Boost Your Campaign with the Best Fundraising Email Template

As nonprofits typically only retain 43% of donors year over year, understanding how to engage donors within the first 48 hours is key to hoping to turn them into lifelong donors.

In this post, you have a comprehensive guide sharing practical strategies for maximizing engagement and encouraging recurring support, leveraging urgency without overwhelming your donors, and boosting open rates with engaging subject lines – all by using a fundraising email template.

• The Key: Personalizing Your Fundraising Email Template
• List of Fundraising Email Templates Your Nonprofit May Want to Use

• Analytics to Track with Fundraising Email Template
• The Way to Increase Open Rates: Compelling Email Subject Lines
• Donor Retention Starts with Effective Fundraising Emails

The Key: Personalizing Your Fundraising Email Template

Remember, all donors and potential donors want to feel special; addressing them by name is just the start.

Enhance your connection by acknowledging their past support and the impact it has created, thereby transforming a simple message into an appreciation of their unique contribution. This level of personalization makes your message more than just another email—it becomes a heartfelt thank you.

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Utilizing data effectively allows for this kind of customization in your fundraising campaign. With Micharity, handling donor details becomes a breeze, enabling easier-than-ever personalized connections.

You can simply utilize the email marketing platform and insert autofill prompts that can pull donor data from the connected CRM. And voila! Personalization without manual effort.

Areas you can personalize

There are a lot of areas. But, our Micharity clients typically personalize:

• Salutations (use their name!)
• Donation amount
• Impact notes
• Previous donation history
• Ask amounts
• Membership information
• Event attendance history (i.e., we missed you at or it was great to see you at)

List of Fundraising Email Templates Your Nonprofit May Want to Use

So, in what scenarios are email fundraising templates valuable?

The truth is templates can go beyond fundraising! Here are when we recommend using them for your team’s benefit:

Donor welcome email

Since online fundraising is bigger than ever, you’ll want a template to thank donors for their first donation with you. Here’s an example for a nonprofit providing education for underserved students in a local community:

Subject: Welcome to [Nonprofit Name]: Empowering Underserved Students Together!

Dear [Donor’s Name],

I hope this email finds you well and filled with the same sense of hope and dedication that drives our mission at [Nonprofit Name]. On behalf of our entire team, I want to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to you.

Your recent donation means the world to us, and we’re incredibly grateful for your decision to support our efforts in providing education to underserved students in our community. Your generosity is directly contributing to breaking down barriers and empowering these bright young minds to reach their full potential.

At [Nonprofit Name], we believe that every child deserves access to quality education, regardless of their background or circumstances. Thanks to supporters like you, we’re able to offer a range of programs and resources tailored to the unique needs of underserved students, from mentorship programs to tutoring sessions and beyond.

Your support not only helps these students academically but also instills in them a sense of confidence, hope, and ambition for the future. Together, we’re making a tangible difference in the lives of these students, paving the way for brighter tomorrows and stronger communities.

I invite you to stay connected with us and witness the impact of your generosity firsthand. We regularly provide updates on our programs, success stories from our students, and opportunities for involvement. Additionally, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas for how we can further our mission together.

Once again, thank you for your commitment to our cause and for joining us on this journey of empowerment and education. Together, we’re building a brighter future for all.

With deepest gratitude,

[Your Name]

[Your Position]

[Nonprofit Name]

Feel free to personalize this template further to better align with your nonprofit’s voice, values, and specific programs.

Volunteer thank you email

Subject: A Heartfelt Thank You from [Executive Director Name]

Dear [Volunteer’s Name],

I hope this message finds you well and filled with the same warmth and gratitude that we have for you here at [Nonprofit Name]. As we reflect on the incredible impact we’ve made together, I wanted to take a moment to extend our deepest thanks to you for your unwavering dedication and generosity.

Your commitment to our cause goes above and beyond, and we’re truly grateful for the time, effort, and resources you’ve invested in supporting underserved students in our community. 

You’ve [spent countless hours in the classroom, sharing your knowledge and passion with our students and generously donated school supplies to ensure they have the tools they need to succeed].

Your contributions have not gone unnoticed.

Thanks to volunteers like you, our students have access to invaluable learning experiences and mentorship opportunities that inspire them to reach for the stars. 

[INSERT FEEL GOOD STUDENT SUCCESS STORIES]

Your generosity has made a tangible difference in the lives of these students, empowering them to focus on their studies and pursue their dreams with confidence.

Thank you once again for your invaluable contributions to our cause. You are truly changing lives and shaping futures, one classroom at a time.

With deepest appreciation,

[Executive Director Name]

[Official Title]

[Nonprofit Name]

Feel good quarterly impact email

While personalized impact emails are important for mid- to high-level donors, for lower-tier donors, using a personalized templated email is a great way to move them higher on your donor pyramid! Use a personal story generosity request fulfillers can’t deny!

A good rule of thumb is if a story inspired you, it will probably help donors understand the impact and help you retain donors.

Subject: Your Impact in Action: A Student’s Inspiring Journey

Dear [Donor’s Name],

I hope this message finds you in good spirits. I wanted to share a heartwarming story with you—one that exemplifies the incredible impact of your generosity and support.

Meet Sarah*, a bright and determined student who, despite facing numerous challenges, has been able to thrive academically and personally thanks to donors like you. Sarah comes from a low-income household where access to educational resources and support is limited. However, with your contributions, we’ve been able to provide her with the tools and opportunities she needs to succeed.

