Nonprofits can now access a dedicated email marketing tool at a discounted rate and directly sync it with existing software. This creates opportunity for a truly connected fundraising experience donors and staff members will love.

Come along as we explore it all, including:

• The difference Mailchimp makes in email marketing for nonprofits
• The Mailchimp features and trends to take advantage of
• The steps to getting started and integrating Mailchimp with other systems
• The tried-and-true cheat sheet to create successful email marketing campaigns

How Mailchimp Revolutionizes Nonprofit Email Marketing 

Intuit’s Mailchimp is an email marketing platform that simplifies the process of creating unique journeys that flex to any donor scenario. That means nonprofits can create emails, subscriber forms, landing pages, and surveys. 

Mailchimp organizations range from startups and small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, showing you a glimpse of the scalability your nonprofit can have with the email marketing tool.

Mailchimp’s email automation features streamline nonprofit communication by showing insights about donor contacts, segmenting them into specific target audiences, and sending the right messages at the right time to complete their experience with an organization. 

Do More With a Small Marketing Budget

After the initial setup, which we’ll walk through in depth below, Mailchimp keeps your engagement going through automation and workflows built to complement your process. That way, you can focus your staff members and time on other areas that boost your fundraising efforts. 

The simplicity of the email marketing system means that new employees or volunteers can easily use it, and you don’t need a whole team dedicated to making it work. It also helps with staff changes and turnover that may occur while you use the tool.

In addition, it helps you see how donors interact with your emails to get a better pulse on what gets them to act and keeps them around long term. This is a real game changer for improving donor management, as tactics to retain donors add up to more revenue that can funnel into your marketing efforts, campaigns, and overall impact.

Classy’s Why America Gives found that loyal donors (those who give a recurring donation or gave at least three consecutive donations to the same organization in the last five years) gave amounts four times that of passive donors on average.

Stay Ahead of Evolving Spam Filters

We can’t talk about email marketing without talking about spam. The last thing you want is to spend time on an email that never gets to a potential donor or loyal supporter because it got caught in a spam filter or sent to a junk mail folder by default. Mailchimp’s functionality supports personalization, clean email templates, and user opt-ins and opt-outs to help you spam-proof your email marketing. 

So if you’re curious how one platform can offer you long-lasting benefits, let’s dig into the Mailchimp features nonprofits love.

The Latest Mailchimp Features and Trends for Nonprofits

Audience Management

Information about your supporter audience can guide your email marketing campaigns for more substantial results. Mailchimp offers several audience management features to guide communication strategies that feel personalized for them from start to finish. 

Here’s an overview of each:

• Donor segmentation: Collect data on each of your supporters through custom sign-up forms, pop-ups, and other opt-in information.

• Behavioral targeting: Create segments that target specific actions and behaviors to put a particular focus on supporters most likely to convert into donors, volunteers, or fundraising event attendees. 

• Predicted demographics: Clarify characteristics, such as the most likely age and gender of your donors, to refine your engagement strategy and create donor personas for each of your fundraising campaigns or promotions.

• Tags and contacts profiles: Get a deep dive into each person in your contacts list on any device and use Mailchimp tags to identify key distinctions, such as “potential major donor,” “local,” “likely to match a donation,” and anything else that supports more relevant and meaningful conversations.

Creative Tools

So how do you send those beautiful emails that make people stop and admire your thoughtful designs and user-friendly formats? Mailchimp’s email services have your answers. 

Bringing your brand into each touchpoint with donors is easier with features like:

• Content studio: Sync, store, and edit visuals, like images and logos, that you’ll use across multiple automated emails.
• Dynamic content: Customize certain content blocks for your different donor segments within the same email automatically for each targeted send.
• Subject-line helper: Get real-time support to refine your email subject lines, as this is the first thing your audience sees and uses to decide whether or not to open your message.
• Campaign templates: Grab inspiration from over 100 email templates designed and ready for you or use one as a foundation to personalize your nonprofit brand and campaign visual identity.

Marketing Automation

Use the information you gain about your audiences and how they interact with your brand to create personalized donor workflows that help them get to your primary call to action quicker.

• Donor journeys: Design an automated engagement path with conditional logic and branching points that establish a journey for each donor group and adapt to their behaviors along the way. 
• Integrations: Connect Mailchimp with your fundraising platform, customer relationship management (CRM) platform, or helpful tools such as Zapier to continue automation further into the experience of every supporter.

Insights and Analytics

A solid nonprofit marketing strategy is all about knowing your donors and how to adapt to their changing desires and actions. Mailchimp offers insights and analytics that can help you pinpoint areas of opportunity and strength in your donor-engagement efforts.

Gain insight with features like:

• Reports: Track the performance of your communications over time to measure which are the most successful with your target donors.
• Smart recommendations: Lean on your metrics to guide your next move with each donor segment and communication. 
• A/B testing: Get creative with new approaches and establish a campaign monitor easily with insight into which led to the best results. 
• Surveys: Gather feedback from donors, event attendees, volunteers, interested supporters, and more and funnel responses directly into Mailchimp.
• Content optimizer: Grab personalized suggestions to improve your emails. 

You can also connect Mailchimp with tools and apps like Google Analytics for a deeper view into conversion tracking, social media influence, website clicks, and your overall digital marketing effectiveness.

How Can Nonprofits Set Up Mailchimp?

Follow these simple steps to get started with Mailchimp for your nonprofit organization and leverage the features you need to make a big impact on your donor base in no time.

Step 1: Establish Your Contacts Lists

• Create a list: Determine which email list makes sense, such as “all contacts” or “donors,” that you can add to a list.
• Import your contacts: Add any existing subscribers from a CSV file, Excel spreadsheet, Google Doc, Salesforce, or other platforms that house your contacts. 
• Create groups: Segment your large number of contacts by groups, such as staff members, volunteers, donors, recurring donors, nonprofit board members, corporate partners, and any other tags that will help you get organized.
• Create your first email campaign: Select your list and an ideal email template, edit the content to the message that makes sense for your communication, design your email to match your branding, and send your campaign immediately or schedule it to go out later.
• Set up reports and analytics: See how your email campaigns perform by viewing the analytics in your reports, then create email benchmarks to base future campaigns through simple graphs, tables, and maps that show you things like opens, click-through rates, bounces, and unsubscribes. 

Does Mailchimp offer a free plan or nonprofit discount?

Now that we’ve covered the value of Mailchimp’s flexibility with small marketing budgets, it’s natural to think about nonprofit pricing. Mailchimp offers a discount to verified nonprofit organizations and charities for certain features. You can request a nonprofit discount and verify the current pricing plans for your needs by visiting the Mailchimp website or contacting the billing team.

Design Engaging Email Templates in Mailchimp

As you dig into Mailchimp or think about how to get the most out of your email marketing software, having somewhere to start is always helpful. In addition to the design templates Mailchimp offers within the campaign designer, we rounded up a quick list of resources that can help you depending on your nonprofit’s goals and areas of focus.

Save this list of top resources to design engaging email templates:

• 37 Email Subject Lines for Fundraising
• 11 Tips to Increase Your Email Click-Through Rates
• 9 Nonprofit Emails That Actually Convert 
• How to Write the Perfect Fundraising Email [TEMPLATES]
• 5 Email Templates for Stronger Recurring Donation Appeals
• 6 Giving Tuesday Email Examples That Convert

The Benefits: Integrating Mailchimp With Your Nonprofit CRM

The key to unlocking fundraising success is knowing your donors well and responding to their needs. You have all the information necessary to conduct targeted appeals, but it may be in different systems, from your email platform to your fundraising software to your CRM. Integrations help you bring all that vital information together as a powerhouse of insight at your fingertips. 

Your marketing automation and reporting within Mailchimp go much further when both flow into your entire donor lifecycle. More tasks that happen seamlessly without requiring your team to monitor your systems lead to a smooth donor experience and the most strategic processes for your organization. 

Step Into Connected Fundraising 

We know how crucial it is to build relationships with every supporter you encounter and turn those relationships into donations to advance your mission. It’s all about reaching the right people with the relevant message that makes them feel your intention and purpose. 

That’s why nonprofits that use Classy’s fundraising platform to host campaigns, from events to streamlined donation pages, have the advantage of a free and easy integration into Mailchimp and other vital tools that lead to results. 

We can’t wait to continue offering thoughtful integrations and award-winning application programming interfaces, like the Mailchimp API, to create the most comprehensive view of your supporters and streamline your fundraising efforts.

Copy Editor: Ayanna Julien

These also help keep your bookkeeping organized, creating greater financial transparency. Plus, your nonprofit must send donation receipts to maintain its status as a tax-exempt organization.

Streamlining and automating the process of formatting and sending donation receipts can help your nonprofit grow by redirecting the time spent on these financial admin tasks to amplifying your mission. To help make that more achievable, you’ll need to know the basic requirements of donation receipts and how to make yours stand out. 

Below, we cover everything you need to know about creating a donation receipt letter for tax purposes.

What Is a Donation Receipt?

A donation receipt is a written acknowledgment to your donor of their contribution to your cause. In addition to showing donor appreciation, these messages help your supporters file their annual income tax return deductions and help your charitable organization keep good internal records of gifts. 

5 Types of Donation Receipts

While every donation receipt serves the same purpose, there are a few formats you might send based on the type of donation, such as cash donations versus donated items. These are the five main donation receipt categories:

1. Monetary donation receipts: This receipt acknowledges cash contributions donated by credit card, PayPal, or another preferred payment method.
2. In-kind donation receipts: This receipt acknowledges the value of the goods or services donated to your nonprofit. For example, when people bring items to a Goodwill donation center, they can receive documentation of their gift.
3. Quid pro quo donation receipts: This receipt reflects goods or services your nonprofit provides in exchange for a donation. For example, supporters may receive meals and drinks in exchange for nonprofit event registration fees, or an attendee may receive a silent auction item in exchange for donating the highest bid.
4. Stock donation receipts: This receipt details when a supporter donates stock shares of a company to your nonprofit. It includes the corporation’s name and the number of gifted shares.
5. End-of-year donation receipts: This receipt (also called a year-end giving statement) totals every gift a supporter donated to your nonprofit throughout the year. It helps taxpayers determine potential tax deductions on their annual filings.

When Is a Nonprofit Donation Receipt Required?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has specific legal requirements for when to send donation tax receipts.¹ Always check the IRS website for the latest nonprofit requirements. In general, these scenarios include:

• When a donor’s charitable contributions are $250 or more
• When a donor receives goods or services for donations greater than $75
• When a donor specifically requests a receipt for the amount of the donation

These requirements apply to all donations, regardless of whether a supporter provided their gift in cash, stocks, or in-kind support. Failing to send donation receipts in these instances can cost your nonprofit a penalty of $10 per donation and up to $5,000 for a single fundraising campaign.

While these situations require nonprofits to send charitable donation receipts, it’s best practice to send them for all donor contributions. Following this process keeps your nonprofit more organized and ensures ongoing compliance. Plus, you don’t have to print these receipts —you can share and store them electronically as long as you send them to the donor.

How Do I Write a Nonprofit Donation Receipt?

Your donation receipt can be a mailed thank you letter or an emailed acknowledgment. Select a process that works best for your nonprofit. For example, you may consider emailing receipts for individual donations supporters make throughout the year, then mailing a more formal end-of-year donation receipt that totals their contributions.

When writing your donation receipts, customize them to continue to tell your nonprofit’s story. Keep these four steps in mind during the process:

1. Keep the formatting simple: The goal of donation receipts is straightforward, so your formatting can be too. That’s not to say it shouldn’t have a professional design, but the priority is on the content.
2. Include your branding: Donation receipts benefit from clear nonprofit branding, so include your logo and other brand elements. Leading with your brand makes the receipt look professional while reminding people of your mission.
3. Thank donors for their contribution: Donors should know how much they mean to your organization, so take every opportunity to show them your appreciation. Include a brief paragraph on your receipt explaining how the supporter’s donation will impact your mission.
4. Automate the process: Strong nonprofit fundraising software can send electronic receipts instantly to save you time and printing costs.

How to Create Tax-Compliant Donation Receipts

Even though nonprofit donation receipts can look different, there are legal requirements for specific elements you’ll need to include. You should always have the following information on your donation receipts:

• Name of the organization
• Donor’s name
• Recorded date of the donation
• Amount of cash contribution or fair market value of in-kind goods and services
• Organization’s 501(c)(3) status
• Acknowledgment that donors didn’t receive any goods or services for the donation (when applicable)
• An estimate of goods and services exchanged (when applicable) 

Note: Religious organizations don’t have to describe or assign value to intangible religious benefits.

Those are the basics, but you can take your receipts to the next level by adding a few other elements. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Your organization’s EIN or ID number
• Your contact information (such as website, phone number, and address)
• Your short message of appreciation
• Your executive director’s signature 

Donation Receipt FAQs

The IRS should always be your number one source of information for the latest requirements on donation receipts, but here are a few answers to frequently asked questions.

1. Does the IRS check donation receipts?

Yes. The IRS may not check every individual donation receipt, but it’s best to operate as if it does. You want to be ready if the IRS decides to check your records.

Incomplete records could mean disqualification of your tax-exempt status, and you don’t want to cause any frustration for your donors over an easily correctable mistake.

2. Can you use a donation receipt template?

Yes. First, craft the outline of your donation receipt with all the legal requirements included. Then, you can customize this basic template based on donation type, such as noncash contributions or monetary support. Just be sure to review your donation receipt templates annually to make any necessary updates.

3. Do you need to send recurring donors monthly donation receipts?

As long as you send a recurring donor an end-of-year donation receipt with the total amount of their gifts from that year, you don’t need to send them a receipt every month. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. Ask your donor if they’d prefer to receive the monthly receipt in addition to your year-end statement.

If you don’t send monthly receipts, plan to send an initial thank you receipt at the start of a donor’s participation in recurring giving and each anniversary afterward. Share how much you appreciate their ongoing support and that, while they shouldn’t expect a monthly receipt, they can expect monthly updates about your work. 

Send Donation Receipts to Protect Your Nonprofit Eligibility and Strengthen Donor Relationships

Donation receipts are a crucial part of your nonprofit’s operations and administration. These communications help with donor retention through heightened donor trust and support your organization’s recordkeeping.

Classy helps make the donation receipt process easy. Once supporters submit their donation form, they’ll receive an automated email with their donation information that thanks them for their support. This helps free up your time to keep doing the critical work your donors want to see. You can also customize the appearance and messaging of your donation receipts using Classy’s content blocks and other email features. 

Copy Editor: Ayanna Julien

Article Source

1. “Charitable Contributions: Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements,” Internal Revenue Service, last modified March 2016, https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1771.pdf.

First impressions matter, especially online, and email subject lines have the potential to make your campaign—or not. Done right, these help smoothly capture each reader’s attention and inspire them to answer your call to action. 

To ensure email success with your next initiative, use the following email subject line examples as inspiration to guide your creative thinking.

37 Email Subject Lines to Inspire Your Next Fundraising Campaign

Here are some different types of email subject line examples and templates to incorporate into your fundraising campaign to make it more effective.

Focus on the Cause

Give your reader immediate insight into the impact of your mission by leading with a memorable subject line. Elevate a particular pain point you solve or feature a captivating statistic that communicates your good work. Then, briefly describe what their donation will make possible with a straightforward and emotionally powerful statement.

Different Subject Lines to Consider:

• Help reach children in need.
• 10 minutes could save 10 people.
• Give the gift of change.
• A little donation goes a long way.
• Help feed 100s of children this month.
• Your donation could save a life.
• Join us in changing the world.
• Make a lasting difference (starting today).
• Be a part of something bigger.

Intrigue the Reader

Pique your reader’s interest with an effective email subject line that leaves them wanting more. Invoke curiosity to get them to open your message and keep reading through the email body.

Different Subject Lines to Consider:

• Want to know the power of $10?
• See what impact really looks like.
• It’s a hand-up, not a hand-out.
• You’d want the same—wouldn’t you?
• Build tomorrow by starting today.

Use Urgency

Create a sense of urgency when writing email subject lines based on your campaign’s fundraising goal.

Use words that highlight the significance of the email content, such as “important,” “breaking,” “urgent,” “tomorrow,” “limited time,” “expiring,” and “now.”

Entice readers to take action and participate in your cause before they miss the chance by setting a deadline. Stirring up this fear of missing out (FOMO) is an effective approach to any nonprofit marketing strategy.

Different Subject Lines to Consider:

• One week left to join.
• We just need a handful more donations.
• [First name], last chance to get your gift matched.
• Give today, we’ll match tomorrow.
• Time is running out.

Show Gratitude

Don’t overlook the importance of developing a relationship with email recipients. After all, donor stewardship is one of the most foundational elements of sustainable fundraising. 

So take the time to follow up with donors to thank them for taking action and contributing to your campaign. Similarly, lead with gratitude to appeal to potential donors and reiterate that their individual support makes your fundraising efforts possible.

Different Subject Lines to Consider:

• We couldn’t have done it without you.
• Look at the difference you made.
• Your support changed lives.
• Thank you for your support.
• We appreciate you.
• The world needs more people like you.
• You brightened up someone’s day.

Personalize Your Subject Lines

Add a personal touch to your email subject lines to help increase click-through rates and open rates. 

One personalization option is crafting a subject line that incorporates the email recipient’s first name. You might even consider editing your sender name to be a particular person in your organization (like your CEO) instead of your organization’s name. This gives the impression of a personal conversation between two people and adds a more intentional element of connection.

Different Subject Lines to Consider:

• [First name], look what you made possible.
• We need your help, [First name].
• Thank you for your donation, [First name].
• Give the gift of food, [First Name].
• Know anyone that might be interested, [First name]?

Incentivize the Open

Try weaving fundraising incentives into your subject line if you have any for your campaign. Perks may include invitations and vouchers or special recognition at your main event.

Another approach is to remind your prospective donor that they’re joining a special community of people making a significant impact. This sentiment is even more powerful when promoting a branded recurring giving program.

Different Subject Lines to Consider:

• You’re invited to our annual celebration.
• One donation earns you a ticket in our raffle.
• Want your name in stone?
• Every referral gets you another ticket in the raffle.
• Want to take your donation one step further?
• Interested in becoming a recurring donor?

5 Email Subject Line Best Practices to Increase Email Open Rates

Email is a crowded space. Most recipients receive dozens (if not hundreds) of emails daily, and they certainly don’t open every single one—there’s just not enough time. It’s your job to write great email subject lines that motivate action and avoid the spam folder.

Follow these email best practices to boost engagement and increase your open rates.

1. Keep It Short

Keep your email subject lines short and sweet. Experts suggest keeping it to five words or less, but experiment to see what performs best with your audience.¹ Try using emojis to communicate more with less, especially on mobile devices.

Pro Tip: Tools like Grammarly can help improve your copy’s readability and, therefore, increase your email engagement levels. 

You can also use A/B testing tools to fine-tune your subject lines and boost open rates.  Experiment with a few different types of subject lines, and your email-sending platform will find the best one based on initial engagement.

2. Add Preview Text

Add captivating preview text, the short bit of copy that appears next to your subject line, to hook readers.

This prime piece of real estate lets you add more context to your catchy email subject line and can be the pushing point that gets someone to open your email.

3. Deliver Value

Demonstrate the value of your fundraising email to a reader and how they’ll benefit from opening it. Tell your donor what’s inside and give them a reason to click to open:

• Is there a great fundraising opportunity? 
• Are you holding an event near them? 
• Will taking action improve their lives or the lives of others? 

Can you provide any freebies?

Higher open rates mean your subject lines get the job done, but low click-through rates might indicate readers don’t find enough value or feel like your subject line is clickbait or spammy.

To track how your email campaigns perform, keep tabs on these metrics:

• Open rate
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Click-to-open rate (CTOR)

4. Segment Your Audience

Segment your email list to ensure you send to the most appropriate audience—an email blast to your entire list isn’t always the right fit. You want to avoid alienating your audience and causing some recipients to unsubscribe from future sends.

