Understanding how to write a fundraising email is the crucial step to get donations. The success of your fundraising campaign program can be determined by how you write emails to potential donors. When you are holding a large fundraiser, of course, you need to create a straightforward and effective email to move your email recipients. Thus, they can take action.
Furthermore, to create an effective fundraising email, you have to write it with a lot of preparation. Therefore, you need to know the right steps and build amazing content. Muster up the courage to ask for financial assistance to organize the event. As challenging as it may sound, we are here to help you get started.
There isn’t a general formula for writing a fundraising email. But there are steps you can follow that will make your email effective. There are several sections that you need to follow and not to be missed. We also provide several templates that you can use as a reference. Here are the steps on how to write a fundraising email effectively.
How to Write A Fundraising For Reader Stories
Creating an emotional and relevant story for the reader stories can move people’s hearts and they can make people take action. This story is the basis of your fundraising email. Humans are used to responding to stories, so stories have an important role in your writing process.
Begin to write your email by telling an interesting story about how your organization has helped someone, take an emotional story of a person you have helped. Also, how donations from donors can change someone’s situation for the better.
Use the name of a real person and don’t make it up. Make the person the main character of a story about how he faced his difficulties and the successes he has achieved.
Also, make stories relevant to readers, if they can imagine themselves in the story, this will make it easier for readers to empathize with the people you will help in your organization. Try to use simple language so they can follow the storyline.
From this story, you need to get the readers—who will hopefully turn out to be supporters in the future—to answer the question: Why do I need to care and help?
1. Make a clear call to action
Make sure you present a solution to the problem of the person you are helping with clear actions that readers can follow and take. With a clear call to action, supporters can see how they will impact change.
You can insert this call to action in several parts of the email because you can use it more than once. But don’t confuse readers with multiple invitations, just one theme of invitation in several different ways.
On how to write a fundraising email effectively, you don’t want to be long-winded, create a call-to-action in the first two paragraphs so they don’t wonder about the purpose of the email you are sending them.
2. How to write a fundraising email – Make a clear impact
Write down the required amount needed to reach the fundraising goal. Explain what that amount of money can do for the person you are trying to help. Make it concrete and relate the supporting goals to the results of a particular program in your fundraiser.
To make email readers willing to donate, you need to indicate the changes they can make. Make your email about them. Specific examples can help donors to give.
Also think about how donors can give, making this activity easy for donors. Make sure the link you send to readers via email is easy and not complicated.
To make more impact, on your donation page, create a donation selection and explanation so that donors can see the impact of their contribution. Also, add a donation thermometer to encourage more donations to your campaign. And provide several payment options that make it easier for potential donors to contribute.
3. Make it short
Does everyone have time to read long emails? Of course, the answer is no. Then make sure your emails are short and clear because most people only skim their emails and move on to the next email. The key is a short, effective email.
To create a short email, in one paragraph, try to have only two to three sentences. To be more eye-catching, separate the text with the title of your email.
Even if it’s brief, make it clear and visually appealing. You can include photos of your organization in the programs you’re working on to help people connect better with your fundraising goals. Also, make sure your emails look good on the phone screen and keep the background of your emails light.
4. Special tip: Don’t ask for donations in your first email
Who is not bothered by people who immediately beg at the first meeting? Even if some people don’t mind, we need to admit that such a thing is unethical.
If this is your first email to them, don’t ask for donations in your first email. Create another email about your non-profit that will encourage potential supporters to learn more about the organization and your campaign.
You can send interesting articles or videos about your organization. Make a strong start with a touching story. You don’t just ask your supporters for money, you also need to build their trust. Once they get to know you and your organization, and emotional connection will go a long way towards fundraising.
Examples on How To Write A Fundraising Email
Those are tips you can do on how to write a fundraising email effectively. In conclusion, creating an effective email takes smart work. Present a touching story, give a clear call to action, tell them how the money will be spent, and keep it brief, and don’t ask them for donations in your first email.
Creating an effective email is also a process. Evaluate the results of your email responses. What kind of email gets a better response. Keep innovating and testing your email delivery strategy.
For email templates you can use, you can see some examples below.
Example 1: Donation Requests for friends and family
[Email subject]
Dear [insert name]
In the previous email, you may already know that I am doing a fundraiser [state the reason for your fundraiser]. This reason is very important to people I know personally because [give reasons that appeal to the reader’s emotions].
I’m very motivated by the support I’ve received, but I still need some help to achieve this [insert amount] fundraising.
Would you like to contribute to our fundraiser? Any amount will mean a lot to our organization.
To donate, click on our organization’s fundraising link below:
[insert link to fundraising page]
It would also be helpful if you could share the fundraising link on social media. The more people who know about this fundraiser, the faster we can reach our fundraising goal.
Feel free to contact me if you want to talk directly about this fundraiser.
With love
[your name]
Example 2: Donations requests to local businesses
[subject: short, interesting and fun]
Hi [insert name]
We are doing a fundraiser for [insert fundraising reason], and I look forward to the help of local businesses like yours. [Give a reason you need help in a few short sentences about the background and relate this reason to the local community where the business is located].
So far, we have raised as much as [insert amount] to achieve our fundraising goal. But we still have a lot to cover to reach our goal. And that’s where your business caught our attention.
Are you interested in joining our fundraising journey? Any amount you give can make a difference for the better.
To donate, simply click the link to our fundraising page:
[insert fundraising page link]
I’d also like to talk more about this fundraiser, so don’t hesitate to contact me.
est,
[your name]
[your contact information]
