Create a Nonprofit Email Campaign with a Personal Touch

People pay closer attention to a discussion when it feels personal. Ears pick up and heads turn.

For a nonprofit audience, including supporters, volunteers, and donors, more times than not, the cause itself is personal.

When messaging your audience about a topic so close to the heart, adding personalization can help nurture their attention, making the email resonate and inspire action. Here are a few examples:

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Create an email that speaks to individuals

Personalized emails help each member of your audience feel as though you’re talking directly to them. Addressing them by first name, or their specific volunteer role for example, helps the email stand out in their inbox, and boosts engagement.

When planning your next fundraising event, send out an email with a subject line or headline that includes their first name, asking for help towards the goal of the event. Keep the body text of the email specific, writing as if you’re only talking to one person. This will help your audience decide that they’re the ones to pitch in towards the cause.

Plan a special thank you message just for them

Keep careful records of your events, making a list of volunteers or donors that helped the cause. After the event, you can use that data to send a specific thank you email for what they contributed, the amount of a donation, or the specific job they completed as a volunteer.

If you notice three main groups, such as the donors, the volunteers who helped plant flowers, and the volunteers that collected money or sold food, then you can start with those three segments. Send a different email designed for each role, thanking each segment personally to make them feel appreciated.

Follow up with a call for volunteers for your next event

Showing that you know what individuals did for your last event will keep them engaged and more likely to say yes to helping for the next one. Presenting what they’ve done in the past helps remind them why they contributed, and helps them want to help again.

When designing the email with personalization like their first name, also include the amount that they donated and ask if they’d like to repeat their contribution towards the next event, or if they want to give more. For volunteers, ask if they’d like to sign up for a job similar to last time, or if they’d rather something different, and list the jobs that are available.

Personal emails help to make your nonprofit stand out

The more you can segment and personalize your nonprofit email marketing, the more likely your audience will pay attention. When your organization’s cause is already personal, adding the right touches of personalization will help your email resonate and inspire action.