If your nonprofit is yet to master email marketing, you need to upskill yourself sooner rather than later. Email marketing is one of the most powerful channels in digital. It’s cost-effective, its conversion rates are virtually unbeaten, and it’s one of the most effective channels to build and maintain relationships with your audience. Not to mention it’s one of only two digital channels you have total ownership over.
With that in mind, if you are keen to send your email marketing to the next level, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of 4 top tips to level up your nonprofit’s email marketing campaigns and even thrown in a few industry examples to demonstrate just how effective they can be.
#1 Tell them why
The best way to drive donations and encourage volunteer applications? Give your audience a reason to want to help. Speak to them on a level they understand and can relate to. Road Scholar speaks directly to their audience with their ‘5 ways your donation will change lives’ campaign. They use direct language and highlight the tangible impacts of donations which encourages individuals to feel the true impact their support can have. And the more they feel their help is worth, the more likely they are to engage.
#2 Show them how
As the old saying goes, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Provided you’ve built a good enough relationship with your audience, telling them exactly what you need them to do should be enough to drive those clicks and obtain the support you need. Take this email from the American Red Cross: they explain exactly what their audience needs to do to get involved without overcomplicating or overwhelming them. They follow their step-by-step instructions with a compelling CTA (call to action) that encourages users to kick-start their blood donation journey.
#3 Build a relationship
It’s all very well asking for donations, but if you’re serious about securing continued support for your charity, you need to use email marketing to build a relationship with your audience. This means taking the time to write content that not only drives action but educates, inspires and entertains, too. The one-to-one nature of email makes building that rapport that much easier, and if you add things like personalisation into the mix, you’ll be onto a winner for sure.
#4 Keep it clear
Every nonprofit email should have a purpose. Whether you are looking to drive donations for your charity, drum up support from volunteers or simply inform your audience of what’s to come, you need to have a clear direction and stick with it. Patagonia’s ‘Action Works’ email campaign demonstrates the power of repetition and consistency with a clear message and relevant CTAs used throughout. Their combination of snappy sentences, direct language and bold images all tie together to create a compelling message that drives action and makes a lasting impression.
Ready to level up your nonprofit’s email marketing? Get in touch to organise your free consultation with one of our marketing experts.
