It always helps to have a guiding principle in your email, and your nonprofit’s cause can serve as a homing beacon for all of your messaging.

If you can clearly and sharply explain what you’re organization is trying to achieve, then your email is likely to be successful.

To design emails that attract support from volunteers and donors on a consistent basis, start with these nonprofit email marketing best practices.

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Explain your nonprofit’s goal in the headline

When opening your email, the first thing the reader will read is your headline. The stronger your headline can communicate what your nonprofit organization is working towards, the more likely the reader will continue scrolling.

Boil down your goal into a single sentence to find the basic thought of the headline. For example, if your nonprofit is looking for volunteers to clean up trash on your local beach, you have the start of your headline. Then you can dress it up to further grab attention and create a headline such as, “Help Us Clean Up Sandy Beach Next Saturday.”

Help the reader connect with your cause

Once your audience has opened the email and started reading, the text of your email has to convince them to care about your organization’s goals. The right photos, message, and the right length of text can help inspire your audience to want to help.

Like your headline, the reason why you care can serve as the basic thought of what to say in the body text of your email. If you’re still drafting an email about cleaning up the beach, your text should outline the impact on both the personal level and the environmental level. This will help them see the bigger picture, as well show where they fit in personally, and help them care.

Make it easy for your audience to get involved

After your readers have been pulled into the email and your body text has made them care about your cause, you need to tell them what to do next. Choose one goal for the email, either volunteer signups or a call for donations, and present a clear call to action button.

The call to action should connect readers to the next step you want them to complete. If you’re still in the need of volunteers for the beach clean up, the call to action button should direct the reader to a sign up page. You can then further the interaction by directing them to refer a friend, or donate to the cause.

Start by promoting your organization’s central cause

With a clear goal, finding the central message of your nonprofit organization’s email marketing should be simple. When crafting your email, start by conveying your goals, why your audience should help, and then make it easy for them to get involved.

New to email marketing? Try it out with a free 60-day trial of Constant Contact!

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