop that used automation to teach new customers about their products: 54% of sales thanks to the educational campaign

Examples of emails in LandCafe's automation workflow.
Emails in LandCafe’s automation workflow

The campaign followed a simple process: people learn about something, like it, trust it, and then buy it. Since you're a non-profit, you can use a similar approach: people learn about your cause, like it, trust it, and then donate.

3. Monitor your email deliverability

Email deliverability is really important for email marketing. If your emails keep getting bounced back or sent to spam, you won't be able to reach your goals.

Therefore, you must constantly monitor and improve your email deliverability rate.

To figure out how often your emails get delivered, use this formula:

(Emails delivered / Emails sent - Bounced emails) x 100%

The higher your delivery rate, the more people will see your emails and connect with your nonprofit. This also helps your nonprofit look good to email providers.

To improve your delivery rate, use a good email marketing tool. These tools have connections with email providers, so your emails are more likely to get through and not end up in spam. For example, GetResponse has a very high delivery rate of 99%.

To keep your emails from getting marked as spam, clean up your email list by removing bad addresses. Also, use special tools called SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to help email providers know your emails are real.

4. Observe the results of your email marketing campaigns

Email marketing is about connecting with people. To do it well, you need to track how people respond to your emails. This helps you make better choices.

Important things to watch:

  • Open rate: How many people see your email?
  • Click-through rate: How many people click on links in your email?
  • Conversion rate: How many people do what you want them to (like buy something)?
  • Unsubscribe rate: How many people stop wanting your emails?

These numbers matter. If people like your emails, they're more likely to see them.

Want to compare your results? Check out GetResponse's Benchmarks report on email marketing. It has lots of helpful information.

5. Find bottlenecks and improve email marketing performance

It's okay if your email marketing isn't perfect right away. You can always make it better.

Everyone has good, bad, and average results. Just keep learning and trying new things.

Common problems people have when starting:

Slow email list growth: It takes time to build a list. Here's how to make it faster:

  • Add a pop-up: Ask people to sign up on your website.
  • Run a contest: Offer a prize for signing up.
  • Write a blog post: Tell people about your work and ask them to sign up.
  • Add a link to your email: Let people sign up in your email signature.
  • Partner with others: Work with people who have similar customers.

Do a webinar: Teach people about something interesting and ask them to sign up.

Want to learn more? Read these articles about how to build an email list from scratch and how to create a popup in moments.Here are three things that might affect how much people interact with your emails:

Here are three things that might affect how much people interact with your emails:

Relevance: People are more likely to open and read emails that are interesting and useful to them.

Segmentation: If you divide your contacts into groups based on what they want to know, you can send them emails that they will find helpful.

Low open rate: People are more likely to open emails if the subject line and sender look trustworthy and interesting. To improve your open rate:

  • Sender: Make sure people know who you are and why they should trust you.    
  • Subject line: Write a clear and catchy subject line that tells people what the email is about.
  • Preheader: Use the space below the subject line to give more information about the email's content.

Low click-through rate: Make sure your emails look good on phones. Use clear and easy-to-try buttons. Try different things to see what people like best.

Low conversion rate: If people open your emails and click links but don't do what you want (like sign up or donate), think about why. Maybe your offer isn't good enough, or you're talking to the wrong people.

Tell us what your group wants to do and how you’ll do it. Find people who might help you raise money. Give them clear information and make it easy for them to donate.

Remember to keep your email list clean and up-to-date. To learn more about this, read our email list management guide.

Inspiring examples of nonprofit emails

Emails from other nonprofits can be a great source of ideas. We found some really good ones and want to share them with you.

Nonprofit email marketing example 1: Kiva

An email from Kiva.
An email with a brief summary of 2020 and inviting supporters to start 2021 strong

What is this email campaign about?

Kiva is a company that helps people borrow money. You can lend money to people who cannot get a loan from a bank.

This text tells you about Kiva's work in 2020. It shows how many people helped Kiva, how much money they donated, and how many loans they made.

What’s so go about this email campaign?

After getting people excited about the good they can do, the email asks them to donate money right away. This is a great way for charities to get more people to give money.

Nonprofit email marketing example 2: Kiva

A fundraising email.
An email featuring the loans nearing the end of their fundraising period

What is this email campaign about?

This email tells about a person who got a loan from Kiva and how it helped their life.

What’s so go about this email campaign?

Sometimes, it’s tough to get people to donate to your cause. One thing that helps is sharing a story about how just one donation can really change someone’s life.

Kiva did this in their email campaign. They showed how a loan helped one person and also pointed out some loans that were about to end. 

This is a good way to get people to donate quickly, even if they were unsure before.

Nonprofit email marketing example 3: Movember

Movember email raising awareness.
An email sharing the mission and progress the Movember foundation made so far before the World Cancer Day

What is this email campaign about?

Movember is a charity that helps men’s health around the world. They focus on mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.

This email is about what Movember has done so far, and it’s coming up on World Cancer Day.

