As a nonprofit, staying connected with your donors, supporters, and volunteers constantly is necessary.
While in-person events and phone calls are great, we’ve noticed that 69% of nonprofits that send emails achieve their fundraising goals. Plus, nonprofit newsletters are a great way to keep everyone in the loop.
So, we thought, why not share the best email marketing software for nonprofits and help you get started?
Do Non-Profits Need a Dedicated Email Platform?
Mind you, ‘marketing’ or email marketing, isn’t just for sales. Rather, it’s a direct, personal way to connect with donors and build lasting relationships.
Unlike other channels, email gives you a direct line to supporters for sharing impactful stories, updates, and fundraising appeals.
Here’s why email campaigns for charitable organizations make sense:
- They inspire giving. 26% of donors say email inspires them to donate, compared to 25% through social media and 17% via websites;
- They help share updates. 92% of nonprofits using email marketing services send newsletters, with 41% sending them monthly;
- They deliver results. 35% of nonprofits raised the amount they expected from email fundraising appeals, and 34% raised more than expected.
If you’re aiming for similar results, you need a powerful email marketing platform, as 94% of nonprofits already rely on nonprofit email marketing platforms for impactful campaigns.
Key Features of a Great Nonprofit Email Platform
Before choosing a nonprofit email software, remember not all tools are built for nonprofits. Many email marketing tools promise nonprofit-friendly features.
But you should look for the following features that simplify managing email marketing campaigns:
- Donation integration. The tool must support embedded donation buttons or forms so supporters can contribute without leaving their inboxes;
- Segmented lists for supporters. Segmentation helps group donors, volunteers, and first-time givers to personalize email campaigns;
- Recurring donation campaigns. Automation flow builder to easily set up campaigns for recurring donations and automated donation reminders;
- Automated thank you emails. Autoresponders for acknowledging donations instantly based on their contribution or activity for showing gratitude;
- Discounted pricing. Opt for an email marketing software offering a special nonprofit plan to save money while accessing premium features.
8 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Nonprofits
Now you know what you must look for in a platform, here are the best charity email marketing tools you should consider for your nonprofit organization.
Let’s look at each of these affordable email platforms for NGOs in detail.
Sender — Best Email Platform for Non-profits
If you’re a nonprofit juggling tight budgets and big ambitions, Sender is the email marketing platform you’ve been looking for.
With Sender, you can effortlessly keep your audience updated about your projects, celebrate milestones, and inspire more people to join your mission.
It’s simple to use, powerful, and designed to help you send engaging emails to your donors and volunteers — all without draining your resources.
Imagine this: beautifully crafted emails that make your supporters feel valued, automated campaigns that save you hours, and insights that tell you exactly what’s working.
What makes it even better? Sender doesn’t just stop at emails.
With SMS marketing and advanced segmentation tools, you can reach the most engaged supporters at the right moment.
And the best part? You don’t need a big team or technical expertise—Sender’s human-friendly interface makes it ridiculously easy to promote your cause.
Features
- Event promotion tools;
- Community engagement analytics;
- Automated thank you emails;
- SMS marketing features;
- Customizable email templates for nonprofits;
- Large integration library.
Pricing
- Sender is the best email marketing platform for nonprofits with a generous free plan to help you get started for up to 2,500 members and 15,000 emails. You’ll get premium tools without the premium price tag, so you can do more good with every email marketing campaign;
- Paid plans start at $10/month, and there’s even a special nonprofit discount of up to 25% on all its plans.
GetResponse — Non-profit Organizations Can Get Discounts
GetResponse is a useful email marketing service for nonprofits. It has a special program for nonprofits to access all features at a discounted price.
GetResponse offers email marketing, automation, website-building features, designed to enhance donor engagement and streamline communications. Create personalized campaigns using its drag-and-drop builder, or automate regular newsletters through automation.
It also supports hosting webinars for virtual events. Plus, you can set up conversion funnels to engage potential donors and optimize your fundraising efforts.
Features
- Web forms and landing page builder;
- Large template library for nonprofit causes;
- Prebuilt automation templates;
- AI writing assistant.
Pricing
- Free trial account for up to 30 days.
- Paid plans start at $13.30/month and it offers a 50% discount for nonprofit organizations.
MailerLite — Best Storytelling Templates
MailerLite is designed to help nonprofits engage supporters through great storytelling templates.
