{"id":20501,"date":"2020-06-24T18:55:46","date_gmt":"2020-06-24T13:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/?p=20501"},"modified":"2023-03-27T16:29:09","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T10:59:09","slug":"5-ways-to-nail-the-nonprofit-email-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-nail-the-nonprofit-email-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Email Automation is Essential for Nonprofits and 5 Ways to Nail it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nonprofits are swamped with a list of tasks that need to be addressed with limited resources at hand. And, a streamlined, effective email workflow in place is exactly the kind of setup that an industry with resource crunch needs! An average open-rate for nonprofit emails is 25.17%<\/a>, which is considerably high looking at other industries. Email marketing is the most impactful tool with the potential to drive recurring donations, and not at any cost should nonprofits sideline such an imperative source of their fundraising revenue. 
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Email marketing for nonprofits is bringing in new and improved ways to connect and communicate with the fundraiser community. And with the right email automation practices<\/a> in place, nonprofits can accomplish their fundamental objective of making a difference. As a nonprofit organization, your benefactors are the most crucial members, and well-founded email automation can fill in a lot of communication gaps on your behalf! That being said, let\u2019s dive a little deep into how email automation can benefit nonprofits.

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Why is email automation essential for nonprofits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Email automation is all about leveraging the technology to create campaigns that are personalized. Here are a few examples of how email automation<\/a> can make a difference when utilized for nonprofits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automation helps in donor retention<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Donor retention is the most cogent aspect of the nonprofit industry. Email automation allows you to automatically send a series of emails over the time that are targeted for donor-triggers, letting you converse better! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moment someone donates to your nonprofit, automated email series initiates with a \u2018thank you\u2019 email and goes on for various aspects like getting to know the donor better, sending them event invites, storytelling, and impact-based emails. This way, the automation tool leverages the data by segmenting different donors into different groups allowing you to treat them differently. A total of 53% of donors leave<\/a> due to charity\u2019s lack of communication, and email automation can fill this gap by constantly being in touch with them in some or the other manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email automation for nonprofits is cost-effective<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another reason, and more of a benefit for nonprofits to incorporate email marketing automation is the cost-effectiveness. Nonprofits are here to make a difference, and the digital industry is nothing but \u2018all support\u2019 when there is a charity on the line! The big players in the email marketing industry like Mailchimp<\/a>, GetResponse, AWeber, Drip, Campaign Monitor, and more provide email automation tools at a discount for the nonprofits. And that’s not it, companies also provide free HTML email templates<\/a> or custom email design services to help charities run their campaigns swiftly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It helps in measuring the marketing efforts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Email automation tools are equipped with technology that can measure various metrics for a campaign. Nonprofits can analyze the kind of message that is creating an impact and the ones which need improvements. With the availability of email campaign metrics like open rates, click-through rate, unsubscribe and more, nonprofits can learn and implement the most engaging email campaigns<\/a> that drive positive results.
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Email automation for nonprofits is useful in many ways. Organizations are making use of it at every step of their donor-lifecycle stage. Now that we have understood the essence of why you should be using email automation for your nonprofit, let\u2019s get to understand \u2018how\u2019 to do it (with examples).

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5 ways to nail the nonprofit email automation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dive into the ways and concepts for email campaigns that successful nonprofits are undertaking. The following are the methods you can employ to nail the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You MUST Send Welcome Emails<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The importance of onboarding has been emphasized enough and nonprofits aren\u2019t an exception. Acknowledgment is the truest form of forming a connection and welcome emails, in any industry, are thus essential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are multiple welcome email campaigns that you might have to set when you\u2019re into nonprofit. You don\u2019t only welcome someone who makes a donation for your organization but also those who showed interest in receiving your newsletter. It is significantly important to segment your subscribers, donors, and volunteers\u2019 lists for your email automation workflow to yield desired outcomes for you. You need to treat your prospects and donors separately in a way where both the groups are nurtured. Check out the following email templates for a better understanding<\/a>.
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Charity: Water<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you sign up for the newsletter by Charity: water, they send a welcome email with a list of valuable elements. They don\u2019t just welcome you, but instead, they show compassion by saying \u2018you matter\u2019 and show how any small amount can make a difference. Check their email out…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source: Really Good Email<\/strong>s <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Another email by Charity: water below is how they\u2019re thanking their supporters with a detailed note. Check it out.
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Source: Really Good Email<\/strong>s <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tell them how you\u2019re making a difference<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Building trust is how nonprofits can generate more donations and continue to serve their purpose. You need to tell people where their funds are being utilized and how it is making a difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email automation can help you send inbound marketing<\/a> content by crafting campaigns around how you are making a difference. Here\u2019s an example:
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Source: Really Good Email<\/strong>s <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Feeding America initiative is a great inspiration for nonprofits for how they can get detail-oriented by showing some numbers. Tell exactly where the funds are going and how it is helping the community to live a better life.

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Humanize before you automate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Designing your email automation campaigns with a personal touch is all it takes. But mind well, we\u2019re not talking about email personalization<\/a> here! Nothing connects people better than a story, and nonprofits are already fighting for issues that people empathize with. Adding a storytelling element in your emails will increase your chances for people to get more involved. Be it a story about how your brand started working for a cause or a story about someone affected by the cause, the more human it gets, the more real it gets. Here\u2019s how it can be done.
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Source: Really Good Email<\/strong>s <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This email by Help for Heroes <\/strong>portrayed how others like Carl need help. Adding a name to the cause changes how donors and supporters see this cause. The human element in it tells the story more impactfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incentivize their donation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any amount of donation matters but the more the merrier! Time to time, try coming up with campaigns that inspire people to donate. It can be done by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n