It can feel awkward or even nerve-wracking to ask for donations any time, but when it comes to asking over email, your hands might feel particularly tied. What if they delete it without opening it? What if you come across as cold and brusque? How do you know they’ll even read all the way to the end?
Here are a few easy ways to make your fundraising emails warmer and more personalized.
Use real stories
Humans can’t resist a good story, so be sure to include personal stories about where your donors’ money is going and how it’s helped in the past. Did last winter’s fundraising result in a new roof for your school? Were you able to provide warm coats to kids in need? Especially during the holiday season, your emails are the perfect place to remind donors of just how heartwarming fundraising can be.
Create eye-catching emails
Don’t fill your email with block after block of text—break the text up by including striking images (whether that’s stock photos or, preferably, photos from your parish). You can also use pull quotes—highlight a sentence or two from the email and set it apart from the other text by using a bigger font. (Read more about pull quotes here.)
Let donors give straight from their emails
You may be asking for donations via email, but if your donors have to click away from that email and go through a labyrinthine process in order to actually donate, chances are you’ll lose them along the way. That’s why GiveCentral has enabled one-click giving, so that donors can give straight from their inbox, easily. Contact us to find out more!
Keep it short
People are busy and stressed, especially around the , so be mindful of their time and don’t beat around the bush too much. Keep your subject lines snappy and get to the fundraising ask as quickly as you can. Your donors will appreciate it!
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