The age of the digital nomad has nonprofits searching for new ways to interact with potential donors, reach their supporters and generate donations. Social media and online advertising are great channels for outreach, but email is an essential component of any nonprofit’s digital marketing arsenal. This white paper will explain how email can be used to bring in donations for your nonprofit and give you practical guidelines and recommendations on creating compelling email campaigns that encourage giving.
Why Email Marketing Matters to Nonprofits
Direct Communication Channel
Email marketing offers nonprofits a means to directly communicate with their donors. While social media sometimes assigns visibility to your posts to algorithms, emails go straight to your contact’s inbox. They allow messages to reach their audiences and make email a great medium to share stories, news and donation opportunities.
High Return on Investment (ROI)
A few studies have found that email marketing offers the highest ROI of all forms of marketing. The Data & Marketing Association estimates the average ROI for email marketing at roughly $42 per dollar invested. For smaller nonprofits with little budgets, the promise of high return makes email campaigns a lucrative tool to raise donations.
Building Relationships and Community
Email marketing works by building a community of supporters. Consistent donor engagement with nonprofits creates an environment in which donors know they are being thought of and taken seriously. We can assure you, sharing impact narratives, project updates, and donor spotlights will further tie donors to the missions.
I. Building an Engaged Email List
Creating an Opt-in Form
The key to using email to raise money is to have a good and active email list. Having an opt-in on your nonprofit website for potential donors to sign up for your emails ensures your content gets out to the right people.
Form Design: Create a slick, easy-to-use opt-in form that tells you exactly why you should subscribe to your email list. Make sure to leverage your company logo and compelling calls-to-action.
Optimal Position: Make sure the opt-in form is visible anywhere on your website like in the homepage, header, or footer. Also, consider including the form in a blog post, an event page, or any other high-traffic place.
Incentives: Provide incentives to subscribe (for example, exclusive content, discounts, or early bird events).
Mobile Optimizing: Optimize your opt-in form on mobile devices as a large portion of visitors to your website are using mobile devices.
Utilizing Existing Supporters
Make use of your current supporters to build your email list. Make sure current donors, volunteers, and social media followers subscribe to your emails, and give subscribers a way to share your emails with their friends and family. Also, consider adding email sign-ups to offline events and fundraising campaigns.
Maintaining List Hygiene
Get rid of inactive subscribers, invalid email addresses and ensure optimal deliverability by regularly cleaning your email list. A double opt-in process that requires users to confirm their email address when signing up is an effective way to keep your list clean and avoid complaints for spam.
II. Crafting Compelling Email Campaigns
Identifying Your Audience
Split your email list by demographics, interests, and giving behavior to develop specific campaigns for targeted audiences. Customization, both within the email’s subject line and the body, will help drive opens and engagement.
Crafting Powerful Subject Lines
The subject line represents the very first thing that an email reader will see from your email. Be concise, informative, and actionable in your subject lines, and use enticing words to make opening seem urgent. Use less punctuation or all-caps to avoid triggering spam filters and reducing deliverability.
Telling a Story
Storytelling is the key to making your audience feel and take action. Tell the personal stories of the individuals, animals, or causes your nonprofit is doing, using dramatic language and imagery to connect with your audience. — Include a call-to-action (CTA) in the narrative to prompt readers to donate.
Highlighting Impact
Donors expect to feel like they are making a difference. In your emails, be sure to communicate the outcomes of your nonprofit’s work, citing tangible metrics and examples to show how your organization’s efforts are yielding results. If donors can see how donations are having a practical impact, they might be inspired to give.
Creating a Sense of Urgency
Special discounts and matching gifts campaigns can make donors feel like they have a limited time to donate and they should donate today. Don’t hide deadlines and incentives in your email — use persuasive language to get the reader to do it before it’s too late.
III. Optimizing Email Design and Deliverability
Designing for Mobile
Make sure your emails are designed for mobile devices, which receive the majority of email opens. Stick to one column, keep text low-key, and use big legible fonts. Experiment with your emails across multiple devices and email clients so that they feel the same for all subscribers.
Implementing Clear CTAs
Donation-drive requires a large, well-visible call to action. Put your CTA in bright colors with bold text and above the fold to maximize exposure. You may want to use buttons rather than hyperlinks, which are easier to click.
Monitoring Deliverability
Email deliverability keeps your emails in the inbox and not the spam folder. Keep tabs on your sender score by tracking bounce, spam complaints and unsubscribe rates. Use best practices, including a recurring from name and address, to ensure good sender reputation and deliverability.
Conclusion:
Email remains an effective way for nonprofits to connect with donors and solicit donations. Using an active email list, sending engaging email campaigns, and managing email design and delivery, your nonprofit can use email to drive giving and leave a legacy.