Think about your audience’s behavior and demographics. For example, if you host a volunteer event in Austin, Texas, segment your emails to recipients in that area.

5. Send at the Right Time

Test different days and time slots to see what works best for your audience’s engagement. While the time of day and deliverability rate are crucial aspects of an email, there’s no single send time to guarantee a successful email campaign, which is where testing comes into play.

The most popular email marketing services, including ActiveCampaign and AWeber, come with easy-to-use automation tools. These tools simplify the process of creating and scheduling your emails ahead of time.

Launch a Better Fundraiser With Classy

These email subject line examples provide a great starting place for your fundraising campaigns, but there’s more. After your recipient opens your email, the next step is to drive conversion—and that’s where Classy comes in.

Classy’s comprehensive fundraising platform allows you to build customized donation websites, campaigns, and donation forms that can 2x your revenue. Along with safe, seamless payment processing, in-person, virtual, and hybrid event management, and world-class CRM, email, and marketing integrations, your nonprofit can achieve anything it sets out to accomplish.

Schedule a chat with a Classy expert to learn how we can help your nonprofit fundraise with ease.

Article Sources

1. “Email Subject Lines: Best Practices, Tips, and Examples,” Best Practices, Twilio SendGrid, last modified on May 26, 2022, https://sendgrid.com/blog/29-best-email-subject-lines/

Here’s why you should care about your email CTR, with 11 tips to boost your click-through rate and engage donors in a more impactful way.

What Is an Email Click-Through Rate?

Your CTR is the percentage of people who opened your email and clicked on a link within the message. A high click-through rate means you’ve successfully enticed your audience to explore your content and take action.

CTR is an essential metric for nonprofit marketers because it helps you better understand your audience. Engaging subject lines, layouts, and visuals translate to a higher CTR, but it’s up to you to experiment and learn what resonates best with your audience.

If you use an email marketing tool, it should showcase your CTR within its reporting metrics. If not, you can also calculate your email CTR manually. Here’s how: take the number of clicks your email received and divide that by the number of people who opened your email.  Multiply that number by 100 to show a percentage.

Your CTR can vary depending on the email type and specific audience preferences. If you have a lower CTR, now is the time to set a goal to improve it.

How to Increase Email Click-Through Rates

1. Write Compelling Subject Lines

Seasoned nonprofit marketers know that email success starts with the subject line. To engage with your email, readers need to open it first.

Here are a few tips to level up your copywriting:

• Keep it brief. Optimize your language to make the most of the character count limit—about 50 characters or less, including spaces.
• Speak to emotion. Decide what emotion you want your audience to feel when they read your subject line, and craft your message accordingly.
• Use an A/B test. Send the exact same email with two different subject lines. Which one performs better? If your audience ignores questions in subject lines but responds to emojis, that’s valuable insight for future marketing campaigns.

For more tips, check out this blog to achieve better open rates with killer subject lines.

2. Optimize for Mobile

Classy platform data shows that mobile device traffic makes up 56% of all traffic to donation pages. So if your emails look fantastic on a desktop but are cluttered, incomplete, or difficult to navigate on mobile, you’re losing almost half of your audience.

There’s a simple solution for this: preview your email on mobile. Does your layout incite action, or is it a visual headache? With this level of quality assurance, you ensure your message gets delivered the way you intended, no matter how your reader views it. This concept is also known as responsive design.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you look at your email on different devices:

• Are all the links working and pointing to the right places?
• Are the font sizes legible?
• Are our brand colors showing up correctly—or better yet, is the email template designed for accessibility?
• Are the videos and images loading quickly and displaying as intended?
• Are our calls to action (CTAs) clear and easily clickable?

3. Get to the Point

Less is more with email copy. Since most of your audience is reading on their phones, say what you need to say and move on. 

If brevity doesn’t come naturally, try a free app like Hemingway Editor or Grammarly to simplify your writing.

4. Include a Clear Call to Action

Your email should tell your readers what to do, whether donate to your cause, share a campaign page, or sign up for an event. Here are a few tips to ensure your CTA is clear and effective:

• Keep the text brief and actionable (think “Donate Now” or “Sign Me Up”)
• Include the CTA above the fold (near the top of the email), so it’s one of the first things readers see
• Add a secondary CTA toward the end if you plan to send a longer email

5. Use Buttons

To prevent readers from missing your CTA, use buttons with hyperlinks. Your email marketing service should have the option to include an effective donate button or relevant CTA in the body of your email. This step makes your appeal stand out and easier to click, which is a big plus for readers on smartphones and tablets.

You don’t have to limit your CTA copy to phrases like “Donate Now,” either. Experiment with different copy on your CTA buttons that align with the message you want to send. 

In this nonprofit email example, charity: water anticipates the reader will feel confused by an unexpected description of the best holiday gift. So it uses the CTA to echo that emotion with a simple “Huh?” as the button copy. This copy is unique, which can motivate a curious reader to click through.

Most email marketing services allow you to A/B test within the platform, enabling you to experiment with different elements to see what best captures your audience’s attention.

Whether you strictly test for higher open rates or above-average CTR, running A/B tests can provide a wealth of insight into user behavior. Borrow from charity: water’s example and test different variations of CTA button copy to see if one leads to higher CTRs.

6. Keep It Consistent

From your colors to your voice and tone, your nonprofit has specific branding elements that should be consistent across all channels.  Those channels will likely include your website, digital marketing tactics, cost-per-click (CPC) ad copy, campaign landing pages, and emails.

Given that you’re competing for attention in your readers’ crowded inboxes, you want to remain memorable and enable donors to recognize your nonprofit as soon as they receive your email. That means your email colors, font, and voice should also be consistent, from the subject line to the CTA.

Good design also boosts credibility, which is a big deal when seeking donations. Brand consistency is one effective way to show your audience that you’re a trustworthy brand. So be consistent across everything, from your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts to your email campaigns to your landing pages.

7. Include Video

Adding videos to your email can increase CTRs by 200% to 300%, according to a report published by Forrester.¹ Videos are engaging and shareable, helping your brand tell a story.

8. Try Different Layouts

As a rule of thumb, short emails are usually better, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick to one format. Experiment with different layouts to find what works for your message and target audience. Emails tend to break down into two layout types:

• Single-column: Ultra-readable and great for succinct messages with a clear CTA
• Multicolumn: Ideal for emails that include a variety of content, like links to articles and resources

One layout isn’t necessarily better than the other. Instead, it depends on the message you want to send. For example, an event email should lead with the necessary details at a glance, so a single-column format works well here. 

A thank-you email, on the other hand, might invite readers to become more involved with your nonprofit’s ecosystem, so a multicolumn format makes more sense. You can use sidebars and CTAs to direct readers to learn more about your mission, sign up to volunteer, or read beneficiary stories.

9. Include a P.S. Section

Here’s an old copywriting secret: people remember the first and last items in a list significantly more than the rest. Known as the serial-position effect, this concept can pay off big in an email.

If you want to incite a specific action, include it at the beginning and end of your email. If a reader is scanning your message, they might miss the first CTA, but if you repeat it as a final P.S., you cover your bases and catch their eye.

The example below from the National Network of Abortion Funds uses a CTA button near the end of the email, numerous hyperlinks in the closing paragraph, and a P.S. section to offer one more way to support the cause.

This example works because it offers so many options to show support, which allows the donor to choose how they’d like to engage with the nonprofit.

10. Timing Is Everything

Send too many emails, and you’ll end up in the spam folder. Send it at the wrong time, and people might miss your message.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to email frequency and timing. Instead, here are some best practices:

• Time: Send emails between the prime hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Test: Identify when your readers are most active with an A/B test of your email send times. Do you have higher click-through rates at certain times of the day?
• Frequency: Follow a regular cadence with your emails—though you don’t have to send a specific number of emails every month. That might mean one email a month or a week, depending on your organization’s goals and bandwidth.

According to Litmus, nonprofits send fewer emails than other companies.² In fact, about 60% of nonprofits send four or fewer emails per month.

Survey your subscribers (via email and/or social media) to get a sense of their desired email frequency and what topics they want to see. You’ll gain a better understanding of your readership, plus more content ideas.

11. Test and Retest

One of the best and most frustrating parts about nonprofit marketing is that your data will continually change over time. Your email list will grow, your interests (and those of your donors) will change, and how you present your emails will need to adapt.

Support high CTRs by testing everything: subject lines, layouts, content, timing, and design. Doing so will help you learn more about how to make your nonprofit more data-driven using the results of your A/B tests.

Your CTR proves whether you communicated your intended message. That’s why it’s an important metric to keep in mind as you develop your nonprofit’s marketing strategy.

Engage Your Supporters With Classy

These tips to increase your click-through rate aren’t hard-and-fast rules, but starting points. Use them to find what works for your audience and fuels your nonprofit’s mission.

However, getting your email recipients to click through your email is just one step. Once donors land on your donation site, it’s time to convert them. Classy helps you build optimized (and mobile-responsive) donation sites to increase your one-time and recurring donations.

Talk to an expert to see how our fundraising platform can help your nonprofit boost donations and drive engagement with your supporters.

Article Sources

1. “Video Is No Longer an Accessory for Marketing – Here’s What You Need to Know,” Video, Forbes, last modified December 15, 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2016/12/15/video-is-no-longer-a-marketing-accessory/.
2. “Industry Spotlight: Email Marketing at Nonprofits.” Email Marketing, Litmus, April 20, 2020, https://www.litmus.com/blog/industry-spotlight-email-marketing-at-nonprofits/.

Fortunately, nonprofits have an advantage. Emails from charitable organizations receive open rates four times higher than typical marketing emails.¹ However, it’s what happens after the open that determines whether your organization can secure a donation.

Email marketing for nonprofits isn’t too different from traditional email marketing. The key to improving your nonprofit email marketing campaigns’ metrics is to send the right messages to the right donors at the right time. 

Need some ideas on how to craft the right email? Below, we break down nine nonprofit email marketing examples that your organization can use as inspiration for its next campaign.

9 Nonprofit Email Marketing Examples

1. Welcome Emails

It’s crucial to provide new email subscribers with a warm welcome. Welcome emails help strengthen connections with your supporters and increase your chances of getting donations. 

In short, these messages often define your brand’s first impression. And this impression determines if someone makes a follow-up donation or unsubscribes from your email list.

Around 74% of new subscribers expect a welcome email after joining a newsletter, and these messages have an average open rate of 202% higher than traditional email campaigns.² That means your welcome email series is crucial in securing donations.

Take a look at this welcome email example from Save the Children. It accomplishes three things necessary for an effective welcome series:

• Sets a positive tone with the supporters on their email list
• Provides an example of what subscribers can expect
• Highlights the value of the organization

2. Storytelling Emails

No matter what your cause might be, stories should play a central part in your nonprofit email marketing strategy. Strong storytelling draws readers in emotionally and makes them more likely to give.

However, try not to box yourself into thinking of a story only in terms of text. You can also use images to get your message across.

This effective email from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is a shining example of mixing imagery with compelling copy.

The first thing you see is a large, striking photo of a snow leopard looking straight at you. This image helps readers connect instantly with the story WWF is about to tell, especially since some of us care as much about animals as people.³ 

Plus, addressing the reader by name and asking a question directly (“Will you help stop threats …”) starts and ends on an emotional note. Not to mention supporting that emotion with statistics on the mistreatment of snow leopards strengthens the impact of the message.

Whether it’s a personal anecdote from your founder or a captivating story from the field, get creative with your email content. Storytelling emails can be an excellent way to build awareness for your blog as well. Use these well-crafted emails to encourage readers to explore your new posts and stay up to date on your latest program advancements. Hopefully, these topics nudge them to donate. 

Check out how the St. Baldrick’s Foundation does it.

3. Thank You and Update Emails

Thanking donors with a simple note and sharing program updates is a great email tactic to improve donor retention.

Subscribers signal that they want to be kept in the loop when they opt-in to your emails. Providing regular updates keeps your supporters engaged and returning to donate again.

Some ideas you can use in your update emails include:

• Major milestones for your nonprofit, like raising a specific amount of money or helping a specific number of people
• Your organization’s anniversary celebrations
• New programs, upcoming events, fundraising campaigns, or initiatives your nonprofit plans to roll out

The following progress update message from charity: water is a great example. It highlights specifics such as where the donation will go, how many projects funded so far, and how close the project is to its goal.

Highlighting the specific outcome of donations creates a feel-good moment for your subscribers. Small touches, such as the “You are here” marker in the timeline below, make donation goals seem more tangible. Framing these updates as thank-you messages can help increase opens, click-through rates, and your overall deliverability.

4. Holiday Emails

Most charitable giving happens during the year-end season, and email can be a powerful tool to capitalize on that giving spirit. For example, the boom of charitable donations on Facebook in place of holiday gifts shows that people feel inclined to support nonprofits during the holidays. Use your email to suggest that subscribers make donations in honor of others rather than gifting material objects.

This holiday message from Deki is a straightforward example of how nonprofits can solicit donations during the holidays, framing donations as gifts.

In short, don’t be afraid to push for donations during the holidays. People expect it, and they’re ready to answer the call. Sometimes, they just need a gentle nudge.

5. Number and Statistic-Based Emails

Numbers and statistics in your fundraising mail subject lines are a proven way to immediately grab someone’s attention and stand out in your subscribers’ inboxes. Here are a couple of examples:

• There are 844 million people without access to clean water worldwide
• One in five children lacks proper access to food annually in the United States

Build these statistics into the body of your email and your preview text. To see it in action, check out how the example below uses statistics to grab attention and demonstrate the urgency of a situation.

Another way to educate your audience and grab your readers’ attention is by including a donation infographic within your email. This one from Habitat for Humanity of Florida demonstrates how organizations can integrate figures into nonprofit email marketing campaigns.

6. Matching Donation Emails

Double the Donation found that 84% of donors are more likely to donate if their corporation offers a match, and one in three donors would give larger gifts if matching applied to their donation.⁴ 

Reserved for special promotions and used sparingly, messages like this one from WE Charity tend to resonate with readers. The notion of doubling your impact combined with the hopeful copy (“It’s never too late to change the world”) makes it a winner.

While you can run a donation matching campaign anytime, it’s especially impactful during the holidays.

The bold “2” and “Double Your Pledge” call to action (CTA) immediately makes donors feel like they’re getting the maximum value out of their pledge to Sevenly. And we need more of that since an estimated $4 to $7 billion in matching funds goes unclaimed yearly.⁵

7. Question and Survey Emails

When competing with social media and chatbots, anything you can do to open up the lines of communication and make your emails interactive is a major plus.

That’s why surveys and question-based messages like this one from the WWF are smart moves.

Leading to a detailed questionnaire, these emails help you learn more about your subscribers and improve your email list segmentation.

Plus, letting your readers know you’re listening can help distinguish you from competitors in their inboxes. According to Fast Company’s 1,000-cold-email experiment, question-based emails that challenge readers’ brains improved response rates.⁶

Also, surveys help nonprofits achieve personalized emails to provide the right messaging. By surveying your subscribers directly, you can identify relevant forms of A/B testing to conduct and fine-tune your emails accordingly for better engagement. Here are a few A/B testing ideas to consider. 

8. The Minimalist Email

A “less is more” mentality with your nonprofit marketing strategy not only requires reduced legwork but is easier on your readers. After all, your subscribers’ time is valuable, and keep in mind that the average attention span for adults is nine seconds.

With fewer points to drop off or lose your readers’ attention, short emails with simple copy tend to convert better than lengthier ones.⁷ This approach makes it harder for readers to miss your CTA.

Brief messages like this one from UNICEF pack a punch with impactful email design and a clear CTA.

Likewise, this “Learn more” copy and positive imagery from charity: water is a great example of a minimalist email that encourages action.

Getting donors’ attention typically starts with an email, but your long-form landing page with a donation or sign-up form is the critical next piece of the puzzle. Optimize this page to inspire donors to continue moving through the donation funnel.

9. Success Story Emails

Don’t forget to provide your donors with stories of your nonprofit organization’s success and how they’ve contributed to your accomplishments. Highlighting specific success stories or instances of someone benefiting from your work delivers concrete proof of your organization’s impact.

These success stories prove that your organization is honest, good, and reliable. 

This email from charity: water highlights an instance of donations in action by telling the story of Srey and her family in Cambodia. Showing Srey and her new water filter proves that donations do impactful work.

Sticking to the principle of “show, don’t tell,” social proof is proven to increase email engagement. Whether it’s testimonials, smiling faces, or statistics from a fundraising goal, showcase the broader community’s contribution to your cause and make your reader proud to be a part of it.

How Diverse Is Your Nonprofit Email Strategy?

The long-term health of any nonprofit relies on potential supporters converting into loyal donors. And diversifying your nonprofit email marketing strategy with these nine types of messages can help you accomplish that goal. 

However, don’t make email marketing harder than it needs to be. Rather than scramble for fresh ideas, think about simple ways you can start incorporating high-converting elements into your emails. Then, examine your analytics to see which social media posts perform the best or which case studies have the highest views—this content will likely perform well in your email campaigns, too.

Need help bumping up your conversion rates? Trust Classy to help you get the job done. Our fundraising platform can help you build donation sites, peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, recurring giving, and more. We provide you with the basic email marketing tools, integrations, and automation functionality you need to scale your digital donations.

Emil Kristensen is the CMO and co-founder of Sleeknote, a company that helps e-commerce brands engage their site visitors with targeted on-site messages.

Sources

1. “Privacy Policy,” Privacy & Terms, Google, last modified April 17, 2017, https://www.google.com/policies/privacy
2. “7 Best Welcome Email Examples to Engage Your Customers,” Email Marketing, Omnisend, last modified May 4, 2022, https://www.omnisend.com/blog/best-welcome-emails/
3. “Why People Sometimes Care More About Dogs Than Humans,” Psychology, Psychology Today, last modified November 9, 2017, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201711/why-people-sometimes-care-more-about-dogs-humans
4. “Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics [Updated 2022],” Statistics, Double the Donation, last modified 2022, https://doublethedonation.com/matching-gift-statistics/
5. “Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics [Updated 2022],” Statistics, Double the Donation, last modified 2022, https://doublethedonation.com/matching-gift-statistics/
6. “What We Learned From Sending 1,000 Cold Emails,” Email, Fast Company, last modified November 7, 2014, https://www.fastcompany.com/3036672/what-we-learned-from-sending-1000-cold-emails
7. “The Ideal Length of a Sales Email, Based on 40 Million Emails,” Email Marketing, Hubspot, last modified June 10, 2021, https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/ideal-length-sales-email

To help you write an effective fundraising email, no matter what the situation, we’ve put together this two-part roundup with our most popular email resources and templates.

First, we focus on how to nail the many email types your organization might send to potential donors. Then, the second half has the information you need to mobilize your peer-to-peer fundraisers to write emails that inspire their networks to take immediate action.

Fundraising Email Templates and Resources

Email is a significant part of how nonprofits communicate. That’s why we’ve put together the following resources to help elevate your marketing emails.

Learn how to stand out in your donors’ inboxes with:

• Attention-grabbing subject lines that increase open rates
• Captivating stories that emphasize a sense of urgency
• Effective calls to action (CTAs) that drive supporters to your donation page

The Comprehensive Guide to Nonprofit Welcome Emails

The first fundraising email you send to a new community member sets the tone for your entire relationship.

Sending a sequence of emails that introduces your nonprofit organization in a personable way increases the chances donors return with a follow-up donation or nonmonetary contribution. That’s true whether a donor supports your cause through online fundraising, attends one of your events, or contributes their time as a volunteer.

Use these introductory email templates to write a welcome email series that resonates with your supporters and strengthens their personal connection to your cause.

Beginner’s Guide to Email Appeals

In this guide, we review tips for crafting a wide array of appeals for your next email campaign. From peer-to-peer fundraising to recurring giving to year-end campaigns, get the best practices and real examples you need to whip up your donation requests.

