If that\u2019s your story as well, it\u2019s time for a plot change. Take it from us, without email on your side, you’re running a nonprofit on stilts: ambitious but alienated. Why should you believe us? We\u2019re email marketing experts speaking from the other side of 5,000 successful global collaborations to date. Check it out<\/a> for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this guide, you\u2019ll learn why your nonprofit should have a newsletter and how to create and sustain one through your journey as changemaker. We\u2019ll share 10 nonprofit newsletter templates<\/a> and explain why they work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A nonprofit newsletter is not solely marketing. It\u2019s not standing on a bench and shouting out your cause; think of it more like a roundtable of committed folks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your goal is to to shift to a bigger table, but without losing the rapport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hold that thought as we share the core benefits of having a nonprofit newsletter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s only because email is what it is. It\u2019s personal. It\u2019s private. It\u2019s non-distractive. As far back as 2008, people were reading three-fourths<\/a> of charity emails. More than a decade later, email marketing is better than better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not to mention that email still drives the highest return on investment. Considering that most nonprofits tend to be cash-strapped, this one benefit ought to hold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So you can start with learning how to acquire email subscribers<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you\u2019re at least aware of the significance of newsletters, let\u2019s take a look at how other nonprofits are leveraging email to engage and grow their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As promised, here are some of the best nonprofit newsletter examples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want people to donate, don\u2019t just ask them to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, show them what\u2019s in it for them. Make them feel bigger than themselves. Tell them what they\u2019ll be doing is important. People are more likely to do something that they\u2019re convinced is important and improves their status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the self-enhancement theory, people prefer positive self-views. So you need to appeal to your potential donors\u2019 self-worth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And email gives you the space to do just that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a cue from Road Scholar\u2019s email below. By showing how the subscriber can change lives, their pitch is right on the money. Image source: <\/span>RGE<\/span> In other words, offer social proof. But instead of tacking it on to a regular email, you can craft an elaborate message around a donor\/beneficiary story. The more visceral the narrative, the better your chances at securing the support of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often, social proof is so much about number-mongering. While that\u2019s not useless, it\u2019s not valuable either. Since you want to convince potential donors by making them realize the value of their action, you\u2019ll need good stories. Not great numbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, she was acting out a story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, science proves<\/a> that storytelling fosters empathy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStories are powerful because they transport us into other people\u2019s worlds but, in doing that, they change the way our brains work and potentially change our brain chemistry \u2014 and that\u2019s what it means to be a social creature,\u201d explains Paul Zak, director of the Center for Neuroeconomic Studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out how it can be done in this nonprofit newsletter example below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By having the beneficiary tell their story in their words, Help for Heroes brings the donors\u2019 actions to life. <\/p>\n\n\n\r\n Image source: <\/span>RGE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t \t <\/div>\r\n\t <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n\r\n\n\n\n Have you heard the phrase: Kings go to war; soldiers to battle<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It expresses the difference between the big picture and the small. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a nonprofit, your goal is to drive incremental change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, update the community on your progress along that line. Share a top-level view<\/a> of monthly\/quarterly\/yearly milestones in your email. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is how you keep an entire community motivated. (And that\u2019s also a reason why nonprofits feature a progress tracker on their website.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out how CARE Australia\u2019s nonprofit newsletter template does it. It\u2019s an annual update. The email lists all major and minor milestones of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\r\n Image source: <\/span>RGE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t \t <\/div>\r\n\t <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n\r\n\n\n\n On the first weekend of November, 2024, over 15,000 \u201cwater lovers\u201d descended on the streets of London, chanting, \u201cWe Want Clean Water, Now!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The rally included marchers from all corners of the U.K. The event was reported<\/a> in the Mirror as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Surfers Against Sewage, a marine nonprofit, organized this march against sewage pollution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But here\u2019s the thing: They designed a nonprofit newsletter template to cover this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In spite of being covered already by a major newspaper. The point? To share it with new members individually. To encourage them directly. One-to-one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not just to announce. Not just to bring recent converts up to speed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out the email below. From copy to design<\/a>, here\u2019s a call worth responding to. Because it\u2019s personal while being larger-than-life. <\/p>\n\n\n\r\n Image source: Inbox<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t \t <\/div>\r\n\t <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n\r\n\n\n\n Not all of your supporters are equally interested in the work you do. While one may be a consistent donor, their motivations need not always reflect yours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everyone who donates to the World Wildlife Fund are diehard zoophiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, you shouldn\u2019t be sending the same message to everyone. Rather, identify your core supporters, those who are actively interested in what you do. Those who want to be educated. Those who don\u2019t need to hear fundraising appeals all the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Accordingly, you need to segment out your core tribe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, this is yet another peculiar advantage of email marketing. \u201cThe reasons are obvious: segmentation creates discreet audiences we can laser-target with offers, creative, and information crafted specifically for them, at just the right time,\u201d explains<\/a> Karen Talavera, email marketer and President, Synchronicity Marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how the National Audubon Society does it. Notably, this also lends credibility to your vision. It shows your commitment. Your moral compass. You\u2019re not just out to raise funds. You want others to be informed as well as yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n Image source: Inbox <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t \t <\/div>\r\n\t <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n\r\n\n\n\n Initially, you\u2019ll be using email to spread the word. So your subscribers need not be donors. Just like in e-commerce, subscribers are not always buyers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping that in mind, you should mix up your email content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of it builds upon what we covered in our last point. But in this case, since you are spreading the word, it\u2019s not always about rocking the collection box. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather, you can show generosity to your potential donors, too. Without faking it. If you\u2019re doing something you believe in, it\u2019ll show. Marketing is not fooling. (Interestingly, this is how marketing lays bare the human complex. Dog food is for dog owners<\/a>. Empathy is for all. Because empathy is a universal need.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps this email from the World Wildlife Fund explains it best. This is only their second welcome email where the focus is on helping the subscriber. The absence of an appeal is conspicuous. The send-off is civil. Generous.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n Image source: Inbox<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t \t <\/div>\r\n\t <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n\r\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s another way of encouraging subscribers to be donors too: Spotlight some of your most inspiring donors and share their stories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This again is an excellent way to give social proof. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBenefits of Newsletter Templates for Nonprofit Organizations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/li>\n\n\n\n10 Nonprofit Newsletter Examples<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Give Subscribers Reasons to Say \u201cI Did It!\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n![\"Road](\"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/5-ways-your-donation-will-change-lives.png\")
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2. Give Subscribers Reasons to Say \u201cI Too Did It!\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"nonprofit](\"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/show-veterans-they-are-not-forgotten.png\")
\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t 3. Give A Top-level View of Your Milestones <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"CARE](\"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/what-an-amazing-year.png\")
\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t 4. Share Larger-than-Life Updates to Stir New Members<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Nonprofit](\"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Surfers-Against-Sewage.png\")
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![\"email-templates\"](\"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/email-templates.jpg\")
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5. Educate Your Core Supporters\/Donors <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Audobon](\"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Audobon.png\")
\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t 6. Take Care of Your Subscribers Too<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"World](\"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/World-Wildlife-Fund-.png\")
\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t 7. Highlight Your Biggest, Most Inspiring Donors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"nonprofit](\"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/introducing-the-2024-tiny-heroes.png\")
\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t ![\"Hennepin](\"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hennepin-Arts.png\")
\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t \t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t ![\"Royal](\"https:\/\/email.uplers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ross-how-did-a-ferrari-become-a-high-speed-lifeboat.png\")
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