Email Appeals for Last-Minute Donors

Toward the end of December, your donors’ inboxes are full of ads, holiday wishes, and appeals from other nonprofits to give. It’s vital to make sure your emails jump out from the rest of the list and move your supporters to donate.

Keep your subject lines short – ideally under 10 words – and enticing to boost your open rate. Your donors will only see your giving link if they open your email in the first place. You can test your subject lines using Omnisend’s free testing tool.

For example, using “You can make a difference!” as the subject line scored 92% effective in the above testing tool. With subject lines, less is often more!

Engage your donors with more personalized content in your emails. Constant Contact offers these tips to help your emails stand out by adding contact details, such as preferred names and salutations. Personalize the sender or signer, too, particularly if someone in your organization is well-known in your community.

Tell your donors that they are a vital part of your mission and community. Share compelling stories that connect your supporters directly to the impact of their donations. Use terms like “because of you” to demonstrate how their partnership supports your actions.

Remind your supporters to donate before the year ends or they’ll miss out on tax advantages. If you have a matching donation, inspire donors with the specific goal you’re trying to reach, and how close you are to attaining it.

With these tips in mind, try sending these 3 emails the last week of December to nudge last-minute supporters to donate. Be sure to personalize them to fit your mission and needs.