{"id":7883,"date":"2022-02-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/?p=7883"},"modified":"2024-05-08T19:27:49","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T19:27:49","slug":"email-fundraising-best-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/email-fundraising-best-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Email Fundraising Best Practices To Drive High Response Rates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Fundraising emails provide a significant stream of income for many nonprofit and cause-based groups. However, this fundraising technique requires your recipients to take action not once, but twice.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First, you need to get your recipients to open the email and then you need to get them to respond to your message. Do it right, and you can expect a <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/email-marketing-stats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">return on investment by as much as $42 for every $1 spent<\/a>. That&#8217;s a 4200% ROI!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/mrbenchmarks.com\/charts\/fundraising\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2021 M+R Benchmarks study<\/a>, <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email revenue currently accounts for roughly 20% of all online revenue with a 5% increase between 2019 and 2020<\/span>. If you aren\u2019t already fundraising through email, then it may be time to consider incorporating it into your overall fundraising plan.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Just remember that not all fundraising emails are created equal\u2014you need to make yours stand out from the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Follow these 12 fundraising email best practices to ensure that your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/6-nonprofit-email-marketing-stats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">email fundraising campaign <\/a>drives high response rates.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>1. Segment Your Audience<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/keys-brilliant-nonprofit-storytelling-part-2-consider-audience\/\">reaching the right audience<\/a> with information that\u2019s valuable to them, your response rates are bound to suffer.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;If you\u2019re not reaching the right audience with information that\u2019s valuable to them, your response rates are bound to suffer&#8230;&#8221;<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/603ct\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sure, your email list includes only those who have opted-in to receive your emails, but don\u2019t make the mistake of taking a \u201cone size fits all\u201d approach to your ask. Each subscriber has different needs.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s why our first tip on our fundraising email best practices list is to segment your audience. Try segmenting them based on the following:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Desired communication frequency<\/li>\n<li>Program interests<\/li>\n<li>Demographics (age, gender, location)<\/li>\n<li>Giving status (donor, prospective donor, lapsed donor, etc.)<\/li>\n<li>Role in your organization (donor, volunteer, board member, staff)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Higher response rates are a direct result of segmentation. In fact, some marketers have found that <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/email-marketing-stats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">segmented emails campaigns increase revenue<\/a> by as much as 760%!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>2. Send It At The Right Time<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Choosing the right time to send out an email requires some work on your part. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.campaignmonitor.com\/resources\/guides\/email-marketing-benchmarks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Campaign Monitor<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the best day to send out marketing emails is Monday when email open rates are at their highest (20%). They recommend avoiding communications on weekends when engagement tends to be lower.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, some fundraising experts suggest <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sparkpost.com\/blog\/2022-email-benchmarks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sending your emails out from 7-11am on Wednesdays and Thursdays.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What does this mean for your organization? It means that you just might have to figure out the best time for your audience by sampling them. Compare the open rates for two groups of recipients receiving emails at different times using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optimizely.com\/ab-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">A\/B testing<\/a>, and whichever time results in a higher conversion should be used going forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/email-fundraising-experiments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how to optimize your emails + <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increase donor engagement!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>3. Ace That Subject Line<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a recent study from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.constantcontact.com\/nonprofit-subject-lines-and-preheaders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invesp Consulting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 47% of email recipients decide whether they\u2019re going to open an email based on the subject line<\/span>. And, if they don\u2019t like what they see, your audience won\u2019t read about why they should donate.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;47% of email recipients decide whether they\u2019re going to open an email based on the subject line&#8230;&#8221;<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/13LpX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i> tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Creating a powerful subject line requires strategy and creativity. Here are a few suggestions to help you write a subject line that hooks your audience:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ask a Question- Give your audience a reason to pause and think about what you are asking them to increase the likelihood of an open.<\/li>\n<li>Focus on Length- Keep it short, ideally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mailermailer.com\/resources\/metrics\/2012\/summary.rwp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">under 15 characters<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Express Urgency- Let your audience know that time is of the essence using words such as \u201curgent\u201d, \u201cnow\u201d and \u201cimportant\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>4. Personalize The Greeting<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personalization has been shown to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">double the conversion rate of fundraising emails, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emailmonday.com\/email-marketing-automation-trends-predictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">increase CTR by 14%<\/a> and increase revenue by an astounding 760%<\/span>. Most bulk email tools allow you to personalize your email\u2019s greeting, so as long as you have the contact information uploaded, personalization should be a cinch.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Use A\/B testing again to determine which type of greeting your email recipients prefer. Variations can be formal or personal and include:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>First name only- <em>Dear John&#8230;<\/em><\/li>\n<li>First and last name- <em>Dear John Smith&#8230;<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Formal- <em>Dear Mr. Smith\u2026Dear Mr. John Smith&#8230;<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Informal- <em>Hi John\u2026 Hey John&#8230;<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>5. Tell A Story<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fundraisers rely on storytelling to encourage a prospective donor to give, but not just any story will do. Your goal is to get your audience to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/email-strategies-engage-nonprofit-community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">empathize and connect<\/a> with your characters and respond to your email, and you can do this by evoking emotion.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Telling a great story is one of the essential fundraising email best practices because people donate so that\u00a0they can\u00a0be a part of something that makes the world a better place. When it\u2019s head versus heart, heart wins- so, this is where your focus should be.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;People donate because they&#8217;re compelled to be part of something that makes the world a better place&#8230;&#8221;<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/lXEbe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Your story\u2019s content will vary depending on the audience and the emotions you\u2019re trying to elicit. For example, you may want to share a story about how someone was impacted by the organization, why a donor gave a gift, or what caused a volunteer to choose your particular cause.