Email marketing for nonprofits: How to engage, inform, and inspire supporters

A successful email marketing campaign can have a huge impact on nonprofits—whether engaging, informing, or inspiring supporters. According to Nonprofit Tech for Good, nearly 70% of nonprofits that send fundraising appeals via email raised as much or more than they expected. In this guide, we’ll outline everything you need to develop and deliver nonprofit email campaigns to help you meet, or even exceed, your goals. We’ll cover platform selection, campaign types, best practices, and proven strategies for making your emails stand out, inspire action, and convert intent.

Comparing and selecting email marketing platforms

Before you send your first email, it’s crucial to select a platform that suits your unique needs and goals. There are several platforms to choose from, making it critical to research and compare features, pricing, and integration capabilities to find the right one for your organization. Here are some of the most popular email marketing platforms for nonprofits:

Constant Contact

Constant Contact is a robust, beginner-friendly platform for managing nonprofit emails, offering drag-and-drop templates, list segmentation, and A/B testing to optimize subject lines and donation links.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is another powerful, cost-effective tool for nonprofit fundraising emails, offering audience segmentation, personalized merge tags, and automation to drive donations. It supports building donor relationships via targeted campaigns, branded email templates, and integrations to track donor data and behavior.

Feathr

Feathr’s nonprofit marketing platform enables growing organizations to track and segment their audiences, run reports on multichannel campaigns—from email and digital ads to marketing automation—and work smarter in one unified platform.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is an e-commerce marketing automation platform for email marketing and SMS. By unifying donor data in one place, Klaviyo can help you better understand your audience to deliver personalized campaigns and fundraising experiences.

HubSpot

HubSpot enables the creation of targeted email campaigns, automates acknowledgments for new donors, and helps re-engage lapsed supporters, delivering personalized communication informed by each donor’s contribution history.

Which email platform is best for your nonprofit?

Ultimately, the right choice depends on which platform best supports your nonprofit’s needs. For organizations just starting out, platforms with nonprofit discounts or free plans for smaller contact lists can be a good place to begin. Mailchimp offers a 15% discount for nonprofits and free plans for fewer than 250 contacts. Larger teams may want to consider a more comprehensive platform with expanded capabilities.

Establishing your approach: Nonprofit email strategy essentials

Whether building from the ground up or needing a refresher, here are a few basic fundraising email principles to keep in mind.

Donor segmentation strategies

A one-size-fits-all strategy rarely works, as your donors are more likely to skip your message if it doesn’t resonate. Mailchimp found that across all campaigns, segmented emails significantly outperformed nonsegmented ones, driving approximately 14% higher open rates, 101% higher click rates, and 9% fewer unsubscribes. There are several ways to approach segmentation at your nonprofit. Consider:

• Donation history and frequency
• Volunteer status
• Event participation
• Blog or newsletter subscribers
• Social media followers
• Acquisition channel (how they came to be a donor, member, or subscriber)

Taking the time to create these lists will help you select, tailor, and time your emails appropriately for each segment.

Compliance and best practices

The CAN-SPAM Act, developed by the Federal Trade Commission, gives email recipients the right to opt out of any communications by clicking an “Unsubscribe” link. Making it easy to unsubscribe and respecting those choices is key to maintaining trust and compliance. Similarly, many of the top email platforms have acceptable use policies governing opt-in requirements to protect email recipients against spam, or the sending of bulk emails without permission. Make sure you’re up to date and compliant with these practices before you send your next email.

Putting your strategy into action: Nonprofit email execution best practices

Regardless of which platform you use or how you segment your audience, the following email marketing strategies can help improve donor retention and ensure your campaigns are effective.

Keep your brand cohesive

Your brand should be front and center in all communications, and emails are no exception. Stay consistent with your logo (consider size and placement), color scheme, fonts, voice, style, tone, and email signature.

Highlight specific goals or deadlines

If recipients feel they can take their time getting back to you, your email is likely to be filed and forgotten. That’s why it’s crucial to create a sense of urgency within each email, without being intrusive or manipulative. This can be accomplished by:

• Setting a deadline (“Donate by June 20”)
• Mentioning how much is needed to meet a specific goal (“$143,043 raised of $150K”)
• Using action terms like “Donate now” or “Act today”
• Leveraging scarcity with terms like “Only five days left” or “Spots are limited”

Keep your messaging clear and concise

No one wants to sift through a lengthy email to get to the heart of your message. Keep things clear and succinct, and make it easy for the recipient to respond. If you need to supply more information, you can include a link to a helpful web page where they can learn more.

Email campaign types for nonprofits

In the same way you segment your audience, it’s important to choose the type of email that meets the moment. Here are a few to consider.

Peer-to-peer fundraising email campaign

Peer-to-peer fundraising extends your reach beyond your organization by turning supporters into advocates who fundraise on your behalf within their networks. Rather than relying solely on direct appeals, this approach taps into personal relationships—where trust is already established—to drive giving and expand awareness of your cause. Your email strategy should reflect two distinct moments in the supporter journey. Start with a broad announcement to your donor base to introduce the campaign, explain its impact, and invite participation. Then, follow up with more targeted emails for those who have created a fundraising page, focused on mobilizing and supporting them as active fundraisers. These activation emails should equip fundraisers with practical tools and inspiration to help them succeed. Share ideas for promoting their page, such as posting on social media, reaching out directly to friends and family, or hosting creative efforts like a run, walk, bike ride, birthday fundraiser, or small gathering tied to your cause. To maximize results, provide templates, messaging guidance, and best practices fundraisers can use right away. The more confident and prepared they feel, the more effectively they can engage their networks, turning initial participation into meaningful fundraising momentum.

