Fundraising Emails: Use This Checklist for More Success
Tips to Boost Open Rates and Digital Donations
For most fundraisers, email is their favorite digital tool.
And why not? Since it’s a relatively cheap way to stay in touch with donors, any gifts that come in produce a high return on investment.
But if you write fundraising emails, you know it’s also a lot of work to get donors to click through and not just swipe left. In fact, response rates to fundraising emails are now hovering around 0.08%, according to the 2022 M+R Benchmarks report.
That’s why we prepared this email checklist to help you keep moving toward your year-end goals.
Subject lines
Write 41 characters or 7 words max.
According to Marketo, this subject line length can be read on most browsers and email clients. But aim for shorter if you can.
Include an action verb.
Change, give, feed, and save are some good options.
Be direct, urgent and specific.
Don’t be overly clever. Get to the point and consider using a “wow statistic” in your subject line e.g. “Give 2,000 Kids Safe Drinking Water Today”
Consider using the donor’s name.
This personal touch can increase open rates, especially during the last week of the year when 12 percent of all gifts come in. Example: “Brianna, here’s how your donation helped”
Avoid spam words.
According to Yesware, using words like “urgent, act now, problem, and please read” could doom your email to the junk folder.
BONUS TIP: Consider running your subject line through this Co-schedule subject line tester.
Email body
Vary your content.
Still debating content? This blog from Classy does a nice job of summarizing all the email types you could send from Thanksgiving through year end.
Design for mobile.
More and more folks are giving on the go. Make sure your email is easily read on a smartphone. That’ll tell you a lot about the right length and imagery to use.
Balance images with text.
Research suggests that emails that are mostly images are headed to the spam folder. But if you write 500 characters or more, you should be ok. For story-based emails, I like these templates, though I’d move up the donate button.
Leverage matching gifts.
A match increases the chance a person will give by 22 percent. What’s more they add urgency and a tangible goal.
Use readability statistics.
Most Americans read at a basic or below basic reading level. Aim for at least 50 percent readable and a 7th grade level or below. Here’s how to turn on readability statistics in Word.
Call to action
Keep it simple.
In December, I suggest limiting your call to action to just one option: Donate. And by donate, I mean money. You can seek volunteers and in-kind donations next year.
Make the donate button prominent.
I like Network for Good’s advice: “Make the donate button big, bold, and above the fold.” No donor should have to go searching for it to make a gift.
Need some more inspiration for fundraising emails? Check out these cool email examples. They’re beautifully designed and employ many of the tactics above.
But do note that there’s no performance data included with these examples. If you’ve audited your fundraising emails this year, then you know best what your donors respond to. Because no nonprofit list is the same.
Use your data insights – and these checklist items – to finish the year strong!