26 Sample Email Subject Lines for Your Fundraising Campaign

When increasing your open rate, nothing is as crucial as getting the email subject line right. It’s what hooks someone long enough to decide to give your message a fighting chance.

Email subject lines done right smoothly engage supporters and help bring in the revenue you need to succeed. Use these sample email subject lines and tips to optimize email opens and response rates on desktop and mobile devices.

2 Soft Launch Email Templates to Kick-start Your Fundraising Campaign

A fundraising campaign soft launch—the release of your campaign to a limited audience before the general public—allows your organization to establish early momentum toward its fundraising goals.

These email templates will help introduce your campaign in a way that emphasizes your supporters’ unique value and motivates them to help kick off your fundraising effort.

Learn how to introduce and motivate your biggest advocates to get involved and follow up with the donors who didn’t engage with your appeal the first time.

Templates to Engage Donors Year-Round

It’s critical to communicate with donors in ways beyond hard asks and campaign promotions. Use these templates to develop a well-rounded communications plan that balances the right mix of touchpoints with the donors on your email list.

Donor Retention Email Templates

To retain donors over time and further your relationships, you must diversify your messaging. From messages of thanks, storytelling, and impact, these templates will help elevate your email content and remind you to take the time to offer words of gratitude and heartfelt appreciation.

5 Email Templates for Stronger Recurring Donation Appeals

Well-crafted recurring donation appeals are critical to building, growing, and sustaining a robust recurring giving program. To help inspire your email recipients to get on board with a subscription gift, we’ve crafted five email templates sure to resonate with any audience.

Giving Tuesday Email Templates

Prepare for the days leading up to Giving Tuesday (and the day of) with templates specific to this monumental fundraising event. These 10 email samples will help you rally support no matter what type of fundraising campaign you run for the big day.

6 Giving Tuesday Email Subject Lines to Drive Donations

Get to know the research behind email marketing to make your Giving Tuesday email subject lines stand apart. Get inspired by these creative ideas and experiment with tactics to catch your donors’ attention.

6 Year-end Email Templates to Raise More for Your Nonprofit

If you’re looking to run an exceptionally successful year-end fundraising campaign, email marketing is a wonderful tool to engage new and existing audiences. We’re here to help ensure your communications stand out to your audience to produce the results you want.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Email Templates and Resources

For peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, the need for great emails is twofold. First, you need to have a well-developed email engagement plan to nurture and support your fundraisers’ success. Second, those fundraisers need an effective email engagement plan to rally their personal networks to give.

To help secure a plan for your organizational administrators and peer-to-peer fundraisers, we have two resources to share. One is a guide that will help elevate the emails you send to your peer-to-peer fundraisers. The other is a list of tips and tricks for creating fundraising email templates your supporters can use to reach their individual fundraising goals.

A Guide to Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Emails

When you give your fundraisers the tips and tools they need, their ability to raise significant donations is all the more likely. This guide provides the information you need to keep fundraisers informed, motivated, and moving toward their goals.

These fundraising email examples feature supplemented design callouts and helpful formatting tips to ensure you cover all the bases. Download this free read to prepare for your next peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.

Creating Your Own Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Templates

Once you’ve developed a communications plan to educate your peer-to-peer fundraisers, you’ll want to create fundraising letter samples to supplement the experience.

When your fundraisers have less writing to do, you eliminate a barrier to fundraising and allow them to send quick appeals on your behalf via email, social media, or text. Not to mention, there are certain aspects of a great fundraising appeal—like mission details and calls to action—that your nonprofit is better equipped to write. Take care of those details for them, so supporters don’t have to do unnecessary research.

Below are a few points to include in your letter samples to help guide your peer-to-peer fundraisers toward their goals.

1. Establish the Arc

At a fundamental level, you want to ensure you introduce the problem that needs to be solved, demonstrate a solution to that problem, and end with a strong call to action that invites potential supporters to become a part of the solution.

2. Make It Emotionally Relevant

If you can get readers to imagine themselves as being personally affected, it increases their feelings of empathy with those your organization serves. Another good approach is highlighting a real-life example of someone affected by the cause. This personalization tends to tug at one’s heartstrings to inspire action.

3. Offer a Tangible Impact and Clear Call to Action

It’s crucial to support your call to action with how each donation will make a tangible impact. Correlate your campaign’s default fundraising goal with a specific outcome.

For example, if the default goal is $250, the text for your peer-to-peer fundraisers might read something like: “$250 will fund a full year’s education for five children in the developing world. Join me in making this happen by visiting my donation page!”

Pro Tip

Encourage supporters to highlight their personal connection to the cause in their fundraising letters. A personal note accomplishes two things: it further legitimizes the message in the reader’s eyes and helps the reader empathize with the beneficiaries of the fundraising effort.

For more insight on how to help your peer-to-peer fundraisers reach their goals and maximize their impact, read Quick Tips for Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers to Get Started next.

Whether you’re a regular Canva user or haven’t tried it yet, these eight simple design ideas will help you share your visual story and attract more donors to your cause.

The Power of Visual Designs for Your Nonprofit

Modern marketing is often visual, as platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube set new expectations for viewing a brand’s content.

At one point, a nonprofit’s marketing materials called for an eye-catching logo, branded email signature, and a few design elements used across event signage. Today, marketers need to think about visuals that align with each new fundraising campaign and produce fresh visuals for every post and donor communication they share.

Social media platforms understand this, building engagement algorithms that favor original visuals and video content posted at least several times a week. Each platform additionally asks users to adapt graphic design to different specifications and sizes to fit optimally in their feeds.

Taking a page from social media platforms, nonprofit organizations can get more creative about the visual storytelling by incorporating this element into campaign pages and associating promotions across various channels as design tools become more accessible.

What Is Canva for Nonprofits?

The Canva for Nonprofits program gives social impact organizations free access to premium features and design tools through its interactive platform. Canva’s platform delivers thousands of templates, design tutorials, and premade designs to make your own. However, you must complete an application to qualify.

Registered nonprofit users can then team up on designs and turn their creations into any size visuals they need across fundraising campaigns, social media channels, and various communication channels.

Setting Up Your Brand Kit in Canva

The biggest benefit of using Canva is that you can easily carry out your unique nonprofit branding across designs using its brand kit feature. It keeps your teammates thinking about your core brand values and visual elements as they put a unique spin on existing templates.

You can use the Canva brand kit to store your preferred:

• Main and supporting logos for various campaigns or initiatives
• Color palettes with specific hex codes
• Fonts that match your campaigns and website

8 Simple Designs to Create With Canva Pro for Nonprofits

1. Post Frequently With Social Media Post Templates

Social media platforms help you engage your audience, specifically through stories outside of the more formal posts that live on your feed. Planning story posts can also enhance interactions around your prescheduled content calendar.

However, developing new ideas for social posts that look consistent across platforms can be challenging. Social media graphic templates can help. Create them once, then modify versions for each platform you use with Canva’s Magic Resize tool.

Social Media Post Template Examples:

• Share polls to get your audience thinking
• Announce new campaigns and events
• Offer real-time updates on the progress of your fundraising goals

2. Engage New Donors With a Website Landing Page

Canva now supports web design for quick landing pages outside your existing domains. So with no development knowledge, you can turn a template design into a web landing page using Canva.

It works the same way as creating other templates with simple navigation and access to design elements. You can also link to your donation page or other campaign pages from the landing page designs you create.

Website Landing Page Template Examples:

• Host a splash page to share new projects
• Share a simple newsletter sign-up page
• Build a dedicated page to showcase your recurring donation community

3. Educate Supporters With Video and Animation

Canva’s nonprofit account gives you access to video tools to help you create content that educates people about your organization.

Consider making a founding story video for your nonprofit that appeals to a donor’s emotions. Talk about your organization’s roots, showcase your growth, and help people envision the impact of their support. You can even create videos with your footage or Canva’s library of GIFs and other motion-design elements.

With the animation tools available, you don’t need a B-roll to make something engaging.

Video and Animation Template Examples:

• Develop a fun video message to donors that thanks them, acknowledges them, or keeps them up to date with what you’re doing with their contributions
• Create a teaser video to promote a new campaign you’re launching

4. Stand Apart With Visual Fundraising Campaign Pages

Your fundraising campaigns are essential to convert donors, and visuals create the first impression that welcomes them to your giving experience. Stand out by taking the time to include a compelling campaign header, graphic elements, and logo.

Design can help guide donors to the most impactful step in supporting your mission. So remember, each campaign can (and should) have on-brand visuals and take on its own visual identity unique to that campaign.

Campaign Visual Template Examples:

• Represent your campaign’s goal and those it supports with unique visuals
• Build templates for annual campaigns such as Giving Tuesday fundraisers
• Design powerful hero image templates to use for the top of each campaign page, which Classy recommends sizing to 1280×720 px

5. Build Relationships With Fresh Event Branding

Events are a time to present donors and potential supporters with an unforgettable experience. That has a lot to do with the visual experience they associate with the process, from the point of registration through the live event itself. So unite your online and in-person experiences with consistent branding.

Event Branding Template Examples:

• Design a QR code flyer on napkins, business cards, and posters that links back to your donation page
• Create a distinguished visual identity for your event to use on your registration page and all associated emails

6. Empower Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers

Create the branding you want to showcase on your peer-to-peer campaign page and bring that into each fundraising page to set individuals up for success as they raise money for your cause. Consistent branding and a professional look will help build trust and credibility as new donors learn about your organization.

You want to create visuals your donors want to share on their personal social media and company communication platforms.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Template Examples:

• Design custom images that match your campaign page headers for supporters to share with their communities
• Develop a fundraiser toolkit with social-sharing images you’ve created to match the look and feel of the campaign

7. Showcase Your Work With Infographics

You can tell your supporters about the results you’re achieving with their gifts or show them. Visuals can be a great way to demonstrate your work in numbers and graphs. So create an infographic that you can replicate your impact in an exciting way across any platform you’d like to share with your community.

Infographic Template Examples:

• Turn your annual report into a fun infographic
• Showcase impact with results from specific campaigns
• Develop a year in review to send to donors

8. Keep in Touch With Email Templates

When you think about how many emails come through your donors’ inboxes each day, you can see the importance of making yours memorable. Visuals can connect to a reader and enhance your email communications to drive donors to take action.

Design email templates to keep people excited about your mission and continue the experience after a donation, switching things up for various use cases throughout the year.

Email Template Examples:

• Create a special welcome visual to send to new donors
• Level up your thank you letters to major donors and corporate sponsors
• Build excitement around your weekly newsletter

Bring Your Ideas to Life With Free Canva for Nonprofits

We hope your creativity is flowing with all the possibilities at your fingertips with Canva. You already have an incredible founding story and mission. Now, you can bring that to life to attract even more supporters to raise more. And with consistent branding to reflect your nonprofit’s personality, you’re sure to pull them in.

Get ready to create something amazing.

Why America Gives 2022 found that a top benefit of donating is when loyal donors feel gratitude for the work a nonprofit is doing. Loyal donors are 1.5X as likely to donate because they feel admiration or gratitude for the work an organization does, compared to passive donors. As you’re thinking about retaining donors and their desire to fund your mission, it’s worth noting the value of loyal donors. Surveyed loyal donors show a strong pattern of repeat donations to the same causes or organizations over the last five years.

So, how can your nonprofit tap into the feeling of gratitude within your donor base this holiday season? Fuel your next fundraising campaign with creative ways to showcase donor appreciation and foster donor stewardship. Keep reading to spark your next creative idea.

How Gratitude Builds Deeper Donor Connections

Gratitude is a genuine emotion you can’t force. When nonprofit organizations have donors who feel gratitude for their work, they’re humanizing themselves to build stronger connections. Most donors will feel good in the moment of a donation. Organizations that continue to tap into that emotion to build trust and pride see first-time donors return again.

Gratitude strengthens relationships and has a ripple effect

Harvard shares various studies that look at the relationship between gratitude and relationship building. They state one study of couples found individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner increased the positivity they felt toward the other person. They also became more comfortable expressing their feelings about their relationships.

They also show another study where researchers at the University of Pennsylvania compared a group of university fundraisers who solicited donations as they always had to those who received a pep talk before they made their calls expressing gratitude for their work from the director of annual giving. The second group made 50% more fundraising calls than those who weren’t shown gratitude.

Your relationship with donors is similar to the relationships referenced above, where people find it easier to build trust and connection when they feel appreciated. Below, you’ll see ways to unlock that gratitude in donors, and show your gratitude right back for a strong long-term partnership.

Why Gratitude Matters More Than Ever Before

Gratitude from donors comes from knowing an organization is doing great work. It grows when they feel connected to employees dedicating their time to make it all happen, beneficiaries receiving support and the reason the organization came to be.

As modern donors have more opportunities to give, gaining their gratitude can help you stand out. Understanding their internal drivers may be key to unlocking their attention.

Today, we’ll talk about how you can increase donors’ gratitude for your organization with creative campaigns. We’ll also show you ways to reciprocate that gratitude right back.

How to Practice Gratitude Fundraising With 6 New Ideas

Showcase a Mission to Be Thankful for

Gratitude can play a large role in donor acquisition. Donors may already feel an emotional connection to your work, even if they have never heard about your nonprofit. That’s where you can build lasting relationships that tap into their passions and attract support to your campaigns.

The key is to send a message that doesn’t just ask directly for a generous gift. Instead, focus on building an internal appreciation that naturally leads to generosity.

1. Idea: Showcase bold ways to live out values

Brands that take unexpected and bold actions are the same names you’ll see going viral on social media. People remember what surprises them, and appreciate when the message resonates.

Your nonprofit can gain inspiration from brands who make not-so-subtle stances to live their values in a big way. Start thinking about bringing your mission to life to showcase what donors appreciate most.

An example to inspire you

Inspiration: In 2015, REI closed its doors on Black Friday despite losing out on the profits the biggest shopping day of the year could have brought in. Why? Well, the company prides itself on helping people enjoy the outdoors and knows that its loyal customers share that value. So, they enabled their employees and customers to #optoutside to lead by example.

Turn inspiration into action

Could you have your founder lean on public transportation to lend a vehicle to volunteers to get more done in a heightened moment of need?

Could you have employees donate their pantries to support the hungry?

Maybe you host a competition to see which employee can dedicate the most volunteer time outside of their paid hours to making a difference on the ground.

Making a bold statement comes from the organization’s comfort to identify how to show donors that values will always overshadow income. Use your specific timeframe, mission, and budget to create something that’s unexpected to your audience.

2. Idea: Reach Grateful Donors Through a Corporate Partnership

Your nonprofit is already doing the work that many donors appreciate and connect to. A wider supporter community could simply be a matter of nonprofit awareness.

Even the most passionate donors can only take action if they know about your organization or ways they can offer support. One way to change that is by identifying a corporate partner that these donors already interact.  Build awareness and invite donors to a clear call to action.

An example to inspire you

Make-A-Wish has been teaming up with Macy’s since 2008 on a creative letter-writing campaign built to create hope and spark joy for children during the holiday season. Make-A-Wish is dedicated to helping children fight critical illnesses and their donors are already connected to that. When they paired up with Macy’s, they expanded their reach to entirely new audiences drawn in by the idea of helping children.

Turn inspiration into action

Which businesses can you partner with to reach supporters who already share an appreciation for your work but may not know about your organization?

Does a certain celebrity or public figure regularly advocate for your cause category?

Take the opportunity to have these entities introduce your work to their communities and welcome supporters who come ready with the desire to make an impact aligned with your mission.

3. Idea: Create a powerful visual aid to tap into emotions

The fastest way to resonate with donors is to showcase what they’re most grateful for visually. Consider crafting a video that brings your nonprofit’s beneficiaries and other donors to the spotlight. Highlight voices who can talk directly to other donors about the way your work is making a true difference. A more intimate platform can broaden the connections your message forms with donors.

An example to inspire you

Peloton put out a video campaign titled, “It’s You. That Makes Us.” The video showcases the similarities between Peloton users as they come together as a community, and the brand’s impact on everyone interacting with it daily as part of their lives.

Turn inspiration into action

Imagine a short two-to-five-minute video featuring individuals whose lives were changed by your work. Their personal stories and testimonials can greet each new visitor to your website and instantly pull on their heartstrings.

You could also gather your loyal donors to speak directly to others in a video format. Have them share why they feel grateful to be a part of your mission. That can spark the same emotion in others as you use the footage across various social media platforms and emails.

A single video can establish an appreciation for your nonprofit’s mission and the desire to be a part of it.

How to Show Gratitude to Donors

By showing gratitude to your donors, you express your appreciation and drive donor relationships. Once you have a loyal donor, your ongoing relationship building through gratitude can keep them loyal. Thanking donors also serves as a constant reminder that they mean just as much to your organization as it means to them.

4. Idea: Surprise donors with a personalized touch

Seeing someone’s handwriting on a letter you receive in your mailbox went from typical to novelty. People know your organization is busy, especially at the end of the year. That’s what makes a hand-written letter of appreciation that much more impactful.

An example to inspire you

A popular fitness apparel brands, Sweat Betty, takes up the art of hand-written notes to recognize it’s most loyal customers. They add the elements of personalized details as well as a discount the customer can take action on to continue engaging.

While simple in nature, the notes stood out to customers who are used to digital communications from many of Sweaty Betty’s competitors.

Turn inspiration into action

Consider writing thank you donor communications based on how they’ve interacted with your organization at milestones throughout the year such as:

• Thank your Giving Tuesday donors: Send a hand-written letter thanking Giving Tuesday donors for their support in January, when the giving season passed and the gesture can reignite their spark to get involved

• Acknowledge volunteers: Write a hand-written thank you note showing your appreciation to any volunteer who’s helped bring your work to life in the last year, including details like the exact events or opportunities these volunteers contributed to, the results, and the value of the specific projects they worked on

It’ll be important to note that you know they’re busy, and their time and commitment to donate stand out. If you don’t have the time to handwrite letters, you can also consider sending a short video. The visual messages of gratitude can appeal particularly to younger donors who enjoy connecting on video-based platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

5. Idea: Create an appreciation event

Making people feel special can show your appreciation in a big way. What if you held an online virtual event for your nationwide supporters who’ve contributed to your goals this year? It can also reduce the cost.

An example to inspire you

Dunkin is one of many coffee brands that celebrates its customers with free coffee on National Coffee Day as a widespread event. They take the awareness day and turn it into a way to appreciate the people who make its business successful with thoughtful graphics.

Turn inspiration into action

The virtual format can bring together a large group of people around a value for them and build community through one another’s gratitude.

Here are some ideas to get your started:

• Partner with a local artist to perform a livestream concert

• Ask beneficiaries to share their stories directly to your donors who made their solutions possible

• Have donors volunteer to share the stories that connect them to your cause based on a special invitation

You could also take this idea to an in-person format by hosting satellite gatherings in large cities where your donors are located to get together for dinner or coffee and cover a portion of their bill. As you put your creative spin on these nonprofit fundraising event ideas, you’ll simultaneously expose new donors to the values that keep people connected to your organization.

6. Idea: Celebrate loyalty

Recognition is an incredible way to show gratitude, especially when it’s personalized.

An example to inspire you

Starbucks mastered a loyalty program that makes each and every customer feel rewarded for their purchases, and experience real-time recognition for their engagement with the brand.

Turn inspiration into action

What if you could engage your recurring donor community with a loyalty program that they enter into as they sign up for an automated gift? You can bring the mentality of rewarding their contributions by regularly showcasing their progress throughout the year via email.

Emails that recognize milestones in a recurring donor’s journey such as “$100 contributed for good” or “5-time donation superstar” can build the excitement that Starbucks star rewards program does. You could also offer swag or event registration discounts to donors who achieve certain milestones to keep it gamified.

You can get creative to introduce badges donors can show off on social media to build desire around joining the community to others too. After all, 77% of donors are most likely to learn about new causes by word-of-mouth through their friends and family.

