Emails serve as an admirable channel for fundraisers primarily because their reach is global and they are a very cost-effective means of reaching out to people. Compared to the traditional forms of marketing or soliciting funds, emails offer better value for your time spent. They are a great fundraising tool for non-profit organizations.

Because emails allow you to keep in touch with readers, you can build relationships. A great advantage of using mail to build relationships is that your regular mails will go into the Inbox of the opt-in readers and not into the spam folder. Emails allow for targeted communication; you can reach out to the desired audience after having segregated them based on past communication. This way you can tweak your communication so that it can be sent to an audience with which it is guaranteed to have an impact. Targeted fundraising appeals will invariably net you a better percentage of converted appeals to appeals solicited.

Fundraising through emails depends on a large extent on keeping the reader engaged. So your news and information in the email newsletter has to be compelling enough for him to click on a link that leads to your website. You have to ensure that there is community-centric news so that people in the immediate vicinity stay connected to your project.

If you want people to click on your email, open it, and follow it to your website then you need to be current. Your subject should stand out and people should feel compelled to follow the headlines to the content. Remember that funds are limited and you are competing with so many fundraisers out there vying for the donor’s attention.

Keep track of trends and see what drives visitors to your website. Use that kind of content and formatting as a template to guide you in your fundraising newsletters.

Personalize your email; this is an adjunct to targeted email appeals. For this you need to keep your database current and be aware of your reader likes/dislikes etc. The emails should be easy to read, short, and scannable. Use bullet points where possible and give the readers good links to follow so that they can educate themselves on the subjects that matter to them.

Respect member privacy, do not trade emails for monetary gains as this not only goes against the spirit of what you’re doing but will also land you into serious trouble. Maintain an emailing routine so that readers begin to expect you. Skip weekends. The best time to send emails that you wish to obtain maximum reaction from is between Tuesday to Thursday.

Encourage the readers to forward the emails to as many people as they can; surely some of them will do so because they genuinely care for the work that you are doing.

When you succeed with your email fundraising campaign, remember to thank the people who made a difference by contributing. As a final tip, keep your solicitations subtle; do not overwhelm your reader with demands.