Its user-friendly interface and large template library help create effective newsletters quickly. There’s also a landing page and form builder to build donation pages for dedicated fundraising campaigns.
Use its automation features to send automated thank you emails and event reminders, or streamline engagement on autopilot.
Features
- Drag-and-drop editor with a large template library;
- Email automation builder;
- Landing page and form builder;
- Audience segmentation;
- Analytics and reporting.
Pricing
- Free plan for up to 1,000 users and 12,000 emails/month.
- Paid plans start at $9/month but there’s a 30% discount on all paid plans for eligible nonprofits.
ActiveCampaign — Great Segmentation for Targeted Lists
ActiveCampaign is good for nonprofits who want to send more contextual donation campaigns and automate campaigns.
Along with general features like drag and drop builder, it offers advanced segmentation and automation tools. Use automated workflows for welcoming new supporters, sending event reminders, or expressing gratitude to donors.
If you want to streamline repetitive email marketing tasks without manual effort, you can go for ActiveCampaign.
Features
- Premade automation sequences;
- Popups and signup forms;
- Recurring donation drip campaigns;
- Web push notifications for events.
Pricing
- Limited-time free trial is available;
- Paid plans start at $15/month and there’s a 20% discount on all plans for nonprofits.
Mailchimp — Integrations with Donation Platforms like PayPal
Mailchimp is designed for nonprofits that want to collect donations via platforms like PayPal. It supports direct integrations with payment processors, so you can create email campaigns with direct ‘donate’ buttons.
With Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop email builder, creating visually appealing, professional emails is easy, even without design expertise.
The platform’s audience segmentation allows you to tailor messages to specific groups. However, we noticed that the platform can get pretty costly as your donor list grows.
Features
- Drag-and-drop email campaign builder;
- Basic segmentation features;
- Landing page builder;
- Large integration library.
Pricing
- Free trial account for 14 days;
- Paid plans start at $13.44/month with a 15% discount to verified nonprofit organizations and charities.
Donorbox — Automates Thank-you Emails for Donors
Donorbox is one of the most popular donor communication platforms, offering an email marketing tool as a part of its integrated suite.
With Donorbox, you can design emails using a drag-and-drop builder and segment your donor list for personalized, more impactful emails.
It has a large template library and an analytics dashboard for tracking results. Plus, you can integrate email marketing features with the Donorbox CRM to streamline your fundraising efforts.
Features
- Segmentation and personalization;
- CRM-based automation;
- Drag-and-drop email builder;
- Unified inbox for all communications.
Pricing
- Free plan with access to basic features;
- Paid plans start at $139/month with a 1.5% platform fee for every donation captured through the platform.
Keela — Automated Thank-you Emails after Event Participation
Keela offers a specialized fundraising CRM platform for nonprofits with built-in features for email marketing and automated emails.
Design branded and professional emails to engage your donors and community using its intuitive interface. There’s a centralized donor management dashboard, and you can schedule and automate emails after interactions, like donations or event participation.
Plus, you get access to data analytics to optimize existing donor campaigns for better results in the future.
Features
- Dynamic fields for personalizing emails;
- Non-profit email template library;
- Nonprofit CRM integration for donor management;
- Embeddable donation buttons.
Pricing
Keela charges $99/month for up to 1,000 subscribers and all premium features like automation, and SMS.
Constant Contact — Recurring Donations and Campaign Management
Constant Contact offers a comprehensive platform to manage recurring donations and email campaigns.
Use its email marketing tools to create beautiful emails, streamline communication, and automate campaigns. Use its template library to create professional emails within minutes.
Its automation features help you automate thank you emails, send donation reminders, and manage fundraising efforts. Additionally, the integration with social media platforms helps boost the impact of each campaign.
Features
- Professional email template library;
- Automation builder for recurring campaigns;
- Reporting tools;
- Social media integration
Pricing
- Free trial account for sending up to 100 emails;
- Paid plans start at $12/month with a special nonprofit discount between 20-30%.
If you’re currently using Mailchimp, Constant Contact or Mailerlite and are looking for alternatives, take a look at these roundups:
- 14 Mailchimp Alternatives Compared (July 2024 Update)
- 10 Constant Contact Alternatives: Find Your Perfect Fit
- 11 Best Mailerlite Alternatives for 2024 (Free & Paid Options)