Drive Donor Retention Through Donor Gratitude

Why America Gives 2022 showcases the importance of gratitude to motivate donor loyalty, as well as how donors who show a strong pattern of returning to give again to the same organizations expect to give through 2023.

As you learn more about what drives your donors internally to take action, you can establish an engagement strategy that stands apart and leads to better acquisition, conversion, and retention rates.

If you’re looking to run an exceptionally successful year-end fundraising campaign, email marketing is a wonderful tool to engage new and existing audiences. We’re here to help you ensure your communications stand out to your audience to produce results with free, customizable email templates that you can use as a starting point. 

1. Giving Tuesday Fundraising Appeal

Giving Tuesday, or the Tuesday immediately following Thanksgiving each year, is widely considered the start of end-of-the-year giving for nonprofits. Sending a Giving Tuesday email is a great opportunity to jump into the year-end season with a splash.

2. Giving Tuesday Thank You Message

Giving Tuesday is a short-term fundraising campaign⁠. What happens after the day is over also matters. It’s always important to follow up with thank-you messages to donors who support your cause. After Giving Tuesday, you can use the opportunity to leverage existing giving momentum and begin the transition to your different end-of-year fundraising efforts.

3. Beginning of December Fundraising Appeal

For nonprofit fundraisers, the month of December is essential. Fundraising studies show that more than 30% of total annual giving happens in the final month of the calendar year. As December rolls around, it’s time to increase your fundraising efforts and adjust your strategy. Don’t forget to ingrain a sense of urgency to drive giving!

4. Year-End Giving (and Matching Gifts) Fundraising Emails

This general year-end email template can be used at any time in the final weeks and months of the year. Use it to communicate your organization’s mission, why it matters, and what your supporters can do to play a role. You’ll want to highlight matching gift opportunities, too. 

Research shows that 84% of donors are more likely to donate if a match is offered, and one in three donors indicated they’d give a larger gift if a match is applied. This results in a 51% increase in average gift size and a 71% increase in response rate⁠—great for standing out in the year-end giving season.

5. (It’s Not Too Late) Last Few Days of the Year Fundraising Appeal

You already know that December is a critical time for nonprofit fundraising. However, as the month (and year) wraps up donors tend to get increasingly generous with 30% of annual donation volume on Classy taking place between Giving Tuesday and December 31. Nearly one-third of all donations occur in the last month, and 10% of all annual donations come in the last three days of the year. Thus, it’s time to ramp up your fundraising efforts once again.

6. Previous Donation Matching Gift Appeal

It’s always great to receive new donations in the year-end giving season, especially while generosity is high. What you don’t want to overlook, however, is the potential for existing donations to be matched, allowing the initial contribution to take on new life and do more for your cause. Tons of companies align their matching gift deadlines with the end of the calendar year, which means donations made as early as January can still qualify for corporate matching. Your donors might just need a little end-of-year reminder!

For this, you’ll want to get familiar with top matching gift companies and their match request deadlines. In doing so, you’ll be able to provide donors with guidelines specific to their employers’ programming and drive those still eligible to participate.

Build Off of the Momentum From Year-End Email Campaigns

Take these email fundraising templates, customize the content to make them your own (personalize using donor data), and watch the giving success ensue for your organization. Then, leverage your year-end fundraising momentum straight into the new year.

As you build supporter relationships during the giving season, make sure that your communications don’t fade out once the ball drops.

You can continue to leverage donor messaging strategies to ensure your supporters still feel connected and committed to your organization after the holiday season passes. Use the leading communication tips to engage donors after the giving season and ensure you have their support year-round. With these top strategies, you’ll foster an engaged donor base no matter the season. 

A recurring donation appeal is a specific request for a donor to commit to an automated gift at a frequency of their choice. The difference between an appeal that drives conversions and one that falls flat is the use of descriptive language, engaging visuals, and a clear connection to impact.

To help you successfully convert returning donors into committed recurring supporters, we’ve crafted five email templates sure to resonate with any audience. Pair these templates with graphics whenever possible, like infographics, images, or visual markers. That extra touch can go a long way in driving donors to convert.

Harness the Power of Email to Boost Donor Acquisition

Twenty-six percent of online donors say email is the communication tool that most inspires them to give. When COVID-19 challenged nonprofits to adopt fully-remote operations in 2021, we saw donors respond to email appeals with even larger gifts. In fact, the average amount raised per 1,000 fundraising emails in 2021 jumped from $45 to $78 year over year.

To identify additional opportunities for targeted recurring appeals, it’s important to:

• Evaluate how often you’re communicating with your returning donors
• Organize a recurring donor prospect list to keep tabs on supporters who are taking repeated action on your behalf
• Identify a way to store all of your donor data in one centralized location

With these best practices in place, you will know exactly when it’s time to elevate your communications to inspire a recurring gift.

Template #1: Build social proof with a compelling donor testimonial

Donor testimonials are the pinnacle form of social proof. When deciding whether or not to donate to your cause, donors are consciously or subconsciously looking for validation from others that it’s a smart choice.

How to Leverage This Template at Your Nonprofit

If you already have a recurring giving program in place, tap on existing donors to share their first-hand experiences. Encourage them to explain why they upgraded to a recurring donation and how it has positively impacted their life.

Once you have a recurring donor (or donors) in mind, fill out the prompts that relate to your specific organizational information and then share this template with each individual to help get their creative juices flowing. Encourage each donor to customize the language as they see fit to speak to their unique experience, and be sure to emphasize how much you appreciate their time.

Template #2: Spark an emotional connection to your program with testimonials from beneficiaries 

The most valuable perspective on your organization’s impact comes from those your efforts help. Their views and experiences provide exclusive insight into your program’s effectiveness and, therefore, can inspire supporters to get involved.

How to Leverage This Template at Your Nonprofit

Identify a beneficiary who has openly expressed their appreciation for your nonprofit or who you believe could clearly communicate the tangible impact of each gift. Explain how much you value their perspective and how each testimonial provides your supporter base with greater insight into the impact of each gift.

Next, confirm that the beneficiary you’re reaching out to is comfortable with their name and photo being made public. Once you’ve received their approval, don’t forget to thank them for their participation with a meaningful note, phone call, or cup of coffee.

Once those two steps are complete, fill out the prompts that relate to your specific organizational information before passing it to your beneficiary. Invite them to add their own message and customize the language to reflect their experience.

Template #3: Speak to the long-term impact of a recurring donation

A mature recurring giving program can help improve your nonprofit’s long-term planning and decision-making. Emphasize how this predictable stream of donations can help your organization model out its projected revenue, and remind donors that the impact of their gift will be felt for years to come.

How to Leverage This Template at Your Nonprofit

Determine which member of your team you would like this email to come from, then customize your message to reflect your organization’s unique long-term goals.

Template #4: Invite donors to join your exclusive inner circle 

Your recurring donors are a special cohort that deserve to be treated that way. To increase your chances for conversion, highlight the exclusivity of your program and emphasize the tight-knit community you’re inviting them to be a part of.

How to Leverage This Template at Your Nonprofit

Vet a list of your most passionate supporters, then identify a team member who has had the most interaction with this cohort to be the sender. Consider marrying your appeal with the celebration of a special day for your organization (like your founding day), or try to match it with a timely fundraising goal you’re marching toward.

Template #5: Highlight material items donors could give up in exchange for a recurring gift 

Get creative with how you frame your recurring donation appeal. Rather than sticking with a standard call to action, offer an exchange program that encourages people to donate the money they would’ve spent on a material item toward a recurring donation instead.

How to Leverage This Template at Your Nonprofit

An example of this approach could be encouraging donors to skip one Friday night happy hour each month and instead donate that amount as a monthly recurring donation. Although seemingly small, just $20 a month can add up quickly to impact someone in need.

Confidently Send Donation Appeals to Drive More Recurring Support 

Building a healthy recurring giving program takes time, but starting with a strong donor acquisition strategy is the first step. Create an exciting opportunity that your community wants to be a part of, and remind donors just how much of an impact their contributions make on the lives of those you serve.

Already a Classy Customer?

The more people rely on their phones for everything from grocery shopping to buying a home, the more expectations they may subconsciously form about making a mobile donation. We know donors are giving through mobile devices at increasing rates from our The State of Modern Philanthropy report.

Now, it’s about understanding how to mimic these innovative e-commerce transactions to simplify giving and capitalize on that mobile traffic. One way to better understand how people may interact with the giving experience is to observe mobile shopping trends.

Exploring the Tie Between Mobile Shopping and Online Donations

The trends we’ll talk about here are not limited to just consumer and donor behaviors. They’re leading indicators of human behavior in the age of technology.

Mobile experiences aren’t linear. For example, someone may see a sneaker ad on Instagram, do a quick Google search to learn more about the brand, and then download its app to make their purchase using a digital wallet.  Nonprofits can benefit from understanding these various consumer pathways to optimize donor interactions through mobile devices and guide supporters on a more seamless route to their donation page.

Mobile Shopping Is Driving More Sales

Mobile shopping, often referred to as m-commerce, reached $359.32 billion in sales in 2021. For context, that’s a 15.2% increase from 2020, when mobile interactions spiked due to social distancing.

While growth is steady, the biggest reason to pay attention to mobile commerce is the potential surge ahead. By 2025, mobile commerce is expected to bring in $728.28 billion in sales across the U.S. alone.

While mobile isn’t a new concept, it’s an opportunity for businesses and organizations to convert larger audiences with increased convenience, speed, and security levels. It’s not just about having a mobile-optimized site, but rather an experience that makes every step simpler. Did you know that 57% of customers won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile website? Half will not recommend a company with a poorly designed mobile website.

Nonprofits, let’s take note and get proactive. We’ve researched four key mobile shopping trends that will help you see what captured the interest of a passive visitor and how to convert that into a completed donation for your cause.

4 Mobile Shopping Trends That Predict Donor Behavior

Trend 1: QR Codes Drive Immediate Action

Let’s start with the simple, tiny square graphics that bring shoppers exactly where a brand wants them to go. QR codes are being scanned at increasing rates to get people to specific links in seconds.

Blue Bite found that between 2018 and 2021, interactions per QR code increased by 98%. That number shows just how fast this method for sharing information took off.

The easy-to-create images are used for everything from tipping your hairstylist on Venmo to accessing the latest specials at a restaurant.

The appeal is in the convenience of accessing a link without jumping through hoops. Once you’ve accessed a link, it’s stored in your phone’s history to reference or send along with ease.

Donor Behavior Prediction: QR code donations will rise

In 2021, 41% of millennials and 32% of Gen Z donors told us they’d lean toward QR code donations in the future. Donors know exactly what to do when they see these codes, so help them get to your desired donation or campaign pages quicker by including them on:

• Swag
• Brochures at local businesses
• Event signage
• Holiday giveaway items
• Gift wrap
• Business cards
• Posters
• Direct mailers

Trend 2: People Are Purchasing More Through Social Media

Social media evolved drastically in the past year to benefit business accounts and those selling directly from platforms like Facebook and Instagram. To paint a picture of the reach social media has today, consider that 90% of Instagram’s 1 billion users follow at least one business, and 1 in 2 people use Instagram to discover new brands.

It’s almost essential to note that once users land on a social media ad or appeal, they don’t want to leave the platform to complete a purchase. And why should brands want them to? The more points of friction added to a user’s experience, the greater the risk of losing that individual’s interest.

There’s power in presenting people with the option to take immediate action in a moment of heightened interest. Social commerce is taking flight in creative ways that step away from typical sales tactics, including new short-form video content and partnering with trusted influencers to guide consumers’ purchase decisions.

Donor Behavior Prediction: People will seek out charitable causes on social

You can expect donors to click through your social posts the same way they interact with their favorite shoe brand. Link your donation or campaign pages directly from Instagram and Facebook Stories, and add those same links to TikTok videos when it makes sense.

Beyond that, more donors may be open to purchasing tickets to an event or buying merchandise that benefits your organization directly on social media, as they do for brands taking advantage of the Facebook Shop feature.

Here’s a breakdown of the social media platforms each generation of donors looks at  to find new causes to give to:

Trend 3: The Shopping Experience Is Taking Off Through Apps

Cart abandonment is around 97% for mobile sites, compared to just 20% for mobile applications. Globally, mobile e-commerce applications were installed at a 10% higher rate in 2021 than 2020.

We’re used to mobile apps for just about everything we do, and the shopping experience on these apps has only gotten better. Mobile apps get people to act and remain within a specific organization’s experience. There are far fewer distractions that could take their attention away.

Donor Behavior Prediction: Mobile apps will grow to meet donor demand

Most donors will be delighted to use an app experience that ties them to your organization. Our recent event attendee sentiment research shows us that for fundraising events specifically, donors would like to use a mobile app to:

• View the agenda
• Check-in upon arrival in person
• Mobile bidding for auctions
• Donations during the event
• Live notifications with updates and happenings

Nonprofits can creatively deliver on the convenience people love at fundraising events, mainly by asking their fundraising platforms to offer an easy-to-use mobile application for donors.

Trend 4: Simple Checkout Experiences Convert

Mobile wallets solve the frustration of digging around in your bag or coat pocket to find the right card. The ease of a quick checkout on mobile is part of what makes the entire process so attractive.

Edesk predicts that e-commerce businesses can increase conversions by 35.26% with a better checkout design. People don’t want to search for their credit card numbers to make a purchase when one-click payments have become the norm through Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo, and more mobile payment apps.

Donor Behavior Prediction: People expect one-click payments

Donating through PayPal or Venmo captures the interest of 55 percent of donors who share that they would likely donate through these methods if they are offered.

To avoid the loss of donations due to donor frustration, consider how these one-click payment options and checkout modals can help increase conversions for your nonprofit.

See just how Golden Harvest Food Bank doubled the size of its recurring giving program after adopting digital wallets. The organization raised more than $13k through PayPal alone in December 2021.

Don’t Miss Out on Mobile-Savvy Donors

Let’s look at the way donors interacted with nonprofits on their mobile devices in 2021 to indicate how we’ll see the behavior trend this year.

Of donors who made an online donation:

• 58% donated via a website on their phone
• 23% donated via an app on their phone
• 14% donated through text message

These numbers show us the power of efficient mobile payment options, on-the-go fundraising opportunities, mobile-optimized donation forms, and frictionless transactions from any device. More options mean more donation potential.

Your Giving Tuesday email subject lines are what get donors in the door to see the work you’ve put into your compelling campaign. To compete against the 121 emails an average office worker receives every day, it’s crucial to stand out. 

Get to know the research behind email marketing to make your Giving Tuesday email subject lines stand apart. Get inspired by these creative ideas, and learn which tactics are worth trying to catch your donors’ attention. 

Giving Tuesday Email Subject Lines: What You Need to Know 

Familiarize yourself with these five basic best practices to make the most of your Giving Tuesday email appeals.

1. Make it personal 

Emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened and lead to revenue that is 5.7 times higher than those with generic subject lines.

Donors don’t want to be treated like just another name on your email list. Personalize your subject line to show them that you acknowledge and appreciate their unique value. Prove that you’ve taken time out of your day to make each person feel special. 

2. Tell donors why your cause needs immediate support   

Donors are quickly skimming their inboxes to see what messages are important right now and which ones can wait. To avoid being overlooked, ensure your subject line is both timely and relevant. Create a sense of urgency to give donors a reason to explore your message further. Otherwise, your critical call to action may be skipped over as they move on to the next notification. 

3. Say a lot with fewer words 

Mailchimp recommends no more than 9 words or 60 characters per subject line, and research shows that roughly 41 characters is the optimal length. 

You don’t have much time to get your point across before a donor scrolls past your message, so include your call to action at the beginning of your subject line where it’s most likely to be seen. 

4. Incorporate words that spark interest  

Influence your open rates by including words that are proven to catch donors’ attention. Peak their curiosity and motivate them to explore your message further.

Here are a few ideas from CoSchedule’s 100 Words That Increase Email Subject Line Opens to get you started:

• Celebrate 
• Contest
• Exclusive 
• Introducing 
• Register 
• Special 
• Today Only 
• Upgrade 

Explore the rest of the list here. 

5. Be aware of words that trigger spam filters 

While you’re at it, make sure to avoid words that could land your email in a donor’s spam folder. 

CoSchedule’s list of 100 Words That Decrease Email Subject Line Opens includes:

• Alert 
• Congratulations
• Free
• Greetings
• Midnight 
• Prize 
• Request 
• Time limited 

Be sure to avoid these, and the 92 others on this list. 

Try Something New With These 6 Giving Tuesday Email Subject Lines 

With the basics in mind, think about how you can add a Giving Tuesday twist to your email subject lines this giving season to elevate your campaign, spark interest in your cause, and incentivize donors to stop the scroll.  

1. Urgent: Tax Deadline Approaching

Lean into the timeliness of tax season to incentivize charitable giving. 

Although seemingly simple, the urgency of this subject line highlights an important deadline that donors don’t want to miss. It reminds people that this is the last opportunity to contribute to your organization while simultaneously boosting their personal tax deductions—a true win-win. 

2. Re: Your Giving Tuesday Donation to [Organization Name]

Draw your donors in by peaking their interest, then land the hook with a strong appeal once they’ve opened your message.

By leaving this subject line open-ended, donors are left with a need to know more. Brevity tends to leave people questioning the information they’ve received, so keep it short and allow their curiosity to take over.

3. [Name], thank you for your monthly gift. Can we ask a favor for Giving Tuesday?

A strong recurring donor base is the lifeblood of any nonprofit. Highlight the generosity of your recurring donors with a compelling subject line and lean on them to fuel your campaign goals. 

With a hint of personalization, speak to each recurring donor like you’re speaking to a friend. Pose a direct question to make it clear what they can expect from your message, and be sure to include “Giving Tuesday” so the timeliness of your ask is top of mind.

4. Can you introduce me to your friend? 

When done well, humor can be a great way to naturally attract donors and create a deeper, more authentic connection with your organization. 

This subject line is perfect for a peer-to-peer fundraising appeal, which invites donors to tap into their personal networks to raise money on behalf of your nonprofit. When coupled with a simple line that makes your audience crack a smile, this call to action is sure to motivate action.

5. You’re Just Minutes Away From Saving a Life

Communicate the ease and impact of making a donation by highlighting the seamless user experience your organization offers. Set the tone for your email by evoking emotion and speaking directly to the hearts of your supporters. Tap into strong storytelling tactics to introduce your campaign narrative in the subject line, then seamlessly expand on your story in the email appeal itself to drive conversion. 

6. Are you free on November 30? 

Make sure the date for Giving Tuesday is marked, circled, and underlined on your donors’ calendars by including it in a handful of your subject lines leading up to the giving day. 

An informal, conversational tone lends itself well to a receptive response, so be sure to keep it casual. Attaching a date to your message also helps support the timeliness of your message and the relevance of your call to action. This approach is particularly helpful if it’s your first year promoting a Giving Tuesday campaign, so donors know when to provide the most value.

Get Started 

Every email you send is another opportunity to secure a donation for your Giving Tuesday campaign and take a step toward achieving your goal. 

Get your foot in the door with a strong subject line, and then continue the donor journey with an email that inspires immediate action. 

To elevate your email appeal, remember to:

• Optimize for mobile devices to avoid the risk of leaving donations on the table
• A/B test your message prior to sending to see which appeal resonates most with your audience
• Include visual content to demonstrate how your organization is working to solve a very real, very tangible, problem
• Segment your audience and adjust the suggested giving level options accordingly
• Offer a recurring giving option to establish predictable funding for your mission and allow supporters to give effortlessly over time

For more ways to take your Giving Tuesday fundraising efforts to the next level, check out our Giving Tuesday Resource Center for 50+ free resources all in one place, including everything from templates and checklists to creative campaign examples. 

We’ve created two email templates to guide the way your nonprofit reaches out to your inner circle of supporters during your next soft launch. Learn how to introduce and motivate your biggest advocates to get involved, and how to follow up with the donors that didn’t engage with your appeal the first time around.