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are 3 ways that you can get your readers invested in your fundraising email story:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use a character who your reader can relate to by matching aspects like demographics, hopes, and pain points.<\/li>\n<li>Describe the problem from the perspective of that character so that your reader feels empathy.<\/li>\n<li>Add your audience into the story using \u201cyou\u201d. <em>\u201cYou can help change lives\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>6. Use Images<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/free-guide-using-images-for-visual-storytelling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">powerful images<\/a> is one of the fundraising email best practices that will also help you tug on your audience\u2019s heartstrings. This isn\u2019t just about adding your logo to the header or footer (which we\u2019ll discuss later), but adding images of clients, volunteers, advocates, or places that put a face behind your organization.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The best pictures show that the problem your organization works to solve exists in the first place. Choose impactful images that have these qualities:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid stock photos and choose real images of the people, animals, etc. your nonprofit helps<\/li>\n<li>When using images of people, faces should be turned toward the camera so the audience can see their eyes.<\/li>\n<li>Whenever possible, use a single person and not a group<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>7. Keep It Concise<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So far, we\u2019ve stressed that you need to use images and a well-crafted story to drive high response rates, but that doesn\u2019t mean that you need to write a 5-page essay. With email, brevity is essential. Aim to write between 2 to 4 medium-sized paragraphs. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>8. Make Your Call To Action Stand Out<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fundraising emails require a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/create-compelling-call-to-action\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">call to action<\/a> because that\u2019s how your audience knows the action you want them to take.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, it\u2019s easy for a simple fundraising email to turn into a request for volunteers, social media connections, sharing your email, etc. You don\u2019t want your prospective donor to get so overwhelmed with all your requests that they forget to give.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s why one of the most important fundraising email best practices is to limit your fundraising email to one call to action and make it pop. Use bright colors and bold fonts so that your reader\u2019s eyes focus on it.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7884 \" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screen-Shot-2016-05-24-at-10.27.38-PM.png\" alt=\"fundraising email best practices Call to Action \" width=\"739\" height=\"488\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>9. The Sender Matters<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>People like to receive emails from other people, not organizations, <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and a recent survey found that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sendinblue.com\/blog\/email-sender-name\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">42% of email recipients look at the sender name<\/a> first before they decide if they will open an email<\/span>. If possible, use a staff member, another fundraiser, or board member as your email sender. To keep it legal, be sure that this person is the one that actually initiates the email.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On the same note, your email should be signed by a person, not your organization or a logo.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>10. Optimize For Mobile<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We talk a ton about optimizing your website for mobile, but your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/top-email-newsletter-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fundraising emails<\/a> must also be adjusted because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emailmonday.com\/email-marketing-automation-trends-predictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">over 40% of recipients will delete an email<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> if it doesn\u2019t work well with their mobile device<\/span>. Your audience is much more likely to respond to your fundraising request if they can open and access your email\u2019s content.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Use these email best practices to optimize for mobile:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Enlarge your links and any other buttons that you want them to click by at least 57&#215;57 pixels<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.resizr.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Resize your images<\/a> for mobile devices<\/li>\n<li>Use a single column layout<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>11. Coordinate Your Email &amp; Social Media Efforts<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chances are, you\u2019re already harnessing the power of social media to maximize your fundraising.\u00a0 But are you ensuring that your social media and email marketing efforts are working in tandem to convert more donors?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts recommend coordinating email and social media campaigns to reach new audiences. The 2021 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mrbenchmarks.com\/charts\/social-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M+R Benchmarks Report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found that 29% of a social media post\u2019s audience did not follow the nonprofit. Encouraging these potential donors to engage with your email campaigns is a great way to bring them into your community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can even use your social media connections to increase engagement with your email audience. Consider featuring <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emailmonday.com\/email-marketing-automation-trends-predictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">user-generated social media content<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0like reviews, pictures, and testimonials in your emails.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>12. Include Contact Information In Your Footer<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While your organization must include contact information somewhere in the fundraising email for legal reasons, it is also one of the top fundraising email best practices because it contains all the information your email recipient may need in order to get in touch with your nonprofit.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Your contact information legitimizes your organization, reinforces your branding, and gives your email recipients an additional way to reach out with questions.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Include:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your organization\u2019s name and logo (if applicable)<\/li>\n<li>Person of contact (optional)<\/li>\n<li>Phone number<\/li>\n<li>Physical address<\/li>\n<li>Email address<\/li>\n<li>Option to opt-out of emails<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These 11 fundraising email best practices ensure that you\u2019re reaching a targeted audience at the right time with an emotional and impactful story, as well as all the additional information they\u2019ll need to make an informed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/donation-page\/\">donation<\/a>. There are many factors that drive high response rates, so continue testing your audience to find what works for them.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;These 11 email best practices ensure that you\u2019re reaching a targeted audience at the right time with an impactful story&#8230;&#8221;<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/g_K19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get Started On CauseVox<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can send customizable, automated emails for your donations, pledges, ticket receipts, fundraiser welcome emails and registration receipts through CauseVox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/causevox.ewebinar.com\/webinar\/causevox-overview-demo-2608\" rel=\"noopener\">Book a demo<\/a> to learn how to run&nbsp;all of your digital fundraising under one roof and save time on admin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:14px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This post was updated in February 2022 for freshness, accuracy, and relevance.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fundraising emails provide a significant stream of income for many nonprofit and cause-based groups. However, this fundraising technique requires your recipients to take action not once, but twice. \u00a0 First, you need to get your recipients to open the email and then you need to get them to respond to your message. Do it right, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":50189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Email-best-practices-600x400.jpeg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Email-best-practices-600x600.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Candace Cody","author_link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/author\/candace\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7883\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}