Effective Email Marketing Plan for Nonprofits & Charities

Working with nonprofits has shown us one thing — every email counts. Whether you want to raise awareness, rally support, or drive donations, email marketing is one of the most powerful tactics for nonprofits to create impact.

We found out that 69% of nonprofits that sent fundraising appeals raised the amount they expected or more. 

We’ve put together this guide to help nonprofits like yours build meaningful connections with supporters and make every email count. Let’s get started!

Actionable Email Marketing Plan for Nonprofits

We get it—it’s not always easy to market as a nonprofit. With limited budgets, small teams, and countless tasks to juggle, crafting an effective nonprofit email marketing plan can feel like a challenge. 

With small, strategic steps, you can build a great email marketing strategy that inspires action. Let’s see how: 

Smart Email List Management for Nonprofits

Managing your email list effectively can make a lot of difference. You should start by focusing on segmenting nonprofit email lists. It will help you categorize donors, volunteers, and general supporters and send more relevant and targeted messages. 

Here’s what to do: 

• Segment your contacts and use tags to organize them by donation history, or participation in past events; 
• Regularly clean your list to avoid sending to inactive contacts.

Use Storytelling Templates to Show Your Impact

Stories are the heart of nonprofit emails. They showcase the lives you’ve touched and the change you’ve created. A heartfelt story paired with visuals like photos or quotes can help supporters feel connected and inspired to contribute.

Create a storytelling template with a layout that uses real images, and a CTA link to the full story on your website or blog. Don’t forget to add direct quotes or testimonials for maximum impact. 

• Add real images and stories for effective nonprofit email templates; 
• Repost stories from your newsletter for nonprofit marketing on social media; 
• Create dedicated landing pages for every story you feature and add a CTA to emails. 

Personalize Emails with Email Marketing Platforms

63% of nonprofits personalize their emails as they feel more thoughtful and human. Addressing the recipient with their first name or referencing their last interaction shows them that you cherish their support.

Here are some ideas to personalize your emails: 

• Greet supporters by name in both the subject line and the email; 
• Send localized updates, like event invites based on their area; 
• Use a robust marketing automation tool to send targeted emails based on list segments. 

Keep Supporters Updated with Nonprofit Newsletters

Newsletters are an excellent way to keep supporters in the loop. Use them to share recent milestones, success stories, and upcoming events. 

Remember to keep a consistent schedule for your newsletters. This will make your supporters feel always connected to your cause. You can create a newsletter calendar, just like a social media calendar, and schedule newsletters in advance. 

Boost Donations with Clear CTAs in Fundraising Emails

Fundraising emails work best when the ask is clear and direct. Use bold, prominent call-to-action (CTA) buttons that guide donors to a simple and secure donation page. You can also showcase a specific goal with a timeline to encourage faster action. 

Here are some tips: 

• Highlight how contributions will be used to drive transparency; 
• Place the CTA above the fold and repeat it at the end of the email.

Choose Affordable Platforms for Mobile-Friendly Emails

Nonprofits need email marketing tools that balance affordability with functionality. Look for platforms offering nonprofit discounts or free plans. 

Also, pick a solution that offers a library of mobile-friendly templates. This ensures you save time on designing emails that look great on any device, as most supporters will check emails on their phones.

Promote Recurring Donations with Transparency

Recurring donors offer financial stability for the nonprofit and continuity for the cause. Use periodic newsletters to show how their support is being used and request signing up for long-term recurring donations. 

Here are some email marketing best practices for nonprofits to promote recurring donations: 

• Include real-life impact stories of how recurring support is making a difference; 
• Offer flexible options like monthly, quarterly, or annual donations; 
• Clearly state in your emails that they can stop the donation anytime they want; 
• Send personalized emails to thank supporters after every donation. 

5 Emails Every Nonprofit Should Consider 

If you’re thinking of how to start email marketing for nonprofits, we’ve got some real-life examples to help you out. Here are some actual nonprofit email campaigns you can replicate: 

Action Email

An action email is an important element of your fundraising email strategies. It encourages donors to support the cause through regular donations. Here’s how the Tripadvisor Foundation urges its supporters to take action: 

They’ve centered this email around a worthy cause and wrote about the on-ground impact of their efforts. Such tactics for donor engagement through email work in case of a time-sensitive issue, like war in this case. 

You could also use impactful storytelling in nonprofit emails by adding real images or stories of people who have had a positive impact due to your efforts. 

Fundraising Email

Fundraising is the most crucial part of any non-profit organization’s activities. When brainstorming nonprofit newsletter ideas, make sure to add compelling fundraising appeals to your email marketing calendar. Here’s a great example of a personal fundraising appeal from a childcare house. 

The fundraising appeal from the executive director’s desk feels personal. Sending it on a day like #GivingTuesday further adds weight to the request. They’ve used a personal tone in the letter, making it more impactful than any generic fundraising emails. 

Adding a colorful donate button at the end would’ve drawn many supporters to click and donate to the center. 

Impact Report Email

Email outreach for nonprofit organizations can get monotonous if you keep asking for donations in every email. It’s better to diversify your newsletters by adding impact reports and real-life stories as Charity Water did in this email: 

Using a real image with a heartfelt quote from the beneficiaries creates an instant connection with the recipients. If your goal is donor engagement through email, you should collect stories like this and try to give a human angle when you create campaigns. 

Creating value-driven email content like this makes supporters realize the effort you are putting in and they’re encouraged to do their bit. 

Volunteer Recruitment Email

Volunteers are the heart and soul of your cause. So, it’s important to keep them in the loop through your newsletters. Patagonia Action Works uses different strategies to engage supporters via email, like inspiring readers to take up volunteer work for the skills they’re already experts in. 

The vibrant colors used in the email header grab instant attention. The tone makes the reader feel important, and direct CTAs like ‘Get involved’ and ‘Take action’ are sure to drive clicks. 

Thank You Email 

It’s great to appreciate and show gratitude towards donors from time to time. One of the best ways to thank your donors is to use a nonprofit email automation sequence that triggers every time someone donates to your organization. 

World Vision sends this warm thank you letter to every donor who donates every month. 

Using an impact video in the header is a nice hack for boosting donor retention with email. Plus, a subtle ‘Share the Video’ message can drive shares on social media channels from many supporters who want to feel good about their act. 

Send a thank you email after someone donates to your cause. Also, schedule thank you emails after big events like charity galas and during the holiday season. This will help build recall and show you value their support. 

Also read:

• 8 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Nonprofits
• Email Marketing for Designers: Step-by-Step Guide to Success

About author

Emily Austin

Author

Sender

Emily is a content manager who has dipped her toes in almost all fields of marketing, including PR, social media, email, and ecommerce. She loves perfecting digital content, ensuring everything is polished and ready to go live.

Writer - Anmol Ratan Sachdeva