Email #1: Introduce the Campaign

When you kick off your soft launch, your first email appeal to your loyal group of supporters should set the tone for the campaign, get them excited, and include a compelling call to action.

To get started crafting the perfect email appeal, prioritize these must-have elements:

• Set your email apart with a unique subject line. Make sure it’s timely, personalized, and has a sense of urgency. You could also try posing a question, like “True or false: $50 can save a life.”
• Make it personal. Mention the donor’s past involvement with your organization and the impact their previous gifts have made. If possible, use tangible examples to show how their personal contributions have supported your mission.
• Use language that creates a sense of exclusivity. Remind your donors that they bring a unique value to your organization.
• Explain your motivation. Make it clear what need your campaign is addressing and why it matters to your donors.
• Provide all of the details. Clarify the campaign type, start and end dates, specific goals, and any other pertinent information your donors might want before getting involved.
• Clarify your call to action. Keep it simple with one clear CTA to avoid overwhelming your donors.
• Offer unique incentives or perks. Emphasize that these incentives are only offered to your most avid supporters.
• Provide multiple ways to give. Make it as easy as possible for donors to finalize their gifts by offering options like ACH, credit cards, and digital wallets like Google Pay or Apple Pay.
• Provide a point of contact to answer any questions. Let your donors know that there is always someone available to help them navigate the campaign.
• Include all necessary tools to fundraise, if applicable. Include fundraising FAQs, toolkits, and campaign examples to guide your supporters. Offering to help each donor customize their personal fundraising page is another nice touch.

Email #2: Follow Up With Unengaged Donors

Even if you’ve crafted the world’s best appeal, it’s possible some donors won’t engage. A strategic, personalized follow-up email can be the motivation a donor needs to take that next step.

Keep these elements in mind when drafting your next follow-up email:

• Include their name in the subject line. Prove to your donor that they weren’t part of a mass email chain and that you truly value their involvement.
• Be specific in your storytelling. Share how this campaign will impact a particular beneficiary. If possible, include data to show the full extent of the problem you’re addressing.
• Provide campaign updates. Donors want to participate in a winning effort, so share the success you’ve had so far.
• Ask for feedback. Encourage your donor to suggest how you can improve your campaign to show that you care about their involvement and value their input.
• Re-emphasize the unique incentives or perks. Remind each donor that these perks are only offered to this select group.
• Provide multiple ways to give. Even more importantly now, meet your donors where they’re at to ensure a frustrating checkout process doesn’t discourage them from finalizing their gift.
• Set them up for success. If your supporters are being asked to fundraise, do the hard work for them by highlighting the resources, guides, templates, and examples you’ve created to make the process easier.

Use these soft launch email templates to help guide your email strategy and boost donor engagement so that your campaign can hit the ground running in the next phase of your launch.

Takeaways

• Make sure your subject line is personalized, timely, and intriguing to the donor
• Use language that makes each donor feel special
• Tell the story of your campaign and how each gift can get you closer to your goal
• Be clear on your call to action and emphasize how easy easy it is to get involved
• Provide resources, contact information, or toolkits to ensure your donors and fundraisers feel supported

To learn more about elevating your email communication strategy, check out our other templates:

• 9 Email Templates to Engage Donors Year-Round
• 10 Giving Tuesday Email Templates
• 16 Email Templates for Giving Tuesday Through Year-End
• 8 Email Templates to Upgrade Your Recurring Donors
• 13 Donor Retention Email Templates
• 16 Email Templates to Retain Crisis Donors

Have you registered for the can’t-miss nonprofit conference of the year?

With the investment you put into attracting new donors, it’s worth taking time to analyze which of your donors have lapsed in their activities and email engagement with your nonprofit and establish a re-engagement plan. In this post, we’ll cover how you can define an unengaged or lapsed donor group and tips for encouraging them to invest in your mission again.

1. Establish a Definition for an Unengaged or Lapsed Donor

You need to know which donors fall into your “unengaged” or lapsed category in order to set up an effective targeting strategy. Defining and grouping these supporters into their own segment will allow you to send email campaigns specifically to them.

There are a variety of filters you can choose to identify this group. Some common characteristics could include donors who:

• Haven’t opened one of your emails in greater than 120 days
• Haven’t made a donation to your nonprofit in more than 365 days
• Hasn’t attended one of your events in over a year
• Stopped volunteering regularly for greater than 90 days

Once you create your “unengaged” or “lapsed donor” segment, you can begin your outreach. Have a process in place to move donors out of this segment and back into your engaged segment, as needed. Depending on your email marketing software and other tools, you can likely automate that process based on if donors open or click links within your emails.

2. Use a Creative, Mobile-Friendly Subject Line

Standard email best practices apply to re-engagement emails, as well. This includes having a succinct, appealing subject line. To ensure your subject line doesn’t get cut off for donors viewing your message on a mobile device, keep its length to around 30 characters.

Grab your supporters’ attention by using words that create a sense of urgency, make the email appear personal, or catch the reader’s eye by contrasting text with numbers. If it fits with your brand’s voice and tone, think of the subject line as a cheeky conversation with an old friend you haven’t heard from in a while.

Some examples of subject lines for personalized re-engagement emails could include:

• Jane, we miss you! Just checking in.
• Hey, Alexis! Let’s reconnect today.
• It’s been 90 days, Ted, but who’s counting? (It’s us.)
• Hello out there! Is this thing on?
• Sara, make sure not to miss these 3 big updates!

3. A/B Test Your Re-Engagement Email Campaigns

Following industry standards is a great place to start with your re-engagement campaigns. For example, more emails are opened during the weekday than on weekends, with Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday having the highest open rates. However, as with other emails you send to your supporters, you can use A/B testing to see if different approaches garner greater engagement.

With this method, you send two versions of your campaign to sample subsets of your target email segment, with just one element being different. This might be the send time, subject line, promotional offer, or other variable. After running your test, review the open rate, click through rate, and other engagement measures for each. Whichever has a higher rate of engagement is the one you’ll send to your full list.

Investing some time into A/B testing your re-engagement email campaigns can help your nonprofit better understand your unengaged donors and the communication approaches to which they’re more likely to respond.

4. Make a Personal Ask for Donor Feedback

Your re-engagement emails should include a message personally addressed to the lapsed donor mentioning that you haven’t heard from them in a while, so you wanted to check in. This greeting shows them that you’ve noticed their absence and care about them.

Take that personalization a step further by making an ask for feedback. This shows that you also care about their involvement with your nonprofit. You can include a link to a short survey or have your supporters reply directly to your email to collect responses on how they like to engage with your nonprofit, their preference for email frequency, and how you can do better in your communications with them.

In general, people want to help, but they don’t always know how they can if you don’t ask them.

5. Focus on Impactful Storytelling

Supporters likely came to your nonprofit in the first place because they believe in your mission. Storytelling is a key tool for reminding your unengaged donors about the impact you’re making toward that mission thanks to people like them. Ensure your re-engagement emails elevate the story of your nonprofit.

Share how your work impacted a particular person who received your services. This provides a relatable main character to your story, as well as an emotional tie. You can also tell your story by highlighting powerful data that show the full extent of the problem you’re addressing, as well as how much progress you’ve made toward solving that issue.

With storytelling, you’re not just asking unengaged donors to re-engage; rather, you’re showing them why they should.

6. Incentivize Donor Engagement

When trying to stand out in a crowded inbox, it can help to occasionally add an incentive to your email to further encourage engagement. As part of your re-engagement email, consider including something extra for the supporter in exchange for their attention.

For example, if the lapsed donor fills out your survey on how they like to best engage with your nonprofit, let them know you’ll be sending them some free branded swag from your nonprofit. You could also run a time-limited raffle to win a ticket to your next event or a free registration for your next race, letting your unengaged donor know that you’d love to see them again soon.

Another way to incentivize your unengaged donors is by highlighting a matching gift campaign. Let them know that if they donate again now, their gift could be doubled by a matching gift. This encourages re-engagement because your supporters see how they can make an even bigger impact.

7. Send an “Anniversary” Email

If it has been a year since your lapsed supporter last donated, send an email reminding them of the gift they gave and what it has since helped your nonprofit achieve. You can include a donation button in your email suggesting they donate that same amount again, or even commit to a recurring gift to continue making a lasting impact on the population you serve.

If you have an unengaged supporter who ran a peer-to-peer campaign last year for their birthday, you can also send them an anniversary email in advance of their birthday to wish them a happy celebration this year. This serves as both a meaningful personal connection that demonstrates how your nonprofit values them, as well as a nudge to consider fundraising for their birthday again this year. Send your email a few weeks in advance of their actual birthday so they have enough time to set up their campaign page and fundraise effectively for their big day.

8. Provide Multiple Options for Giving

When encouraging unengaged donors to give again, it can be helpful to show them the many different ways they can support your nonprofit. Doing this allows them to engage in the capacity that is best for them right now.

Some of the giving options you may want to highlight in your emails include:

• Opportunities for utilizing a peer-to-peer-fundraising platform
• Reminders about event registrations
• Details on fundraising through Facebook using the Classy for Facebook integration
• Descriptions of current volunteer or in-kind donation needs
• Instructions on how to select your nonprofit as their Amazon Smile recipient

Another key giving option to highlight is signing up to become a recurring donor. By selecting an automatic monthly gift, your supporters can commit to any size donation and be able to continue supporting your mission on a regular basis without having to think about it.

You can even run an entire email campaign specifically targeted at turning lapsed donors into recurring donors by leaning into the messaging of this being an easy, automatic giving option for busy supporters who may otherwise forget to check-in often enough to donate.

Engage Your Unengaged Donors Using a Personal Touch and Impactful Storytelling

If some of your donors haven’t engaged with your nonprofit in a while, not all hope is lost. Re-engage these lapsed donors with emails that include impactful storytelling, personal touches, and giving options that meet them where they are.

Unfortunately, simply having a year-end appeal scheduled doesn’t mean you’re making the most of year-end fundraising. If you aren’t reaching out often enough, at the wrong time, or sending ineffective appeals, you can inadvertently leave support on the table. Keeping this in mind, we came up with six types of year-end email appeals that are sure to flop. Read on to make sure your team isn’t planning to send any of these email flops.

Flop #1: The Stand-Alone Email Appeal

If you were planning to send a single email appeal this year, it’s time to reconsider your approach. The average office worker receives 121 emails per day and this only increases during the holiday season when inboxes are flooded with messages from friends, family, and other organizations.2 That means it’s easy for people to miss or disregard a single message (even if they don’t mean to).

Instead, a better approach is to develop a larger narrative across a series of emails. According to an M+R study comparing a multiple email series to stand-alone emails, a 2-3 part email series had four times the response rate and nearly double the average donation size. Create a cohesive email campaign to maximize your chances of reaching your supporters and increasing donations to reach your fundraising goal.

Flop #2: The One-for-All, All-for-One Appeal

People expect a tailored content experience, so sending mass emails is an inefficient marketing practice at any time of the year. This is particularly risky during year-end when your supporters receive more emails than usual and irrelevant messages end up in the trash or even worse-lead to an unsubscribe.

To nurture the donor relationship and improve your chance of engagement, you need to make sure your year-end appeals are personalized and as relevant to supporters as possible. This means you need to know how to segment your nonprofit email list so you can send targeted messages to specific groups of supporters. There are many ways you can segment your donor data, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Frequency of donations
• Last donation amount
• Last donation date
• Specific campaigns or programs supported
• Volunteers
• Peer-to-peer fundraisers

Flop #3: The Appeal That Links to a Generic Donation Form

Your year-end appeal should have specific messaging and branding that underlines the importance of making a gift during the holiday season. But if your uniquely-branded message directs a donor to a generic donation page, supporters can quickly lose the emotional push inspired by your email copy, images, and narrative.

Instead, connect your special appeals to a custom donation form that reiterates the same branding, images, and copy. Consistency between your appeal and donation page enables you to sustain the emotional momentum your appeal helped create. This way, you’ll be able to maximize your conversion rate for that email appeal as part of maximizing your end of year giving campaign.

You can also use customized donation pages for specific donor segments to help drive higher returns. For example, if you segment your donor data by past gift amounts, you can send each group of donors to different donation forms with appropriate default gift ranges. Knowing how to create data-driven donor segments plays well into your year-end strategy as it can help motivate targeted supporter groups to upgrade their gift amount without inadvertently downgrading larger donors.

Flop #4: The Appeal that Isn’t Mobile-Responsive

Has learning how to make your nonprofit mobile friendly crossed your mind at some point? This one can be a bit more difficult to implement, but it’s worth keeping in mind even if it can’t be addressed right away. A recent study found that during a year-long period, 55% of emails were opened on mobile devices and another report stated that people are quick to delete or unsubscribe from messages that aren’t optimized for smaller screens.^3,4

To improve your chances of getting smartphone users to your donation page, make sure your email appeals are beautifully formatted for small screens.

Here are a few ways you can optimize your email appeal and streamline the mobile giving experience:

• Create emails using a mobile responsive template so that they’ll look great on any device
• Make sure to use 16px as a minimum font size for body copy, and 22px for headlines
• Make your CTA touch-friendly by using a button instead of a hyperlink and making sure the button is at least 44 x 44 pixels so they can easily tap to take action

Flop #5: The Appeal That Isn’t Urgent

If your appeals don’t spark a sense of urgency, people won’t be motivated to respond to your appeals right away. And if they don’t respond now, they may never respond. Your year-end appeal should communicate an important, pressing, and specific need for your cause. Using powerful fundraising words that create a sense of urgency around your call to action, like “now,” “today,” or “immediately.”

Deadlines also fuel a sense of urgency and the perfect deadline to use for your year-end appeal is … the end of the year! A few days before December 31, you can send a reminder email that there’s a limited time to make tax-deductible gifts for the year.

We also suggest sending a couple of emails on December 31 to count down the number of hours left to make a donation. Deadlines can raise a sense of urgency and compel supporters to act immediately, however, it’s important to note that you should always have a reason to email supporters-and that reason isn’t strictly to ask for a donation.

In your last few email appeals of the year, include campaign progress updates, demonstrate programmatic impact, and share your excitement with your supporters so that they feel like a valued member of your community.

Here’s an example of a December 31 email template we include in our guide, 16 Email Templates for Giving Tuesday through Year-End:

Flop #6: The Appeal that Ignores Donors

A key element of every fundraising appeal and campaign is following up with donors, whether that be sending a year-end thank you donor letter or email. At the very least, your donors should receive a thank-you email after they make their gift. On top of that, you should include them in a stewardship campaign that thanks them for contributing to your year-end fundraising efforts.

Given that 70 to 75% of one-time donations from Giving Tuesday through December 31 are made by new donors, January is one of the most important times of year to focus on donor retention.⁵

A donor retention email campaign can include:

• An annual impact report to show what your nonprofit organization achieved this past year
• The results of your holiday campaign and its impact on your mission
• Your plans and goals for the New Year
• A detailed note of appreciation for your donors
• How funds will be distributed in the upcoming year

As you plan and craft your year-end appeals, make sure to steer clear of any mistakes that can jeopardize your chances of success at reaching your fundraising goal. Tweaking these various elements can make a huge difference in how supporters respond to your year-end ask. Invest the time and effort to improve your appeal’s message and delivery, and maximize your returns this annual giving season.

Sources:

1. https://www.networkforgood.com/resource/the-network-for-good-digital-giving-index/
2. https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/shocking-truth-about-how-many-emails-sent/
3. https://www.validity.com/everest/returnpath/
4. https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/7-stats-that-will-make-you-rethink-mobile-email/
5. https://learn.classy.org/state-of-modern-philanthropy-2018

This post was updated for current best practices.

In previous years, Classy’s Why America Gives report has focused on consumer giving trends, what motivates donors to give, and their plans for Giving Tuesday and year-end giving. In our third-annual edition of Why America Gives, the 2020 report measures these year-over-year changes in giving sentiments and behaviors; in addition, it also analyzes how current events—specifically the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice movement—have altered giving trends.

Most importantly, we wanted to pose the questions:

• How have the events of this year affected donor behavior?
• Will supporters be giving more or less than last year?
• Have COVID-19 and the fight against social injustice changed the causes or organizations donors will give to?

We sent out a survey in September 2020 to poll 1,000 individuals across the United States, all of whom were age 18 or older, to find out.

Based on the results of our survey, we’re optimistic about what the giving season holds for nonprofits. Below, we explore some of the major key findings from the report, but make sure you download your free copy of Why America Gives now to get all the insights.

The Outlook for the 2020 Giving Season Is Positive

The Giving Tuesday movement has grown to the point where over half of Americans have an awareness and understanding of the giving day. In 2020, 67% of our survey respondents who are familiar with Giving Tuesday donated last year, compared to 53% in 2019 and 57% in 2018.

Further, our survey results show that Americans still plan to give the same amount, or more, than they did in 2019. Among those who plan to give more, 33% say it’s because the societal need seems greater this year. Despite the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, people still feel compelled to give, so don’t pass up an opportunity to engage your supporters with an ask.

COVID-19 Fuels Charitable Giving

Despite the financial challenges many Americans are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 39% of our survey respondents said they definitely or probably will give more to nonprofits in 2020 than they did in 2019. The main driving factor behind this is that many see a greater societal need in 2020 than in previous years.

When asked which causes Americans were most like to support, respondents chose healthcare as the top cause category ahead of disaster relief, the environment, and education. Still, whether your nonprofit is health-related or not, you can be confident that prospective donors are looking for ways to support relief efforts alleviating various challenges presented by the pandemic.

The Social Justice Movement Creates an Influx of New Donors 

Our survey results show that many Americans are actively looking for ways to support causes fighting for racial equality. In fact, 42% of respondents either donated, or planned to donate, to social justice causes in 2020.

Interestingly, 58% of these donors claim this was their first gift ever made to the social justice cause sector, and 43% said this donation was made in addition to other contributions. This shows us that current events play a major role in creating new donors, but for nearly half of all people, it doesn’t replace their regular giving.

Virtual Fundraising Events Generate Attention and Donations

Countless nonprofits were forced to pivot their in-person events to virtual events after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but donors weren’t driven away by this change. Our survey results show that nearly 30% of respondents have supported or participated in a virtual fundraising event since the beginning of the pandemic.

Of that 30%, the majority claim they have donated more in the virtual environment than they did at in-person events. This aligns with how many nonprofits have seen comparable or higher fundraising revenue generated from virtual events as well. Moving forward, the social sector will likely continue to host virtual events, even when in-person events make a return.

Download Why America Gives 2020 for More Insights

These insights are only the tip of the iceberg for this year’s edition of Why America Gives. Download the full report now and explore:

• Which causes Americans favor most
• The role politics plays in giving
• How donors prefer to give
• Insights around Giving Tuesday and year-end

Strengthen Your Donor Engagement at the Leading Nonprofit Conference

Effective thank you messages are an opportunity to let your supporters know you appreciate them, show them how their charitable contributions will be put to use, and further communicate your brand and mission. The end of the year is also the perfect time to reflect on what they were able to help you accomplish throughout the year and how donations will allow you to meet your goals for the coming year.

Below, we cover six approaches to year-end thank you emails paired with real-world examples to inspire how you’ll add a personal touch to your end-of-year appreciation.

1. Highlight the Impact of Small Donations

You may already know that even small donations can make a big impact, but have you expressed that to your supporters? Let your donors know that no matter the size of their gift, they are making a difference. Even if a donor gives just $5, that could be the start of a lifelong relationship with your nonprofit organization. They may choose to become a recurring donor, volunteer at one of your events, or encourage their network to donate. By elevating the power of small donations in your year-end thank you email, you help cultivate that potential donor relationship.

In LoveYourBrain Foundation‘s Giving Tuesday follow-up thank you email, the team shares that 70% of the donations they received were $100 or less, even though they raised an impressive total of $60,000. They use this figure to tie back to their mission by emphasizing the importance and power of coming together to create a supportive network, just like they do for people affected by traumatic brain injuries. This framing has the potential to encourage future support from the campaign’s donors.

