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Tips To Get Noticed During End-of-Year Fundraising
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Did someone say “donate now?”
We’re heading into the busiest, most lucrative time of the year for nonprofits—end-of-year fundraising. A time when many nonprofits raise 25-50% of their entire budget.
But I’m guessing your inbox was flooded with emails last year for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and GivingTuesday (me too).
Do you remember any emails that stood out? The ones that intrigued you enough to click them?
I do, and I’ve shared five of my favorite GivingTuesday subject lines below:
You’ve got that GivingTuesday Glow!
My friends at Magic Wheelchair are total pros at building show-stopping costumes for kids in wheelchairs—and they get it: a little flattery goes a long way to getting those fundraising emails opened.
If you were waiting for the most impactful moment to donate, this is it
Look at this from Save the Children! They included a countdown to reach their match goal, along with a powerful image of a child looking straight at the camera. It’s direct, it’s moving, and it pulls you right in. Well done!
We’re $690 away from crossing the finish line
There’s nothing quite like that last push—the excitement of supporters coming together to help you cross the finish line. That’s what happened for my friends at Love Not Lost. They were just within reach of their $30,000 goal and sent an update email Wednesday morning, inviting everyone to help get them there. They didn’t just hit the target—they soared past it, raising $31,150!
s t r e t c h goal for koalas! 🐨🐨
My fundraising bestie, copywriting dynamo Julie Cooper, shared this little gem. The goal’s tied to koalas—not the organization’s name—making it much more personal. And let’s talk about spelling out s t r e t c h like that! Plus the emojis! They’re a fun way to break through the clutter in a crowded, ho-hum inbox.
GivingTuesday is Here and Queer!
My friend Jim Anderson shared this subject line winner from This Way Out LGBTQ, and it made us both want to stand up and cheer!
If donors aren’t opening your emails, you have one thing to blame: your subject line. A bad subject line will tank your appeal. Even the greatest appeal can’t overcome a weak subject line.
I’m here to help you stand out in a crowded inbox and write click-worthy subject lines for fundraising emails just in time for GivingTuesday and end-of-year fundraising.
Five takeaways, tips & tools to get noticed at end-of-year fundraising
- To make your email pop in a busy email inbox, try leaving GivingTuesday out of the subject line. Of the 79 emails I got last year on GivingTuesday, 50 used GivingTuesday in the subject line. You’ll stand out much better if you don’t.
- Pro-tip: Save this blog and use these top-performing subject lines for fundraising emails in your next campaign. Even better? Start a “Subject lines” Google doc with them and add your highest performing subject lines (psst, I do this too and have 384 subject lines in mine). Trust me, future you will be writing emails in record time!
- Test your email subject lines with a free tool like Send Check It (add the link to your bookmarks toolbar). It’ll rate your email based on grade level, scannability, length, and spammy words—and even give you tips to improve it!
- Increase your email open rates by sending more frequently. Your donor does not read every fundraising email you send. So, send more.
Real talk: The average nonprofit has a 26% open rate, which means 74% of your donors aren’t reading your email. (If it helps you feel better, commercial open rates are only about 6%.) Maybe you feel like you’re bombarding your donors with multiple emails. I’ve been there. By the time you’re on your 3rd, 5th, or 11th email appeal, you start wondering, “Is everyone on my list ready to throw rocks at me?”
They don’t. If they did, they’d unsubscribe, and that’s okay, too!
Still sweating sending multiple email appeals? Here’s a stat to ease your mind, dear fundraiser: the average nonprofit sends around eight emails in December alone.
Look, donors will only open emails with a subject line that interests them. They’ll only give to asks that compel them to take action. Your donors are busy and you need to overcommunicate with them during this busy season. I guarantee the nonprofits raising 50% of their annual operating budget at the end of the year are sending more than a few emails!
5. Experiment with personalization in your subject line to increase open rates.
Personalized emails tend to have 29% higher open rates than others. That’s obvious since everyone loves it when you address them personally. Remember that personalization requires you to know your constituent’s first name so be thoughtful with what you use as a custom text field if their first name is blank.
Need a hand with your fundraising, subject lines, emails, and appeals? Join my monthly membership, The League of Extraordinary Fundraisers, for insider tips on end-of-year fundraising success.
If you have tips or tools that you love to use for end-of-year fundraising email subject lines, drop them in the comments below! Bonus points for any winning email subject lines you want to share.
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