What’s so go about this email campaign?

Movember is trying to reach more people about their mission. They’re doing this by sending emails even though it’s not November, which is usually when they’re most active. They’re doing this around World Cancer Day, which happens in February.

Nonprofit email marketing example 4: Movember

An email with research and health projects funded by donors.
An email showing groundbreaking research and health projects funded by donors

What is this email campaign about?

This email tells you about all the cool new research and health projects that people helped pay for by donating to Movember.

What’s so go about this email campaign?

This email is a great way to get your supporters and donors excited about your cause. It shows them how their help makes a difference. 

The email is easy to understand and looks good. It also asks for a $50 donation, which is clear and easy to do.

How to do email marketing in a nonprofit?

To make your emails work well, plan them carefully. Know what you want to achieve and create a plan to send the right emails to the right people at the right time. Make sure your emails are clear and tell people what to do next.

Follow these steps to make your nonprofit emails successful.

Step 1. Build your email list

Inform your target audience about the benefits of joining your email list. 

What can people do after signing up? Can they see what you've already done, give their thoughts on important things, donate money, or help you in other ways? Be clear about why people should join.

Step 2. Get to know your audience

Email is more than just telling people things. It can help you get to know your contacts better. You can talk to them and find out what they want and like. When you know their interests, you can write emails that they'll enjoy reading.

Step 3. Write an interesting subject line

The subject line of your email is the first thing people will read. It should be interesting so they want to open your email.

Here are some tips for writing an interesting subject line:

  • Keep it short: Use 5-7 words.
  • Use names: Put the person's name in the subject line.
  • Create a sense of urgency: Use words like "Limited Time" or "Don't Miss Out.
  • Ask a question: This will make people curious.

Make sure the subject line matches the email content. Don't be misleading, or people might stop reading your emails.

Step 4. Build awareness about your cause

Tell audience what your group is trying to do. Explain what you hope to achieve and what you’re working on. Make sure everyone understands what your organization is about and how they can help.

Step 5. Keep your audience informed

Be a good leader. If you want others to do something, do it yourself first. How? Tell everyone what you're working on and what you've finished. Being honest about your work helps you think of new ideas and makes your company look good.

Step 6. Collect donations 

Ask your friends and contacts to donate money to your nonprofit. You can try different ways to ask for donations, like one-time or monthly gifts, and see what works best.

Step 7. Segment your audience

Gather details about your contacts and organize them by their interests (like favorite projects, events, or content), how they engage with your emails, and where they are in your sales process (such as being a new contact, a one-time donor, or a regular donor).

Properly sorting your contact list can greatly improve the performance of your email marketing. Emails customized for specific groups get much higher open and click rates than sending the same email to everyone.

Step 8. Make sure your content’s top level

Make sure your content connects your organization's goals with what your audience wants to know. Find out what information they need to actively support your organization. Set clear rules for your content to keep its quality high over time.

Step 9. Include CTA

A call-to-action (CTA) helps guide your email readers to take the action you want, like reading more about a topic or donating to your cause.

Make sure your email's CTA clearly tells readers what to do. Use simple, direct words like "Donate Today" or "Sign Up Here."

You can also add more by showing what benefit or value they’ll get from clicking. For example, instead of just saying "Donate," you could say "Donate a Gift" or "Support the Team."

To make your CTA stand out, it should look different from the rest of the email. Use bright colors, space around it, and button designs to grab attention.

Example of a nonprofit email campaign.
Non Profit Email Examples

You can also use visual elements like arrows, icons, or pictures to guide people’s eyes to your call-to-action (CTA).

Where you put the CTA matters, too. A great spot is near the top of the email so it's easy to see without scrolling. Depending on your email design, you can even add more than one CTA throughout the message.

Step 10. Stay compliant

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is Europe’s privacy law. It was introduced in April 2016, replacing the older 1995 Data Protection Directive, and it’s the biggest update in data protection in 20 years.

You must follow the GDPR rules if:

  • Your business is based in the European Union (EU).
  • You handle personal data of people in the EU.

If you use GetResponse, you can feel confident that both your data and your contacts’ data are safe, secure, and well-protected.

For more details on GDPR compliance, check out the blog post "GetResponse Earns Official Declaration of GDPR Compliance."

5 Types of emails nonprofits can send

Now that you understand the basics of email marketing, let's look at the different types of emails your nonprofit can send to connect with supporters and grow your mission.

1. Onboarding email

Onboarding emails are key to introducing new subscribers or users to your nonprofit and its mission.

These emails help start a positive, engaging connection with your new supporters, encouraging them to get involved and support your cause.

Begin your onboarding series with a friendly welcome email. Keep in mind, your relationship with new supporters is fragile and can end quickly.

Make sure your welcome email leaves a great first impression. A good way to do this is by personalizing email and keeping the tone light and positive. You can also include a short introduction about your nonprofit’s mission.

Here’s a great example of a welcome email for a nonprofit.