2. Give a Simple Season’s Greetings

With the holidays, bookkeeping, and more, the year’s end is a busy time for many people. With so much information already coming their way, it can help to keep messaging short and sweet for your audience.

A quick email thanking donors for their support and wishing them a joyous new year lets them know you’re thinking about them, grateful for them, and that you recognize this is a time to slow your communications and respect their time with their loved ones. It shows you’ll be back in touch when the new year kicks off.

This email doesn’t need to include an ask or anything that feels like it might be adding to the donor’s to-do list. Think of it as you would a snail mail holiday card from a friend.

In this example from Grassroots Soccer, the team includes a short text that summarizes what the nonprofit’s mission is and that they’re grateful for any number of ways the supporter has helped throughout the year, whether running in a fundraising marathon, making a donation, or attending an event.

It uses bold, colorful text to emphasize a clear thank you that wishes the supporter a wonderful holiday season. This expansive thanks for support beyond just donations cultivates relationships in a way that could inspire a volunteer to become a future recurring donor.

3. Use Data to Summarize the Year’s Impact

Using data to demonstrate your nonprofit’s impact throughout the past year fosters a sense of transparency and trust that you are allocating your fundraising revenue responsibly. It also paints a clear picture of what your donors made possible with their support. You can incorporate these figures into your thank you email to showcase exactly how your existing donors are helping you meet your mission.

This thank you email from Dear Jack Foundation almost serves as an annual report preview. The message starts by describing the nonprofit’s mission and then moves into a paragraph on how many people they were able to serve in each of their programs that year.

The different programs are hyperlinked so supporters can visit their donation site to learn more. It concludes with a mission-inspired photo collage to add an emotional, visual component.

This thank you email approach of including a more detailed letter to your supporters reiterates that donors can trust the nonprofit with their funding.

4. Showcase the Personal Side of Your Brand

While an email may not seem as personal as a handwritten year-end donor thank you letter, there are ways to incorporate a more personal tone. Your year-end thank you email is a great time to showcase the staff behind your work.

For example, if your development director or executive director usually signs donation confirmation letters, have more of your services and support staff join in to sign your thank yous, as well. Photos and visuals that are lighthearted also tap into a cheerful sense of year-end gratitude and show a more intimate side of your nonprofit organization.

Urban Ventures includes a large header image on its year-end thank you email with a photo collage of the many happy faces the nonprofit helped that year. This sets the tone for the email and makes the nonprofit’s mission come to life.

The message that follows is quick, focusing the email more on the emotion of the message rather than the text. To conclude, it reads, “On behalf of the Urban Ventures team and our 2,326 program participants…THANK YOU!” and is followed by the handwritten signatures of several program beneficiaries.

This personal approach is heartwarming and reminds supporters how their donations make a difference in real lives.

5. Incorporate a Video Message

Videos allow you to showcase emotional imagery from the field that connects your audience to your mission, and lets your staff speak directly to donors to express gratitude.

Storytelling videos are also gaining popularity throughout social media, so in addition to embedding the video into your year-end thank you email, you can also use it to reach a broader audience through your social channels. That way, if a supporter doesn’t open your email, your appreciation can still reach them through another platform that has broadcasted your social media videos.

In Water4‘s year-end thank you, the message begins with a video from the nonprofit’s CEO. As he speaks, the video shows imagery from the field and graphics that show how they’ve been able to increase the impact of each donation on their mission.

While giving his thanks, the CEO then talks about hoping to have 30% more impact in the coming year than the record-breaking year they just had. The remainder of the email includes a couple action steps for how supporters can stay involved in their fundraising effort moving forward.

This type of forward-looking thank you video sets the tone for the nonprofit’s future messaging and goals, encouraging supporters to join them again in the new year.

6. Communicate an Opportunity to Meet Your Year-End Goal

Including a year-end appeal in your thank you note can potentially make your gratitude seem ingenuine or opportunistic. It’s best to keep it donor-focused, expressing your appreciation and showing how the donor made a difference.

However, if you come up short of your year-end fundraising goal, you can make a soft ask in your thank you note letting supporters know, which can encourage additional donations. Just make sure that your messaging is primarily focused on how grateful you are for what you have been able to raise and what that amount will still allow you to accomplish. If you do receive additional gifts following this email, make sure to send another thank you to those donors for adding to your fundraising effort.

In World of Children‘s year-end email, the nonprofit acknowledges that, while it came up short of its fundraising goal, it’s grateful for all it will be able to accomplish with the contributions so far. After a message of thanks, the email details a specific list of the activities the nonprofit will put the funding toward, clearly communicating how it still intends to make an impact with what it has.

Alongside the text is a goal thermometer that provides a visual cue for how close the nonprofit is to reaching its goal. One of the psychological triggers to win donations is to play up the goal proximity effect, where people are more likely to donate if they see you’re close to meeting your goal. At the bottom of the email is linked text that says, “Wait! I Forgot to Donate!” This gives donors a chance to still support the cause, but is written in lighter lettering so as not to draw away from the bulk of the email, which is centered around the thank you.

Strengthen Donor Relationships With Personal Year-End Thank You Emails

Year-end thank you emails are important to show supporters what they’ve helped you accomplish. In expressing your gratitude, you can help them feel appreciated and inspired to join you again in your work next year. 

For your upcoming end of year giving campaign, lean on no other than Classy to help you level up your fundraising campaign initiatives. Get started today!

In fact, Classy data shows that Giving Tuesday is just the kickoff of the most lucrative time of year for nonprofits, with 29% of annual donations occurring from Giving Tuesday through December 31. What’s more, overall giving statistics show that 11% of annual donations happen during the last three days of the year.

So, brew another pot of coffee because it’s not time to turn on the holiday music and relax by the fire just yet. To help your team make the most impact with your end of year fundraising, we rounded up eight of our top resources for year-end campaigns.

Read on to learn more about each asset and then download so you can share them with your team.

8 Year-End Fundraising Resources

1. Year-End Fundraising Checklist

The first step in planning a successful year-end fundraising strategy is to ensure your team is aligned on your goals, messaging, timeline, and the execution steps of your campaign. This interactive checklist will guide your team through the entire process, from goal-setting to campaign follow-up, and provide expert tips along the way.

2. Email Templates for Giving Tuesday Through Year-End

Use these 16 free email templates to create an efficient email marketing strategy that will seamlessly steward newly-acquired Giving Tuesday donors to your next campaign, and appeal to supporters who didn’t participate in Giving Tuesday.

The guide includes an easy-to-follow timeline, the two email segments you should use, and expert tips on how to include design elements, engage donors, and write efficient calls-to-action.

3. Year-End Email Appeals That Are Sure to Flop

Above we shared templates you can use to write stellar year-end emails, but it can also be helpful to see what we shouldn’t include. This blog post shares six different ways your appeals can inadvertently hurt your chances of earning donations. Read on to find out if you’re guilty of any of these mistakes so you can course-correct before it’s too late!

4. Strategies to Drive Year-End Fundraising Goals Through Employer Gift Matching

This on-demand webinar, with Classy partner Double the Donation, dives into how employer-matching gift programs can drive year-end giving revenue. We explore the prevalence of the matching gift industry and why most organizations are not taking full advantage of these programs.

5. Email Templates for Nonprofit Annual Communication Plan

This guide provides email templates that will help your nonprofit develop a strong donor stewardship strategy. The emails cover nine touchpoints you can use throughout the year including holidays, year-end giving, sharing campaign progress updates and saying thank you to your donors.

6. The Playbook to 10X Your Year-End Giving

Co-hosted by Community Boost and CauseMic, this webinar shares how nonprofits can increase their year-end fundraising ten-fold by using marketing automation and digital tactics like Google Ad Grants, social media marketing, remarketing ads, and more.

Learn what your team can do to get your year-end campaign seen by more potential donors than ever before with the help of these nonprofit marketing gurus.

7. How to Easily Unite Your Giving Tuesday and Year-End Campaigns

We know some nonprofits are afraid of donor fatigue if they send asks too soon after Giving Tuesday, but our platform data shows that the donor demographics are different for those who give on Giving Tuesday and those who give during the last five days of the year. By uniting your Giving Tuesday and year-end campaigns, you can make sure you aren’t leaving any donations on the table by appealing to all potential supporters. Read this post to learn how The Salvation Army Western Territory created a seamless transition from Giving Tuesday to their year-end fundraising campaign.

8. How to Leverage Your Giving Tuesday Results in Year-End Messaging

By approaching Giving Tuesday as the launchpad of the giving season instead of one powerful day of giving, you can increase your donations and consequently, your impact. When potential donors see the success of your Giving Tuesday campaign, it acts as social proof that your organization is capable of reaching your goals and that you already have a community of dedicated supporters.

Are You Ready for Year-End Fundraising?

If your team is looking for more year-end fundraising tools, check out Classy’s Giving Tuesday resource center for access to more than 50 free assets. Is there any year-end topic you wish we covered? Let us know in the comments below!

To help your nonprofit stand out as one of the best Giving Tuesday campaigns, we’ve assembled 17 resources chock-full of Giving Tuesday ideas and strategies to help you plan your most successful Giving Tuesday campaign yet. Check the links below for creative Giving Tuesday fundraising ideas, tips to find a corporate sponsor, Giving Tuesday and donor retention data, and more.

28 Giving Tuesday Social Media Templates

Keep your supporters engaged and updated on your campaign by sharing progress reports, announcements, behind-the-scenes information, and more on social media. To help get you started, we created 28 social media templates your team can use to create an effective Giving Tuesday social media strategy in no time.

Free “Save the Date” Giving Tuesday Postcard Template

Take your online fundraising campaign to the next level with this Giving Tuesday postcard. We know everyone is busy in the months leading up to Giving Tuesday, so we did the heavy lifting for you! We created a customizable save-the-date postcard template you can send your supporters to keep your nonprofit top of mind during the giving season.

6 Creative Giving Tuesday Ideas to Inspire Your Campaign

Thousands of organizations participate in Giving Tuesday, which means you need to come prepared with a unique campaign or approach. Check out these six creative fundraising ideas to help you stand out from the crowd.

The Guide to #GivingTuesday: For All Nonprofits, Big and Small

Intrigued? Download The Guide to Giving Tuesday to learn more about how Giving Tuesday started, how far it has come, and everything else you need to plan and execute a successful campaign that captures lasting support.

Pitch a Corporate Partnership for Your Giving Tuesday Campaign

One of the most lucrative Giving Tuesday ideas to date is to find a corporate sponsor. In this post, you’ll learn how to identify potential partners, and effectively pitch a partnership to maximize your fundraising results this year.

6 Features to Look for in a Fundraising Platform

Are you prepared to capture online donations this holiday season? Whether you’re considering an online platform for the first time, or looking to switch to a better fit, here are the key features that will catapult your Giving Tuesday campaign—as well as every other initiative—to success.

How to Plan Your Best Giving Tuesday Campaign

In order to capitalize on the seasonal excitement, the most successful organizations plan their campaign months ahead of time. Here are three Giving Tuesday ideas to help you nail down a strategy six months out. And don’t worry if you’re just getting started—when it comes to a day as powerful as Giving Tuesday it’s better late than never.

Infographic: How It Pays to Retain Giving Tuesday Donors

Classy’s team of data scientists recently created The State of Modern Philanthropy—a report that features online and mobile fundraising trends and closely examines donor behavior. One particular finding shows that Giving Tuesday is not only a powerful day for donor acquisition, but also a catalyst for retaining high-value donors. In fact, 15 percent of new donors give again before the next Giving Tuesday.

Learn more exciting stats and valuable trends from Giving Tuesday 2017, including data on conversion rates and social media engagement, to inform your approach this year.

3 Steps to Plan Your Giving Tuesday Campaign

Top nonprofits know that there’s so much more to fundraising than simply asking for donations. Before you send email appeals and blast your social networks, follow these steps to iron out your campaign and communication details.

Webinar: Insider Tips for Giving Tuesday

The best way to learn is to learn from the best. Get your hands on strategic Giving Tuesday ideas and campaign advice from one of the Giving Tuesday founders, fundraising all-star MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, and the Classy team.

Kick-Off Year-End Giving With Your Giving Tuesday Campaign

While the global giving day definitely warrants your attention, it can also work in harmony with your other year-end fundraising efforts. Use these tips to optimize your Giving Tuesday campaign and create the momentum you need to finish the year strong.

6 Steps to Maximize Giving Tuesday Results Through Peer-to-Peer

Instead of relying on just direct donations this year, raise exponentially more money by asking supporters to create fundraising pages on your behalf. These steps will guide you through planning a stellar Giving Tuesday peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.

How to Leverage Giving Tuesday to Boost Your Fundraising Campaigns

Over 25 percent of Classy’s annual donation volume occurs from Giving Tuesday through December 31, so make sure to stretch the impact of your Giving Tuesday ideas through the end of the year. Here are a few ways you can leverage the excitement around the day to fuel your larger holiday fundraising efforts.

5 Social Media Tips for Your Giving Tuesday Campaign

With 21.2 percent of peer-to-peer fundraising dollars coming from a social media post, it’s clear that social media is a key driver of traffic and donations to your campaigns. In fact, in 2017 the hashtag #GivingTuesday garnered 21.7 billion impressions on Twitter alone. Use these 28 Giving Tuesday Social Media Templates to boost your online presence and compel people to donate to your cause.

7-Day Marketing Plan for Your Giving Tuesday Campaign

The week leading up to the big day is the most important time to keep your nonprofit top of mind, encourage supporters to share your content, and continue to increase your reach. Here, we break down a strategic marketing plan to build hype and mobilize supporters in those final seven days.

Giving Tuesday Was a Hit—Now What?

Giving Tuesday might be over, but that doesn’t mean you need to let the excitement around your organization fizzle out. Use these tips to wrap up your campaign and keep supporters engaged until your next one.

How to Capitalize on the Giving Tuesday Buzz, After Giving Tuesday

These tips focus on your follow-up, so you can engage and retain all of those new donors after the big day. Learn how to write a proper donor thank you, create a welcome series for new supporters, and re-engage your donors in the post below.

With these resources under your belt, you can gear up for your most impressive turnout yet and hit the ground running for the rest of the giving season. For even more Giving Tuesday tools, templates, and tips check out Classy’s Giving Tuesday resource library below.

Although marketing efforts should start as early as the beginning of November, there’s a lot you can do in the week before Giving Tuesday to get people’s attention and mobilize your donors. Use this seven-day plan to make sure that every day leading up to the global day of giving reminds your audience of the campaign and brings new potential supporters to your cause.

With well-timed emails, website promotion, and engaging social media content, you can spark interest and incite action from your community before the giving day officially starts. Make sure your donation pages are up and running far in advance so supporters can donate at any time.

Keep in mind your organization’s financial and secondary goals as you adapt this Giving Tuesday marketing plan to your nonprofit’s needs. To guide your communication efforts, we’ve broken down what each day’s main message and action items should be. Don’t be afraid to tweak these ideas and get creative.

Tuesday (One Week Out)

Message: Heads up—we are participating in Giving Tuesday.

Website: Feature Giving Tuesday messaging and logos on your homepage and include calls to action that prompt potential supporters to learn more or donate. Anyone who visits your site should know you are participating in the giving day.

Email: Send an email to your community to announce that you will be fundraising next week and need their support. Tell them about your campaign goals and the impact you plan to make. You can even give donors the option to give now.

Social Media: Change your profile and/or header images to promote Giving Tuesday. Followers new and old will be clued into your campaign. Add a link to your campaign page in your about section. Post on each platform you use to reach your entire audience.

Wednesday

Message: Save the date.

Social Media: Post fresh content to your platforms. Visuals and Giving Tuesday graphics are eye-catching and easy to share which makes them great for engagement. Heifer International shared this infographic to encourage their audience to get involved in Giving Tuesday.

Pro Tip: If you have time, send out a Giving Tuesday save the date postcard to keep your organization top of mind when supporters are disconnected from social media. When your message shows up in a supporter’s mailbox instead of their inbox, your organization stands out from the pack.

Thursday (Thanksgiving)

Message: Happy Thanksgiving! Remember to give back on Tuesday.

Social Media: Post a fun holiday message or Giving Tuesday graphic to draw the connection to Giving Tuesday. This is also a great time to send out a stewardship email saying thank you to your supporters. Download these email templates for nonprofit annual communications to save tons of time crafting your emails:

(Black) Friday

Message: Use your Black Friday savings to make a real impact.

Email: Send a quick reminder email to your supporters telling them Giving Tuesday is coming up.

Social Media: Consider counting down the days to Giving Tuesday. Create a new graphic each day or offer a new reason to give. Use hashtags related to Black Friday to reach more people.

Saturday

Message: Giving Tuesday is getting close! Get excited!

Social Media: Continue to count down the days or post new Giving Tuesday content. Heartwarming images from the field help foster an emotional connection with your audience.

Sunday

Message: Giving Tuesday is your chance to make a difference. Help us reach our goal for this important cause.

Social Media: Continue to count down the days or post new Giving Tuesday content. Try introducing or profiling a specific program to show supporters where their donations go and the impact they make.

Monday

Message: Giving Tuesday is tomorrow. Don’t forget to give!

Email: Send an email reminding supporters to donate and share the campaign with friends and family.

Social Media: Continue to count down the days or post new Giving Tuesday content, like a graphic illustrating the impact your fundraising goal will make.

Giving Tuesday

Message: It’s Giving Tuesday! Act now!

Email: Since Giving Tuesday is only one day, your email series must be concentrated. MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, who have previously raised over $50,000 in the 24 hours of Giving Tuesday, sends three emails throughout the day.

The first is sent around 5 a.m., asking supporters to donate. They send another email in the afternoon updating readers on the campaign’s progress toward its goals and asking them to give. In the evening, MAZON sends a final email letting donors know that their time to help is running out. Contacts who have already donated are removed from the later emails.

By sending multiple emails, you show the campaign’s progress and can catch donors’ attention at all times of the day.

Social Media: Nonprofit organizations should be updating and monitoring their social media platforms all day on Giving Tuesday. Along with sharing appeals, though, you should also share and respond to posts by supporters. Social media is a great way to call out Giving Tuesday donors and encourage others to join in. Remember to use hashtags, so you show up in conversations about the giving day.

The marketing and promotion you do the week before can make a big impact on the success of your Giving Tuesday campaign. By updating your website and social media accounts to highlight the campaign, and by proactively reaching out on email and social media, you can make sure everyone knows how to help.

As you plan and implement your Giving Tuesday campaign, keep in mind that your communications shouldn’t stop when the giving day ends. Prepare thoughtful thank you messages and be ready to update supporters on the campaign results and the impact it will create.

Use the following free email templates to plan out your year-end email strategy to give donors a seamless transition from Giving Tuesday to year-end:

The holiday season dramatically increases how many emails your supporters receive, though. Black Friday totals nearly 120 million sent, making it the year’s single-highest day for email volume. But with about 34% of donations made in the last three months of the year and email accounting for around a quarter of holiday revenue, this is a time to lean into this marketing channel.

Nonprofits shouldn’t hold back on email out of fear of overwhelming their supporters. Doing so can cause you to miss critical fundraising and stewardship opportunities. Rather, you must design Giving Tuesday emails that inspire someone to act.

Below, we cover six Giving Tuesday emails that convert in order to spark engagement, encourage action, and drive donations for your nonprofit. Each tactic is paired with a real-world example, where we’ll highlight what elements made it successfully convert.

1. Build Momentum With a Soft Launch

You’ve established your fundraising goal, set up your Giving Tuesday campaign page, and prepared your messaging cadence. Before officially launching to the full public, you should consider starting with a soft launch. This tactic allows you to test the efficacy of your plans in a safe environment where you can make small adjustments or tweaks as needed and start raising those dollars.

