Knowing how to write a fundraising email is an essential skill for a nonprofit fundraising campaign. It’s key to keeping a donor’s attention. The more you remind the donor to give by reaching out, the greater the chance the donor will respond with a gift.

Emails are inexpensive to send and far easier to write and design than direct mail appeals. But the response rate is much lower for emails that for direct mail.

Digital agency M+R’s 2021 Benchmarking study reports that the industry average for the donation response rate of previous donors to fundraising emails is 0.29% with an average gift of $78. The response rate of previous donors to direct mail appeals is between 5% and 15%, or twenty to fifty times higher depending on the time of year and donor list. And the average gift is much higher as well.

But the best results come when direct mail and email are coordinated, with improvements of up to 15% through the use of both at the same time.

Why?

When a donor opens up a direct mail appeal, it’s likely it isn’t convenient for them to make a gift right at that moment. Following up the direct letter with emails reminds the donor to take action – which was their intention all along. Follow-up emails also help donors who don’t like writing checks by including an easy-access link to your page via a Donate Now button.

As a fundraiser, you should be sending out at least two follow-up emails to your mailed donation request letter.

Research by email fundraising agency NextAfter indicates that the afternoon may be the best time to send a fundraising email, but they recommend testing different days and times with your own donors to find out what works best. Timing your fundraising email right can give your organization a potential edge, but actually sending the email is more important than sending at the perfect time.

With all that said, how do you write a successful fundraising email that effectively captures a donor’s attention? We have five important tips for you.

1. Your Subject Line Makes all the Difference

The intention of a subject line is to hook a potential donor into reading. It is the absolute end-all-be-all of your nonprofit fundraising email. If it does not immediately intrigue, your email will be left unopened and deleted without a second thought.

An effective subject line is powerful and eye-catching. Keep it succinct. Mailchimp advises to keep subject lines under 60 characters. It’s also okay to adopt a different voice or tone in a subject line. The goal is to be striking. Be bold but not cheesy, cultivate intrigue without being openly vague.

For example, an effective subject line may ask a probing question: “Why does [Action] Matter?”. Alternatively, cultivating a sense of urgency for the reader can motivate them to click. Using a formula like “[Action] now.” is a great way to get a potential donor’s attention. For example, “Support a Student, Now.”

Your subject line is your opportunity to get creative. Utilize strategies to get your email opened first. From here on out, you can resume your organization’s typical tone in the body of the email. 

Examples:

• “Let’s talk about the future”

• “Break it up!”

• “You need to see this!”

• “We love what you love!”

2. Keep Your Fundraising Email Short and Sweet

You worked hard on the subject line of the email. Now, knowing how to ask for donations in an email is the second most important step. This email is not a letter. Even short text can appear dense and lengthy on a smartphone screen.

Keep your email brief. Break paragraphs up into one to two sentences in order to create the illusion of succinctness. Make sure you don’t lose a donor to an overwhelming block of text.

You can utilize your existing donation request letter as a fundraising email template. Read the letter and highlight what you believe are the ten most important sentences. Now, review the sentences you’ve chosen and eliminate three more.

Aim for an email that flows nicely, yet is still concise. Adjust, reword, and perfect your final sentences to flow together and pack an extra punch. 

3. Make your Email Phone-Friendly

Most readers will open your fundraising email on a mobile device. This makes optimizing your email and making it cell-phone friendly crucial. Shortening the email is one way to optimize, but there are other elements you can add to make a fundraising email even more mobile-friendly.

Utilizing a single-column layout will provide the potential donor a smoother reading experience. They’ll be more likely to read the entire email.

Enlarging and optimizing important links and images can also make an email more phone-friendly. Make sure the Donate button is easily accessible and in-view.

4. Tell an Impactful Story

A sure-fire way of connecting a reader to the efforts of your organization is by telling a touching story. Tell the reader a personal anecdote about a person or group positively impacted by your organization. Or, describe an inspiring story about the background of another donor and why they chose to donate.

Remind the reader of the benefits of donating to your organization first-hand. The goal is to reach a prospective donor on an emotional level. Make sure they feel personally connected to the cause.

For example:

5. Pack the Email Full of “You”s

Telling an impactful story is only a portion of developing a connection with a reader. Flood your fundraising email with the word “you”. Many people only skim their emails, if they even open them. No one wants to read an email that has nothing to do with them.

Even if you’re sharing a story, a testimonial, or directly talking about your organization and its mission; relate as many sentences as you can back to the intended recipient. A reader needs to feel personally tied to your organization and what you’re presenting in the moment. This will motivate them to take action (click on your donation button, visit your webpage, subscribe to your newsletter, etc.).

For example:

As we always say, if you want to make it easy for your donor to give to your organization, your fundraising letters, emails, and communications have to be direct and relatable. Writing an email for fundraising is a crucial component to receiving more donations.

For more information on the best practices for fundraising copy, check out other articles on our blog.

Let Five Maples write impactful fundraising emails for you!

Our expert team of copywriters are trained and experienced when it comes to writing fundraising email copy that will inspire your readers to click the donate button!

Fundraising emails are just one of the many types of donor communications that Five Maples can write for you. Whether you need help with fundraising letters, donor-impact reports, annual reports, thank you letters, emails, or social media posts, contact us today at garyh@fivemaples.com for a free consultation.