Nonprofit welcome email.
nonprofit welcome email

In the next email of your welcome series, talk more about your mission, the problems you're solving, and the programs you’re running. Make sure to show your readers how dedicated your organization is to the cause. Then, share the impact you’ve made so far.

To wrap up your onboarding series, show them ways they can get involved, like donating. Also, invite them to connect with you on social media and visit your website.

2. Engagement

Engagement emails help you connect with your supporters, strengthen relationships, and keep them interested in your organization's mission. They're also a way to keep people updated on what's happening.

These emails can come in different forms, such as:

  • Surveys or feedback requests: Ask your supporters for their thoughts or input. Their feedback can help you improve your organization or your emails.
  • Event invites: Promote upcoming events to encourage supporters to get involved. You can invite them to fundraisers, webinars, or other events.
  • Impact updates: Share the results of your work to show supporters the difference you're making. This could inspire them to continue donating or volunteering. You can include success stories, photos, videos, or case studies.
  • Educational content: Send information that helps your supporters learn more about the issues you're working on.
  • Volunteer opportunities: Share how your supporters can help by volunteering their time and skills.

To make your engagement emails effective, focus on relevance and personalization. Segment your email list to send content that matches each person's interests and their previous interactions with your organization.

Here is related review articles:

Perfect Webinar Secrets Review

WebinarKit Review

3. Appeals

Nonprofits depend on donations, so sending appeal emails is a key part of their email marketing. These emails are designed to convince people to donate.

To make your appeal emails effective, keep them personal. Start by addressing the recipient by name. Then, open with a strong, emotional message. Be clear about the problem your nonprofit is working on and explain why immediate action is important.

Stories should be the heart of your nonprofit’s email strategy, like in the example from Help for Heroes. Why? Because stories engage readers emotionally and motivate them to give. Add testimonials, quotes, and statistics to make your message more credible.

Example of a nonprofit email featuring a testimonial.
Source: Really Good Emails

Also, keep in mind that a picture is worth a thousand words. Use eye-catching visuals like images or videos to support your story. If you run a humanitarian nonprofit, include pictures of real people to make your cause feel more relatable.

If your nonprofit focuses on animals, using relevant images can help make your emails feel more personal.

Finally, always send reminder emails after your first appeal. Some supporters might need a few emails to decide

4. Thank supporters

Once you get a donation, it's easy to forget to send a thank-you email. This is a big mistake. You want donors to feel recognized and appreciated, which can encourage them to donate again in the future.

Make your thank-you emails personal by including the donor's name and mentioning the specific campaign or cause they supported. This shows that you truly value their help. Also, make sure to express genuine gratitude and sign off with a real person's name.

It might be tempting to ask for donations for another cause in your thank-you email, but don’t do that. It can make you seem ungrateful.

If you have another cause that needs donations or want to ask for more support, send a separate email later.

However, you can invite donors to connect with you on social media to keep updated in your thank-you emails. Check out how Be My Eyes does this in their thank-you email to new volunteers.

Thanking your donors – example of a nonprofit email campaign from Be My Eyes.
Source: Really Good Emails

If your donor is a company, make sure to include a donation receipt with the information they need to claim tax deductions.

Finally, you can send updates after your thank-you emails to show donors how their contributions are making a difference. This will encourage them to get more involved in your mission.

5. Elevate your mission

Sometimes, send emails that focus on your nonprofit's main values, vision, and long-term goals. These emails can inspire your audience to join a larger movement for positive change.

You can achieve this by sharing your vision for a better future. Describe what the world will look like when your mission is fully accomplished. This helps your readers imagine and work towards that future, encouraging them to take action.

Also, share stories about individuals or communities whose lives you have changed through your nonprofit. Show the whole journey, from the challenges they faced to their successes, and highlight how your supporters helped along the way.

Check out how CARE Australia does this in the email example below.

Email campaign sharing the success of their nonprofit organization.
Source: Really Good Emails

You can improve your mission by sending emails that show your nonprofit as a leader in its field. For example, share some important awards and recognitions your nonprofit has received.

This will help you build trust and credibility with your email subscribers, making it easier for them to support your cause. 

25 Ways to Grow Your Contact List

We've put together 25 proven strategies to help your future campaigns succeed.

>Download now<

Final Thoughts of Email Marketing for Nonprofits

Email marketing can be a great way for nonprofit organizations to connect with their audience, share their mission, and encourage donations. By following the tips in this article, you can create successful email campaigns that speak to your subscribers and help your organization reach its goals.

You also learned about important types of emails to send, like onboarding emails, engagement emails, donation appeals, and thank-you emails.

Make sure your emails feel personal, are engaging, and look nice. Don’t forget to track your results to keep improving your campaigns.

Lastly, remember that building a strong email list takes time and effort, so be patient and keep working at it. With a solid strategy and the right tools, email marketing can be a valuable resource for your nonprofit organization.

Post a Comment

0 Comments