For a soft launch, you’ll want to reach out to your most devoted supporters about 2 to 3 weeks before Giving Tuesday. These supporters can include your recurring and long-time donors, volunteers, board members, and past Giving Tuesday participants. They have an established relationship with your nonprofit, which makes them more likely to commit early donations and be open to any feedback.

That, in turn, generates early momentum for your campaign. When you officially launch, potential donors will be more likely to give when they see you’ve already made significant progress toward your goal.

This is due in part to the goal proximity effect. It states that contributions toward a campaign are markedly higher when your nonprofit is 33% to 66% toward meeting its goal and even higher once it is 66% or closer.

In addition to alerting your audience about the soft launch, this email can help strengthen donor relationships. Receiving personal, early notice of your campaign makes supporters feel valued and appreciated, and the opportunity to take part in a special launch is a huge delight.

Example: Operation Warm

In the email below, Operation Warm announces that its Giving Tuesday event is just three weeks away.

It reminds the recipient of last year’s campaign success by speaking directly and personally to the supporter: “You helped the Firefighters for Operation Warm raise over $60,000.” This language makes the recipient feel like they played a part in your success last year and can do so again this year.

The email ends with a clear call to action through buttons supporters can use to add the Giving Tuesday event reminder to their calendars.

2. Make a Clear Ask

After you’ve built momentum through your soft launch and received feedback on your campaign, you’ll need to have your main donation appeal email ready to send.

Use an eye-catching subject line to grab the recipient’s attention. As a general rule of thumb, you want to keep your subject line under 50 characters, and ideally under 30, to be mobile-friendly. Front-load your cause’s message and follow with action. For example: Keep Kids Warm, Help Us Today.

The body of your email should include a brief introduction to the campaign using an emotional hook, a clearly stated fundraising goal with explanations on how donations make an impact, and linked text and buttons that stand out and lead to your donation page.

Example: The Trevor Project

In the example below, The Trevor Project clearly states its $100,000 fundraising goal in the email’s header and highlights it brightly. It uses a personalized salutation to help the recipient feel connected to the message.

The email uses just enough text so the supporter can quickly scan it to understand the impact of their support. It further guides the reader’s eye by strategically highlighting three instances of linked text to its donation page. It also includes a bright “donate” button midway through the email.

3. Highlight the Impact of a Matching Gift

The average donation amount for matched campaigns is 51% greater than those without a match, and the response rate to your appeals increases by 71%. Plus, a match can make supporters feel like their donation counts even more. If they give $25, it’s really $50. If they give $100, it’s really $200. They like to know they are doubling their impact.

In addition, it can be powerful to put a time restriction on your match. If you tell your supporters the match is only offered for a few hours during the campaign, that creates a sense of urgency that drives action toward meeting your goal. It also offers the opportunity for additional touchpoints through subsequent emails counting down the time, with subject lines like:

• Match Begins Now! Double Your Impact This Hour.
• Match 50% Over—Help Us Raise An Additional $10,000
• Time’s Running Out, But Still Time to Match Your Donation
• Match Complete, But There’s Still Time to Donate!

Example: Feeding San Diego

In this example of a time-limited matching campaign, Feed San Diego uses specific numbers to add an authentic element to the match. Rather than a perfectly rounded number, the email announces that Price Philanthropies will match every dollar up to $28,010.

It then clearly translates what that doubling of a supporter’s donation provides. Every $1 now provides eight meals instead of four. Give $50 to provide 400 meals, $250 to provide 2,000.

Finally, it adds a sense of urgency by including a countdown banner at the top of the email to show how much time is left to be part of the match’s impact.

4. Personalize Appeals to Recurring Donors

You may think a recurring donor won’t give on top of their existing donation amount, but the data show otherwise.

Classy’s report The State of Modern Philanthropy 2020: Deconstructing the Online Donor Journey, found that recurring donors engage with multiple campaign types at higher rates than non-recurring donors. They are 75% more likely than one-time donors to make an additional one-time gift on top of their recurring subscription. In addition, their average one-time donation is higher at $150 versus $113 for non-recurring donors.

By personalizing your Giving Tuesday appeals for your recurring donor segment, you can both thank them for their continued support and leverage the potential of an additional gift.

Example: Blink Now

In this example from Blink Now to one of its recurring donors, the nonprofit includes multiple acknowledgments of “your monthly support” right up front. This helps the supporter see that the nonprofit recognizes and appreciates their ongoing help. By referring to the monthly donation as “incredible” and “so important,” the email communicates the supporter’s special status with the nonprofit.

The email includes an embedded video as a bonus gift for the recurring donor. This media demonstrates the impact the donor has already helped make possible.

The message ends with a clear thank you coupled with an ask for an additional gift.

5. Send Progress Updates

Throughout the day, your nonprofit will share updates on social media, but it also helps to send a few well-timed updates via email, including one halfway through your campaign and another a few hours before it ends. People are more likely to give if they see you’re close to your goal, so updates allow supporters to tell that their support could really tip the scales.

Example: Operation Broken Silence

In the email below, Operation Broken Silence uses specific numbers to show they are just over $100 away from reaching their goal. That amount is within range for one donor to make the key difference, which can encourage several to give.

The email uses the language “you’ve given” to express where the nonprofit is currently at in terms of reaching its goal. Even if the recipient of the email hasn’t donated yet, that phrasing can make them feel like they’re a part of this effort and more drawn to give.

Below a bold, clear donation button that highlights the generosity of taking action to give, the email encourages the recipient to “help us cross the finish line early.” This communicates to donors that they can not only reach the goal but overachieve this Giving Tuesday.

6. Remember to Say Thank You

Your supporters will want to know what impact your Giving Tuesday campaign had and the role they played in that. Send a follow-up thank you afterward that summarizes how much you raised and thanks the supporter for helping you reach your goal. Showcase specifically what activities your nonprofit will be able to pursue as a result of Giving Tuesday contributions.

You’ll want to send a thank you email that welcomes any first-time donors to your community. You should also send a personal thanks to recurring donors who participated to continue to affirm that relationship. Finally, you can say thank you more broadly through your social media channels, newsletter, or blog.

Example: Outreach International

The example below from Outreach International features a fun photo relevant to their fundraising goal of purchasing buffalo in the Philippines. It mentions the campaign’s $3,000 goal but highlights that incredible generosity raised over $10,000.

The email reiterates the nonprofit’s mission and how the funding will support it. It also contains links for supporters to learn more, encouraging continued engagement with the cause.

Strengthen Your Year-End Giving Strategy at the Leading Nonprofit Conference

Elevate Your Giving Tuesday Success With Thoughtful Emails That Convert

Following on the heels of Giving Tuesday is likely your year-end campaign. Once Giving Tuesday is over, you’ll want to highlight your campaign’s results in a series of intentional emails to demonstrate past success and build momentum for additional year-end giving. You can steward them to your next campaign by staying connected with everyone who donated.

Subtitled “Deconstructing the Online Donor Journey,” Classy’s 2020 report dives into topics such as conversion rates across campaign types, the additional ways recurring donors interact with organizations, and the actions of donors who come back.

Our third-annual report leverages proprietary data from 2018 and 2019, spanning over 40,000 active campaigns, nearly 4,500 organizations ranging in size, and 6.4 million transactions in order to surface insights for the entire nonprofit industry.

It also reviews 2019 holiday data, including Giving Tuesday insights—like our finding that 31% of Giving Tuesday donors return to make a second donation within six months. This proof point, as well as the success of recent #GivingTuesdayNow efforts in support of COVID-19 relief, highlight the opportunity to re-engage Giving Tuesday donors year-round, especially in the midst of global events taking place today.

Grab your copy of the 2020 report for insights such as:

• Conversion rates and donation sizes by campaign type
• How time spent on campaign pages impacts conversion rates
• The impact of suggested donation amounts
• Second actions of different groups of donors
• Retention rates by donation amount
• And more!

At the end of each section, we include thought starters to help you apply the data to your own fundraising strategy. The report also includes a fundraising benchmarks worksheet, so you can easily compare your own organization’s results to others in the industry.

Ready to get up to speed on the latest industry trends?

Want to check out the 2019 report, too? Download The State of Modern Philanthropy 2019: Trends in Return Donor Behavior.

For example, some donor segments have more fundraising potential while others may end up being the most loyal champions of your cause. When you segment your list by donor behavior and preferences, you can engage all of your donors in a tailored way that was previously reserved only for major donors. When you meet your donors where they are and provide them with relevant, personal communication, you’ll grow both your donor’s connection to your cause and your revenue.

Segmentation Makes Communication More Meaningful

Donor segmentation improves fundraising results by ensuring that the right message goes to the right person at the right time. Instead of sending a blanket message to your entire email list, you can customize your communications to include the most relevant content for each group of supporters.

For example, imagine you run an arts nonprofit with programs in several verticals. You may find that some of your donors care most about arts in education, while others are only interested in your artistic development programs. If you send the same fundraising appeal to everyone, you have to choose between being less specific, and thus less personal, or leaving out the major interests of one group.

Instead, if you create segments based on your donors’ interests, you can send customized appeals that speak directly to the causes they care about most, thus increasing the chance of driving engagement and donations.

Brands have trained your donors to expect personalized experiences and tailored communication helps provide the authentic interaction your donors crave while cutting through the noise of modern life. Since one-on-one outreach isn’t always scalable, your nonprofit can turn to segmentation and automation software which can help you send customized communications on a large scale.

Data-Driven Donor Segmentation That Goes Above and Beyond

The most valuable donor segments go beyond the contact information and giving history you have in your CRM. To truly understand their interests and behavior you need to pay attention to their signals and track as much unique donor data as possible. Every email opened, link clicked, or social media post shared helps you form a more complete picture of them as an individual donor.

You can record some donor signals using the notes function in any database, but in order to collect and organize the above-and-beyond donor data we describe above you will need some automated help from responsive nonprofit CRM that enables:

• Appended wealth, location and demographic data
• Integrated social scraping
• Tracking donors by their interests, donor persona, group affiliations and communication preferences.
• Easy sorting and segmenting based on the characteristics of your choice

5 Types of Data That Can Help Create the Right Donor Segments

Not all donor data is equal in terms of increasing revenue or improving donor relationships. Tracking certain donor behaviors or preferences will provide better insights than simply knowing the last time someone made a donation. If you’re looking to create the most effective donor segments for your next fundraising push, here are 5 types of data you can use to inform your segments.

1. Website Behavior

Whether you use Google Analytics or another program to track user behavior on your website, it’s important to know how people interact with your content. Trackable URLs and pixels can help you understand how each individual donor moves throughout your website. Look for which individuals consume more than 5 pages of content per visit, and which ones jump from your homepage to your donation page and then leave. This can show what your donors are interested in and inform what kind of messages you send them.

Ask Yourself:

• Which pages of your website are most important to your donors?
• Where are they flocking and what are they ignoring?
• What pages do they visit before and after making a donation?
• In what order do they view content?

Potential Website Behavior Donor Segments:

• Interested in a specific program
• Regular site visitors
• Regular blog readers
• Clicked on landing page
• New email subscribers
• New volunteer sign-ups

2. Social Media Engagement

Tracking your donors’ social media behavior helps you provide content they’ll like on the platforms they use. Social scraping allows you to catalog their public social media behavior, while observing interactions with your own social media content will let you know what’s resonating.

Ask Yourself:

• Which platforms are donors active on?
• Do any donors have a large following or audience?
• Who are they connected to?
• Which posts are most liked, shared, or commented on?

Potential Social Media Donor Segments:

• Specific platform users
• Influencers
• Regular sharer of your posts

3. Content Downloads

Do you offer supporters downloadable content like white papers, guides, or a digital copy of your annual report? Who is downloading these resources? This segment of donors is more educated about your organization and cause and they’re ready for a deeper and more complex conversation.

Ask Yourself: 

• Which piece of content is most downloaded?
• What’s the next best step to follow that content?
• Who downloaded which pieces of content?

Potential Content Download Donor Segments:

• Regular downloaders
• Content-specific downloads
• Topic-specific

4. Age Group

While each of your donors is an individual, there are generational trends in fundraising that are worth paying attention to. Different modes of communication and content resonate with specific age groups. Your donor’s behavior is more important than their age, but segmenting by age group is a good starting point for testing different fundraising techniques.

Ask Yourself:

• Which age groups do you donors fall in?
• What are the giving trends for these groups?
• How should we tell the same story to different age groups?

Potential Age Group Donor Segments:

• Silent Generation
• Baby Boomers
• Gen X
• Millennials
• Gen Z
• College students
• Retired
• In the workforce

5. Preferred Communication Channels

How do your donors want you to communicate with them? Do they prefer email or a phone call? A once-a-year mailing, or quarterly appeals? Do they want a print newsletter, or a monthly email? Communication preferences are another area to segment your donors to ensure they’re getting exactly what they want from you.

Ask Yourself:

• What are the communication options for donors?
• How can I tell the same story across different channels?
• Which channels do donors prefer?
• Which channels do donors of [X] generation prefer?
• Am I communicating on channels that nobody wants?

Potential Communication Channel Donor Segments:

• Email
• Phone
• Direct mail
• Social media
• Text message
• Website updates

Better Segmentation Means Better Communication

It’s easy to see how dividing your donors into segments is good for your organization—it puts your messages in front of people who are more likely to act on them, saves time and effort, and ultimately helps you to work smarter. But donor segmentation is also good for your donors. It gives them a direct line to what they care most about, respects their time, and helps them connect more deeply with your organization.

Donor segmentation improves communication and donor relations because it helps you treat your donors like humans, instead of a number on your list. Instead of impersonal mass messages, your donors receive highly-targeted communications that respect their preferences, engage their interests and, ultimately, inspire their generosity.

This is a guest post written by Mckenna Bailey. Mckenna is a writer and marketing strategist at Virtuous. Virtuous is a customer relationship management software solution helping charities raise more money and create more good. 

It can be challenging to keep a tab on all of those components, so we’ve created an overview of the different stages of a campaign and the communication strategy needed during each phase. Be sure to download the full checklist for free so you don’t miss a beat during your next campaign.

Campaign Launch

How you launch your campaign is critical to its overall success. While you might have your campaign pages, assets, and incentives built and ready to go, you don’t want to loose all of your cannons just yet. It’s critical that you first position yourself to garner as much support as possible during your launch. You can accomplish this by dividing your launch into two stages—a soft launch and a hard launch.

Soft Launch

A soft launch is a one to two week period during which you recruit core supporters into your campaign before opening it up to your entire audience and the general public. Getting your most dedicated champions to donate and start fundraising first generates initial momentum that can encourage your wider community to take action.

Reach out to your power players during this soft launch period and invite them to be part of an exclusive group that will help launch the campaign. This gives them a sense of pride and ownership over the campaign that gets them excited and motivated to share the campaign with their networks. These early adopters can include:

• Past powerhouse peer-to-peer fundraisers
• Longstanding recurring donors
• Dedicated volunteers
• Past event attendees
• Social media evangelists

Your Communication Strategy for This Stage

Email: Send a personalized email to your A-list supporters inviting them to get involved in your campaign. Remind them of their past support for your organization, and let them know that they’re part of a core group that was handpicked to help ensure your campaign’s success. If you’re running a peer-to-peer campaign, ask them to create personal fundraising pages. For other campaign types, send a targeted appeal asking them to donate.

Social media: During this preliminary week, you want to use social media to build anticipation for your campaign. Consider putting together a photo series that counts down the days until your public campaign launch. You might use images of the people the campaign will impact, or photos of supporters taking action. This is also when you want to introduce your campaign hashtag.

Hard Launch

After the soft launch, it’s time to kick off your campaign to your entire community. It’s crucial that you promote your campaign across every marketing channel at your disposal like email, video, social media, and blogs.

Your Communication Strategy for This Stage

Email: Rather than sending just a one-off message, deliver a series of emails to your entire contact list. A two to three part email series generates four times as many responses and nearly twice the average donation size as a single message.

Newsletter: Promote your campaign at the bottom of your biweekly or monthly newsletter, along with a call to action to donate or fundraise.

Website: Update your homepage with an eye-catching image that spotlights your campaign.

Social media: At a minimum, you should post at least once on each of your social networks, everyday. Show photos and videos that highlight your organization’s work, testimonials from volunteers or the people you serve, and blog posts that dive deep into your campaign’s progress. Your goal is to direct as much traffic back to your website as possible in order to secure more donations.

Mid-Campaign

In a typical eight-week campaign, you need to use the core four to five weeks to motivate supporters and hurtle towards your campaign goal. Leverage all of your communication channels and deliver targeted messages to keep people excited and engaged.

Your Communication Strategy for This Stage

Email: Segment your email campaign to send customized messages to different groups of supporters. Your sub-groups can include:

• Volunteers or blog subscribers
• Average gift size
• Last campaign or program they donated to
• Donation frequency

You should also craft an entirely separate email campaign for your fundraisers. By targeting them based on their fundraising activity, you can provide any tips, email or social media templates, or encouragement they may need to move their personal campaigns along.

Social media: Focus on visual content like photo reels, graphics, and videos to grab people’s attention and inspire them to get involved. Also shine the spotlight on your donors and fundraisers by tagging and thanking them. While you might thank donors for their generous gifts, you might call out fundraisers based on their personal fundraising progress.

End of Campaign

With one week left in your campaign, you need to get strategic with your communications. Get prospective donors off of the sidelines by broadcasting the upcoming deadline and ramping up a sense of urgency.

Your Communication Strategy for This Stage

Email: Just as you opened your campaign with a strong email series, you also want to close it out with a 2- or 3-part message. Thank supporters for all that they’ve raised and accomplished so far, communicate what’s needed to reach your goal, and emphasize that there’s only week left to make it happen.

Social media: Just as you created a photo series to generate excitement for your campaign’s launch, consider using one now, too, to build a sense of urgency as you near the end of your campaign. You can also couple this with graphics that demonstrate everything your campaign has made possible so far, along with what it could fund additionally once it reaches its goal.

Dive Into Each Campaign Phase and Get Your Communication Strategy Checklist

Now that you have a general idea of what’s needed throughout your campaign, dive into specific tips for each content channel and campaign stage in our Build a Communication Strategy Field Guide. You can expect to find:

• In-depth strategies to plan your communications for each stage
• Email layouts for each message in your opening and closing series
• Tips on how to reenergize supporters during the mid-campaign lull
• An interactive checklist to help guide your campaign communications

For even more advice on building communications strategies, be sure to watch all the recordings from the live sessions at the Collaborative: Virtual Sessions, as well as over 20 bonus Extended Sessions, for free below.

These recurring donors aren’t just passive monthly transactions though; they prove time and again that they are willing to take deeper action on behalf of your nonprofit. In fact, recurring donors make additional one-time gifts on top of their recurring subscription 75% more often than one-time donors do.

Additionally, recurring donations don’t reduce the size of these one-time gifts either. The average one-time donation size is actually higher for donors with recurring giving plans at $150, versus $113.

Given their lifetime value, it’s imperative that you develop a fundraising strategy that seeks to upgrade their commitment. You can encourage them to give higher monthly amounts, add additional one-time gifts on top of a monthly donation, or both.

Our newest guide, 8 Email Templates to Upgrade Your Recurring Donors, provides templated examples that can help guide your effort to encourage these upgrades and inform your asks with:

1. Impact Appeals
2. Matching Gift Announcements
3. Thank You Notes
4. Milestone Days
5. Cause Awareness Days
6. Annual Report Announcements
7. Behind-the-Scenes Showcases
8. Exclusive Incentives

Use these templates to initiate conversations that help upgrade your recurring donors and build, or improve, a sustainable recurring giving program. As you go, you can tweak the examples to suit your nonprofit’s distinct style, brand, voice, and tone.

Remember that these emails also serve as a touchpoint to thank your donors and recognize their ongoing commitment to your organization. When you show donors that you appreciate them, they’re more likely to continue—and even increase—their support.

Whether you want to update your community on changes to your fundraising events, send a message of thanks, or simply greet them, it’s important now, more than ever, to send well-crafted emails that not only keep your supporters informed, but also keep your nonprofit top of mind during the tumult of a global event.