Thanks to your donations, Sarah received a scholarship that enabled her to attend our after-school tutoring program. With the guidance of dedicated volunteers like yourself, she was able to improve her grades and develop a newfound confidence in her abilities. Your donations also provided her with essential school supplies, ensuring that she had everything she needed to excel in the classroom.

But perhaps most importantly, your support gave Sarah something even more valuable: hope. Your belief in her potential has inspired her to dream big and pursue her goals with determination and perseverance. Today, Sarah is not only excelling academically but also actively involved in extracurricular activities and leadership roles within her school community.

Sarah’s journey is just one example of the countless lives you’ve touched through your generosity. Your contributions are making a tangible difference in the lives of underserved students like Sarah, empowering them to overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams.

Thank you for your continued support and belief in our mission. Together, we’re changing lives and shaping futures.

With heartfelt gratitude,

[Your Name]

[Your Position]

[Nonprofit Name]

Now, remember, these sample email templates are just a place to get started! You have the secret sauce within your organization.

Other email fundraising templates

Others you may want to add to your roster of templates are:

• Annual appeal email fundraising template
• Peer-to-peer fundraising request
• Volunteer opportunities template
• Membership renewal reminder
• Monthly giving reminder email
• Reactivation email template
• Donor anniversary acknowledgment email template
• Matching gift opportunity template

All of these will take some time to put together, but leverage AI to make it more expeditious and realize how much time your team will save once these are automated via your donor CRM!

Analytics to Track with Fundraising Email Templates

Now, you shouldn’t just let your templates run without analyzing the metrics. That’s where having software like Micharity on your side is important, as you can pull the data to see if these templates are actually doing good for your organization—not harm.

Here’s what you should track:

• Open rate: Measure the percentage of recipients who open your fundraising emails. This helps gauge the effectiveness of your subject lines and overall email content in grabbing attention.

• Click-through rate (CTR): Track the percentage of recipients who click on links within your fundraising emails. This metric indicates the level of engagement and interest in your fundraising appeals.

• Conversion rate: Monitor the percentage of email recipients who take the desired action, such as making a donation or signing up for an event, after clicking through from your email. This metric directly reflects the effectiveness of your email in driving fundraising outcomes.

• Donation amount: Keep track of the average donation amount generated from your fundraising emails. This helps assess the quality of donors acquired through email campaigns and the overall impact of your fundraising efforts.

• Email list growth: Monitor the growth of your email subscriber list over time. Increasing your email list size expands your reach and potential donor base, contributing to long-term fundraising success.

• Unsubscribe rate: Keep an eye on the percentage of recipients who unsubscribe from your emails after receiving a fundraising message. A high unsubscribe rate may indicate that your emails are not resonating with your audience or are too frequent.

• Email engagement patterns: Analyze engagement patterns over time, such as peak open and click-through times, to optimize the timing of your fundraising emails for maximum impact.

• Segmentation performance: Evaluate the performance of different email segments (e.g., new donors, recurring donors, lapsed donors) to tailor future fundraising campaigns more effectively based on donor preferences and behavior.

• Email deliverability: Monitor email deliverability metrics such as bounce rate and spam complaints to ensure that your fundraising emails reach recipients’ inboxes and maintain a positive sender reputation.

• Return on investment (ROI): Calculate the ROI of your fundraising email campaigns by comparing the costs associated with email marketing (e.g., software, staff time) to the revenue generated through donations attributed to email outreach. This metric helps assess the overall effectiveness and profitability of your email fundraising efforts.

• Response rates: Are your emails starting conversations with donors? That should be a goal!

The Way to Increase Open Rates: Compelling Email Subject Lines

So, how do you increase open rates to help you achieve your fundraising goals?

Here are a few places to start:

• Confirm email addresses: If you’re delivering the email to the wrong address, it’s not going to be opened.
• Ensure subject lines are optimized for mobile devices: Over 40% of emails are opened on phones. So, if your subject line is getting cut off on mobile devices, you’re going to get a lower open rate.
• Share via social channels: Adding your links to social channels will get your mission out to the masses and give you a bigger pool of potential engaged supporters.
• Personalization: The best way to drive supporters to open is to address them personally. Put a %firstname% tag in your subject line or insert donation amounts to speak to individual donors directly and make them feel important.
• Re-create popular email subject lines: If you have a subject line regarding continued generosity, re-use it! Just change out a word or two, as no donor is going to remember every subject line. It shouldn’t be a direct copy and paste, but you can use AI to help you get creative with themes that have worked in the past.
• Add urgency: Note “only X number of hours left” or exclusive events and fundraising event invites for community members only to pique interest.

Finding ways to get those emails open and engage supporters needs to be a top priority! Again, you can write emails, but they won’t do your organization any good if they’re not seen.

Donor Retention Starts with Effective Fundraising Emails

Spending time mastering the art of crafting a compelling fundraising email template is your first step to success. Discovering how to customize messages and share powerful narratives has shown a considerable increase in contributions and donor retention with lots of recurring donations.

The goal is to drive supporters to donate and turn interest into impact.

If you’re ready for breakthrough fundraising results, this guide on using the right fundraising email template has set the foundation. Now, you need email software within your donor management software to help with customization and automation. Schedule a Micharity demo today to see how we can support you.