Recurring giving email campaign

Converting one-time donors into recurring supporters is one of the most effective ways to create predictable revenue, deepen donor loyalty, and increase lifetime value. The opportunity starts at the point of donation: Whenever someone gives—whether online or at an in-person event—make recurring giving a clear, easy option by including a simple prompt like “Make this a monthly donation.” For donors who initially choose to give once, follow up with a targeted email series that invites them to stay involved on an ongoing basis. Position recurring giving as a meaningful extension of their impact, not just a different payment option. This can be reinforced through themed campaigns or named giving programs that offer a sense of identity, recognition, or exclusive benefits.

End-of-year nonprofit appeal

Vanguard Charitable found that 30% of annual giving occurs in December and 10% occurs in the last three days of the year. This surge creates a major opportunity for nonprofits to engage donors at a critical moment, but it also means inboxes are more crowded than ever. With nearly every organization making a year-end appeal, how do you ensure your emails get through the noise? A few strategies for effective year-end giving appeals include:

• Highlight the good your organization has done throughout the previous year with impressive statistics
• Feature a story about someone who your organization has helped
• Talk about your plans and goals for the following year, and how your donors can help you get there

While Giving Tuesday falls within the year-end giving season, it should be treated as a distinct campaign—not just another email in your broader holiday outreach. Organizations that see the strongest results approach it with a clear fundraising goal, dedicated messaging, and a coordinated marketing plan built specifically for the day. That effort should start well in advance. Rather than waiting until your year-end appeals begin, use the weeks leading up to Giving Tuesday to build awareness, generate excitement, and prime your audience to take action. Early emails can introduce the campaign, highlight the impact of participation, and invite supporters to get involved, whereas later messages should focus on urgency and conversion as the day approaches. By the time Giving Tuesday arrives, your supporters should be ready and motivated to give.

Matching campaigns

Many nonprofits boost fundraising results by partnering with a corporate sponsor to offer a matching gift campaign. In this effective model, donations get doubled, so a $100 gift becomes $200, making each contribution feel more impactful and motivating supporters to give. Email plays a critical role in promoting and sustaining these campaigns. Use dedicated email sends to announce the match, explain how it works, and emphasize why now is the best time to give. Because most matching partners set a cap and a limited time frame, your emails should highlight urgency with messaging like “while funds last” or “through midnight” to prompt immediate action. As the campaign progresses, follow up with reminders and progress update emails to keep momentum high and show donors how close you are to unlocking the full match.

Emails to strengthen donor relationships

Not every email needs to be a direct ask. Some of your most effective messages will focus on strengthening relationships, making donors feel recognized, valued, and genuinely connected to your mission.

Thank-you and stewardship emails

A great way to connect with your donors, outside of appeals and targeted asks, is by simply thanking them for their support. Showing you value their generosity goes a long way. Follow up with a note of thanks at regular intervals, including:

• After they’ve made a gift
• After they’ve attended an event
• After they’ve volunteered for an event
• After they’ve referred a friend or family member to donate or volunteer
• After they’ve joined your email list
• On their birthday or the anniversary of their first gift
• On major holidays, especially Thanksgiving

Newsletter and update campaigns

Another way to communicate regularly with your donors is through a nonprofit newsletter. That consistent touchpoint helps keep your donor base updated on the progress you’ve made, so they can see how their dollars are put to good use. Keeping donors informed helps strengthen your relationship with them, so when the time comes for you to reach out with an appeal, the audiences you rely on most are ready and eager to hear from you.

Level up your fundraising success with effective email marketing

Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools nonprofits have to engage donors, build lasting relationships, and drive funding. However, success doesn’t come from the platform alone. It requires a thoughtful, year-round strategy for reaching the right audiences with the right message at the right time. With a more intentional approach to segmentation and outreach, your emails can become a consistent, reliable driver of impact.

FAQs

What is a good email open rate for nonprofits? The average nonprofit email sees a 28.59% open rate and a 3.29% click rate, but welcome emails outpace those benchmarks, with an average open rate of 80%.

What’s the best time to send nonprofit emails?

The best time to send emails will vary by audience, so it’s important to rely on your data rather than general benchmarks. Monitor key email marketing metrics like open rates and click-through rates to understand when your supporters are most engaged. Over time, these insights will help you identify patterns of when your audience is most likely to notice and respond to your messages, allowing you to time your sends more strategically and improve overall performance.

How do I improve my email open rates?

One surefire way to improve open rates is to come up with more compelling subject lines. Mailchimp explains that the best nonprofit email subject lines “are short, descriptive, and provide the reader with a reason to explore your messages further.” Your subject line should let your audience know why your email matters and why it’s relevant right now.

What should I do if my unsubscribe rate is high?

Start by identifying whether your unsubscribe rate is consistently high or tied to specific emails. A steady increase may indicate that you’re sending too frequently, whereas a spike tied to a particular send could point to issues with that message, such as a subject line that didn’t match the content or an email that felt too long or unfocused. If your emails aren’t clear, relevant, or aligned with what subscribers expect, they’re more likely to be ignored, or worse, marked as spam. Copy editor: Ayanna Julien