Below, we showcase seven types of emails that we’ve seen from nonprofits responding to the coronavirus. They’re great examples of content that you can send right now to activate donors, drive virtual event participation, motivate your community, and more.

1. Timely Responses

When an unexpected event or disaster occurs, people expect to hear your response to the initial situation in a timely fashion. As part of your email marketing during a pandemic, you need to reach out as news continues to develop around the issue.

Without a commitment to ongoing messaging, or if you take too long to send emails related to a timely situation, it can upset your audience and break down the trust you’ve worked so hard to establish. They’re looking to you for answers, so be clear, thoughtful, and provide a timeline for when they can expect to hear more from you.

When Grassroots Soccer International responded to the coronavirus outbreak, they immediately sent out an email informing everyone how they would respond to the situation—by prioritizing people, impact, and partnership. The email ends by setting expectations on a general timeline for future communications.

2. Message of Thanks

Typically, your nonprofit thanks donors when they take action on your behalf, such making a gift, creating a personal fundraising page, or making a recurring donation. While you should definitely maintain this practice, a message of thanks can also be a great way to touch base with your entire community, show up in their inbox, and let them know you appreciate their continued support.

Heifer International sent out the timely email below acknowledging the coronavirus outbreak, communicating its impact on their work, and expressing confidence and gratitude as they face this situation because of their donors’ continued support.

3. Event Updates

Many nonprofits are having to shift their auctions, galas, endurance events, and more into virtual events because of the coronavirus pandemic. When making this transition, no matter what your event is, you must structure your email communications to be clear, concise, and informative.

Walk With Sally made the decision to transition their Friendship Bowl into a fully virtual event. They explain why they made the change in their email, as well as reiterate the several ways supporters can take action—by making a donation to the campaign, participating in their live auction, and joining their virtual event as they broadcast live on their social channels.

Upaya Social Ventures decided to transition their annual gala into a fully virtual event. Similar to Walk with Sally, they sent consistent and strong communications about the transition to a virtual event and how supporters could get involved. As a result, they were able to pass their fundraising goal of $200,000 to raise over $280,000.

4. Impact

It’s a general best practice to remind your supporters of your mission and how critical their support is for your work year-round, but it’s absolutely crucial while sustaining your email marketing during a pandemic. With the coronavirus outbreak, communicate how your organization can have a direct impact on those affected.

The email from Water4 below is focused purely on impact, posing a serious question with the subject line: “What if you can’t wash your hands? – COVID-19 & Water4.” It’s immediately attention-grabbing, and the body of the email further explains how lack of access to water can hurt communities during this time.

Then, it follows up with a section on how Water4 makes a difference, why their work is more important than ever, and how taking action today can further their mission.

5. Recommit to Your Why

When the chips are down, your “why” is what rallies people to your cause, inspires your supporters, and carries you through difficult situations. Like The Trevor Project shows us, there’s power in sharing this motivation with your audience.

Right off the bat, you’ll notice they lead with their powerful mission statement to set the tone of the message as it relates to the pandemic: “The Trevor Project’s mission is to save LGBTQ young lives and provide them support in all moments of crisis—including anxiety, worries, and uncertainty about this growing global pandemic.” From there, they detail the specific measures being taken to both adapt to the pandemic operationally, and still ensure their mission—powered by their why—remains top of mind.

Consider how you can communicate to your supporters your “why,” and how the actions you’re taking to adapt to the coronavirus outbreak—and the actions you’re asking your supporters to take—ladder back up to it. Re-inspire and rally your community around the reason why they became passionate about your organization in the first place.

6. Inspirational Messages

Throughout any emergency, disaster, or other major situation, never forget that you’re a pillar of strength for the community that supports you. An inspirational message of hope can go a long way in giving people peace of mind, while also reigniting their passion for supporting your nonprofit in the first place.

More importantly, it establishes a sense of community around your mission, work, and programs. This can foster trust between your organization and supporters, and help establish them as lifelong members.

For example, To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) sent a message that’s bold and inspirational that leads with, “Fear Won’t Win.” They detail why the coronavirus outbreak won’t stop them or their supporters as they continue to march forward.

7. Provide Resources

While you navigate the waters of major world events, disasters, or unexpected situations, you can stay on people’s radars by offering resources for your community. It’s one way you can give back to those who give to you year-round, and it shows that you’re there for them during a difficult time.

For example, if you’re a fitness organization, you can provide free workout plans, livestream group workouts, or send daily video inspiration. Take your nonprofit’s niche focus and develop something you can send to supporters that helps take their mind off things, while also strengthening your overall sense of community.

LoveYourBrain sent an email that described their commitment to yoga, mindfulness, and community and offered virtual programs, daily meditation sessions, and a library of yoga videos for anyone to access.

Your nonprofit needs to be thoughtful and creative in its approach to email marketing during a pandemic. Use these examples to diversify your messages and continuously deliver relevant information, resources, and opportunities to your supporters during the coronavirus outbreak and year-round.

If you’d like to strengthen your email strategy further, download our free 9 Email Templates for Annual Communications for more ideas on when and how you can touch base with your community.

Learn to build a social media strategy, fire up your content marketing engine, or learn to use Google’s free tools. No matter what facet of your marketing role you decide to improve, online courses are typically broken up into digestible segments so you can learn at your own pace and on your own time.

In the spirit of Classy’s core value to “Always Be Learning,” we rounded up six resources, courses, and certifications below that can help you become a better nonprofit marketer. Be sure to download our Digital Marketing Checklist as well to level up your current marketing strategy as you implement all your shiny new skills.

1. Udemy

Udemy is an online learning platform that has over 150,000 online course offerings and 295 million students engaging with the content across a wide range of topics like business, design, web development, and so much more. For marketing-specific courses, they offer a whopping 744 options that are free of charge.

Learning a new skill, such as how to optimize your website for search engines, is not only an investment in yourself, but also in your organization and its cause. SEO has the power to help your organization reach new audiences. You work hard at your design and content generation, so why not invest time in helping search engines discover your hard work? Courses such as these can help you understand the best practices needed to successfully optimize your pages and expand your reach.

For example, nonprofits who are focused on email marketing over social media can sign up for a special one-hour starter course: MailChip for Beginners. It details how MailChimp works, but more importantly it shows how you can leverage it for cost-effective, successful, and measurable email marketing campaigns. It’s particularly beneficial for those who need to build an email strategy from scratch, as it covers almost everything you’d need to know to get up and running with your first campaign in an hour.

Once you’ve mastered MailChimp, you decide it’s time to learn perfect your copy that goes inside the emails, so you sign up for Content Marketing 101: A Free Guide for Beginners or Pros. This course was built specifically to provide a lesson plan that teaches how to research keywords, create content, and promote your work to grow organic traffic to your pages.

These are only a few of the options Udemy offers, and they’re a great place to source beginner to intermediate level tips. If you want to drill down further with any specific topic, you can consider one of their paid options: for marketing alone there are an additional 6,993 courses available.

2. Google Certifications and Courses

Google’s product portfolio has truly modernized the workplace with user-focused tools designed to be both intuitive and informative. Their library of resources can help you make data-informed decisions about your online marketing strategies, what’s working, and where you need to pivot.

• Google Analytics: Tracks and reports website traffic, where that traffic is coming from, how much time people spend on your pages, if people stay on your site pages, and much more.
• Google Adwords: Assists marketers in expanding their reach through advertisements and tells you what words people are using to search for your content online.

If getting set up on these platforms is the first step, the second step is mastering all that they have to offer. To help, Google has built their Skillshop to teach users how to unlock the full potential of each tool with detailed lesson plans from prominent instructors. There’s even a special section of the site dedicated to nonprofits with Google for Nonprofits where you can access special courses catered directly to nonprofit professionals.

3. Hootsuite and Buffer

It’s imperative your nonprofit be active on social media. You don’t have to have to use every channel available, but you should absolutely identify some of your top prospects that can drive healthy engagement metrics on your published content like impact stories, news updates, annual reports, and more.

There are countless online social media courses available that will help you master your strategy, from partnering with influencer marketers to creative ideas for content. However, you shouldn’t just pick any random course, as many likely won’t be worth your time. In this case, it could be beneficial to choose a course built by a company that’s directly embedded in social media every day, like Hootsuite or Buffer.

Both companies offer social media management tools that help schedule and publish your content across different channels from one platform. As experts in the social media space, they offer free online courses. The Hootsuite Academy was built to help you master social media through the use of their own platform. The introductory level is free, which is a great place to start, but you’ll have to pay for higher tiers and certification.

Buffer hosts multiple free courses on the platform Skill Share, and we recommend taking their Introduction to Social Media Strategy and Introduction to Social Media Advertising.

4. Internet Marketing for Smart People

Copyblogger is an online resource for free information on content marketing, and they have multiple classes that can give you everting you need to build a strong content marketing engine. For example, Copywriting 101 and How to Create Content That Converts are just a few of the many free resources offered if you register.

As a MyCopyblogger member you’ll also be enrolled in the course, Internet Marketing for Smart People. It consists of four major pillars that will help lead you to online marketing success: relationships, direct response copywriting, content marketing, and have something worth selling.

They take their own advice to heart as well: the course is a 20-part offering that delivers the lessons directly to your inbox and operates on the best practices you’ll learn. It’s an intuitive course that will help you understand how important online marketing concepts work together.

5. HubSpot Academy

HubSpot is an online software platform that helps your organization grow by providing marketing, sales, and CRM tools. They also built the HubSpot Academy to help dedicated marketing professionals grow their career by offering multiple free certifications.

There are options to polish your skills using their native software, like the 16-lesson course about using the full HubSpot Marketing Software suite or the Inbound Marketing offering which teaches techniques like nurturing and converting leads. There are also certification courses that focus on general skill sets like Content Marketing and Social Media.

No matter what you choose, you’ll receive a special, industry-recognized badge that you can add to your LinkedIn profile once you’re officially HubSpot certified in a specific area.

6. Nonprofit Ready

Nonprofit Ready has hundreds of courses specifically catered to nonprofit professionals. Their marketing and communications courses aim to help your organization raise awareness and grow. Their “Strategy Marketing Plans,” course, for example, offers registrants a 30-minute session on how to create your operational plan and goals to stay on task the entire year.

With resources specifically catered to your work in the nonprofit sector, these courses will take the extra step for you and connect the lessons to the things you encounter on a daily basis. These courses will also help you stay in touch with current trends in the nonprofit sector and leverage marketing best practices specific to communicating with donors.

When you take the opportunity to enroll in an online course or certificate program, you’re making the decision to strengthen your skills as a nonprofit professional and propel your organization to new heights. It’s also a great way to make progress on your personal development goals and ensure you’re always growing in your role. Let us know how your experience with these free online courses goes in the comments below, and download our Digital Marketing Checklist below to take your marketing skills even further.

The key is to either validate, or disprove, your idea before it’s implemented on a permanent scale. That’s where A/B testing can help. It lets you compare two iterations of the same asset you’re testing an idea on, like an email with two different subject lines.

Version A is your original, also known as the control, and Version B is your variant, or what you’re testing. After running the test, you calculate which version performs better, check that it’s statistically significant, and run another test.

If you’re scratching your head over the finer points of A/B testing and what statistical significance is, that’s OK. Below, we’ll thoroughly explore the protocol before giving you six creative A/B test ideas that can help improve your marketing efforts.

Why A/B Test?

Everything about A/B testing is small, from the small changes we make to the small impact they have on marketing metrics. But those small gains, accumulated over months and years of testing, result in massive payoffs.

To help illustrate, let’s run with a hypothetical example. You get 50,000 monthly site visitors with a 2% conversion rate on your donate button. That means you’re getting 1,000 conversions each month. Then, you run an A/B test on your donate button which increases that conversion rate to 2.5%.

It’s a small increase, but you’re now getting 1,250 conversions each month. In the next year, that means you’ll get an additional 3,000 conversions—just think how much that increase in conversions contributes to your fundraising revenue.

While an A/B test won’t improve your metrics overnight, it is a way for your organization to measure how changes to your marketing strategy can affect your goals.

It also reveals areas of your marketing strategy that may not be performing, or it can confirm hypotheses about ways you can improve. The key here is your hypothesis, which needs to be highly targeted.

In-line with our earlier example, the hypothesis could be: “If we change the size of our donate button, then it will be more visible to our audience and drive more conversions.”

Your A/B test could also revolve around the color of the button, copy on the button, or its physical location on the page. In order for this to be a true A/B test though, you can only test one of these elements at a time. And you always have to calculate the statistical significance of your results.

Statistical Sig-What?

Statistical significance is how you prove the results from your test are reliable. It shows that the changes you want to make will have a positive impact on the specific metrics you’re tracking, and that they’re not attributed to chance.

For example, say you run an A/B test with that has a statistical significance of 94%. That means you can be 94% confident that your results are accurate. Of course, it means there’s also a 6% chance that you could be wrong, so the higher your statistical significance, the more confident you can be in your results.

To determine statistically significant results, you need to maintain a truly random sample demographic. If your traffic isn’t evenly split, or the sampling isn’t random, it introduces errors into the test due to behavioral variance among those sampled.

Case in point: if 50% of your sample group, only men, is shown Version A of your test and 50%, only women, are shown Version B, the results are null. That’s because, while the traffic might be split evenly, the homogenized demographic split introduces variations to the data.

Always make sure you have the biggest possible sample size, ensure it’s an even split, sent to a purely random demographic, and run for a long enough period of time. To ensure adherence to A/B testing protocol, there are many tools you can use like Google Optimize.

6 A/B Test Ideas to Improve Your Marketing Metrics

Now that you understand the protocol and philosophy for testing, we’ll explore some creative A/B test ideas you can start using immediately. You’ll likely find that, once completed, each test opens the doors to a new subset of testing options that build off the initial one.

For each A/B test you run, you must form a highly targeted hypothesis about how you think your effort will increase a specific metric. To help, craft your hypotheses as if, then statements.

1. Placement of Donate Button on Your Website

If you have a donate button embedded on your website, you want people to click it and make a donation to your nonprofit. It’s an actionable conversion point, but it needs to be highly visible, so a potential A/B test could revolve around the location of your donate button on your site.

Would it be more effective in the center of the page? Does it drive more conversions if it’s subtly included in the navigation tab?

These are both valid A/B tests you can run, but you have to start with one before building further. For this, a potential hypothesis could read:

“If we place our donate button in the center of the top of the page, then we’ll increase our conversion rates on the button.”

Opportunities for further testing:

• Place your donate button in the site navigation
• Add a second donation button at the bottom of your site
• Increase or decrease the size of your donate button

2. Donation Button Color

We have a lot of assumptions about color. Red is energetic, green represents growth, and purple equates to extravagance—or do they? Further, do specific colors encourage or discourage people from clicking your donate button?

This can be tricky because it’s important to maintain branding across design elements, but there’s a very real possibility that your colors could discourage people from clicking. Or maybe those colors are the main reason you are getting so many clicks.

The only way to find out is to run an A/B test. Your hypothesis here could read:

“Changing the color of our donate button from black to red will encourage more people to click, which will improve conversion rates.”

Opportunities for further testing:

• Change the color of the copy on your button
• Make the button match, or heavily contrast, the colors on your site
• Use a different color from your brand on the button

3. Email Subject Lines

The subject line is what grabs someone’s attention and encourages them to open your email. A/B testing different subject lines is a great way to increase your email open rates. Start by examining how your current subject lines are written.

If they’re simple and straightforward, try making them creative. If they’re overly flowery, try making them direct and to-the-point. Then, once you’re finished with your test, think of the ways you can modify your subject line even more.

An example of your hypothesis could be:

“If we make our subject lines more creative, then we’ll grab attention and encourage more people to open the email and increase open rates.”

Opportunities for further testing:

• Incorporate emoji into your copy
• Personalize the subject line to your recipient
• Tease the content inside the send with your subject line

4. Email Call to Action Copy

Once you know how to get people to open your emails, you’ve got to figure out how to get them to engage with your content and click through. One of the primary ways is to drive clicks is with your CTA copy on anchor text in the email.

There are many ways you can adjust the CTA copy, but the key to success is to narrow down to one idea that you think can have the highest potential impact. Save the other variations for follow-up tests, and then form your hypothesis for this iteration:

“If we keep our CTAs in the email to five words or less, then the direct nature of the copy will drive people to click through to our content.”

Opportunities for further testing:

• Increase or decreasing the length of your copy
• Use a minimum of one power word per CTA
• Infuse creative and storytelling focused language in your CTAs

5. Submission Form Location

Finding the perfect place to put your submission form can be a tough nut to crack. To start, look where your current form is and find out how many submissions you’re getting.

If your numbers are already high, don’t immediately assume that everything is perfect about your form. There’s always some small tweak you can make that might take those numbers even higher. The physical location of the form on the page is great place to start, and your hypothesis could read:

“If we move our submission form from the bottom of our page right after a strong value proposition for supporting our nonprofit, then we will see an increase in the number of total submissions.”

Opportunities for further testing:

• Add to or reduce the number of questions on the form
• Increase or reduce the amount of space the form takes up
• Create a dedicated landing page just for the form

6. Modal Pop-Up

Each modal pop-up has a different style, feel, and character. However, at its core, the pop-up typically presents an offer to the audience after a set duration of time spent on the page.

For example, if you’re reading a blog post a modal might pop up after 15 seconds asking you to subscribe to the blog newsletter. It’s a strong marketing strategy, but you have to find the perfect way to engage your audience with it.

Start by narrowing down a goal you want to achieve with the pop-up. In this scenario, we’ll stick with the blog newsletter signup goal and determine what you’ll be testing, like time. Then, turn it into a hypothesis for your test:

“If we have the modal appear after five seconds on the page, then we will increase the number of subscriptions to our blog newsletter.”

Opportunities for further testing:

• Build a pop-up that’s only text, one that’s only images, or a hybrid combination
• Make your modal cover large portions of a user’s screen, small parts, or anything in between
• Change the color scheme of the pop-up to make it stand out from the rest of the page

You should cultivate an “always be testing” mindset at your nonprofit in order to find the winning combination, and the six A/B test ideas here are a great place to start. No A/B test is too small to run, and it will always provide an interesting learning for you to apply to your marketing strategy.

If you want even more tactics to level up your marketing, make sure to download our Digital Marketing Checklist for free. Now, get out there and run some tests!

This guide provides an easy-to-follow communications timeline paired with the corresponding templates for each recommended send. We also share tips on creating calls-to-action, including graphics, formatting, and more that your team can leverage to build the perfect email series.

The emails are divided into two segments. The first is made up of donors who already donated during your Giving Tuesday campaign (and thereafter). The second segment includes those who have not yet made a gift to either your Giving Tuesday or year-end campaign.

With this guide in your arsenal, your team can create a year-end email strategy that retains newly-acquired donors, stewards existing supporters, and brings in donations during the most opportune fundraising season.

At this alarming rate, the work your nonprofit does to attract support is essential. And it’s essential that you do it over and over and over again.

What if you could increase that donor retention rate? What if, rather than reinvesting in donor acquisition over and over again, your nonprofit could focus on less costly activities like retention efforts?

Imagine what your nonprofit could accomplish if your supporters were so devoted that you could depend on their monthly investments.

With the right donor engagement strategy, that vision can become a reality. To help you develop an effective communications cadence that nurtures new donors, we created 13 donor retention email templates like the one pictured here and packaged them in the guide below.

The donor retention email templates in this guide include sample text along with tips on cadence, timing, and who should receive each email. From messages of thanks, proper introductions, and notes “just because,” the included templates and tips will help you create a donor engagement strategy that strikes the right balance with your supporters. Give your community the information they need to develop a meaningful relationship with your nonprofit and before you know it, they’ll be a loyal and lifelong supporter.

Get trends in return donor behavior in The State of Modern Philanthropy 2019:

Or, to get 13 templates, tips, and more download the free guide below.