Use active verbs and nouns to grab attention, as well as bolding, centering, and a larger font. Make the headline short and to the point, making the purpose of your email clear from the get-go. Compel the reader to think that reading this email will be useful, timely, and very relevant to their lives. Answer the question the reader wants to know: What’s in it for me?[1] X Research source Your subject line can tease the reader, be a call to action, be a current events subject, or be about a local place or event if your organization is strictly community-based. A good headline example is, “New York City Challenges State Natural Gas Regulations in Court”

In this first paragraph, you should ask the reader for their donation. Although in person you might want to break it to them gently that you want money, emails demand your “ask” right at the beginning. Make this request easy to see, such as in bold or larger font. [2] X Research source In your “ask,” tell readers what their money will do. If a small amount will do something if not everything, tell them. For example, if $50 will feed 100 children, you might get more responses than saying that you need $1,000 to build a hut. Tell them it’s ok to say no. Statistics shows that more people give when they feel freedom to make the choice about giving, rather than feeling pressured to do so. [3] X Research source Explain and describe your cause in this first paragraph so that it’s clear that you want the money in order to do something, not just get money for the sake of having money.

Microcontent includes headings, subheadings, the subject line, and links and buttons. Use active verbs, descriptive adverbs, and nouns. Your goal is to get them to read the actual text. A good heading might look like this: “Donate $50 to Save a Dolphin” Make them bold or larger text so that they stand out. They tend to appear at the beginning of paragraphs or new sections. Write simple subheadings. You may or may not have subheadings, but they are useful to include when you feel that a heading is too short. Follow the same principles—short, actionable, bold.

Bring in only one or two main points. Be very concise, no matter how many edits and revisions the email needs to go through in order to achieve this. Don’t include the history of why you’re asking for money. The uses that you give in the opening paragraph and your story in the body paragraphs are sufficient to explain why you need money.

A useful image might be a subject of your charity experiencing the effects of donations, like an impoverished little girl receiving new clothes for the first time. Inserting your logo in an unobtrusive location, like a bottom corner, can be an exception to this rule, as it provides instant reader recognition.

If a reader doesn’t know why they’re reading an email, they are much more likely to discard an email. Make sure this final “ask” stands out from the rest of the email, and be very clear about what you are asking for. Make it have its own paragraph, be in bold or larger/different font, and contain a brightly-colored link or donate button. If readers have to click the button or link, tell them to do so. If they have to reply to the email for further instructions, tell them to do this is no uncertain terms: “Click the button to save a monkey right now!” or “Hit your reply button this very instant and type the phrase ‘donation information’ into the body. ” It makes more sense to readers to be able to click a link right then, and you will likely get more donations this way, so try to provide a link or button to your organization. Set up a website or online donation page so that readers can contribute online. This is what readers expect from a donation email anyway.

Use second person “you” when addressing the reader. Use familiar expressions to help the reader relate to you, like “It cost an arm and a leg,” or “He was knee-high to a grasshopper. ” Use direct, honest, open language when addressing the reader so that they feel connected and see you as authentic.

Your email should also be easy to read from a language standpoint — your writing should be at an 8th-grade reading level. Don’t get too wordy or complicated. Your writing should be clear, mistake-free (no grammar or spelling mistakes), and easy to read.

You can review metrics like click-through rates, open rates, and read reports. Open rates are especially helpful for determining what subject lines are popular, increasing how many people read your emails. Another reason an email service is helpful is if you regularly send mass emails asking for donations, your email provider may become suspicious, even cutting you off as a suspected spammer. It also takes a lot of time to compile lists, break down your send-to list to fit the requirements of your email account (most email providers set a limit of around 50 recipients per email), responding to individuals, and dealing with emails that come back from inactive email addresses.

With an email service provider, you can also customize individual emails with the names of your addressees, like “Dear Henry. ”

If you get a large amount of donors each month, you may want to consider creating a template so that you can paste it into an email draft and quickly customize it.

Try a raffle or contest to get more names. At the event, try hosting a raffle or contest for those who sign up to your email list. [11] X Research source