Build your list with genuine value. Offer something worth signing up for — a useful guide (like this one), event invitations, insider updates, or early access to news. Don’t buy lists. Don’t add people without consent. The Australian Spam Act requires explicit opt-in, and beyond legality, unwanted email destroys trust.
Segment from the start. Avoid sending emails that could be for anyone, be as targeted with your messaging as you can. A monthly donor and a first-time website visitor shouldn’t get the same email. Even basic segmentation — donors vs prospects, event attendees vs general subscribers, current clients vs leads — dramatically improves open rates and engagement. Most email platforms (Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, MailerLite) make this straightforward.
Write like a person. The emails that perform best for nonprofits come from a named person, not “the team.” They’re conversational, short, and have one clear ask. If your email tries to do five things, it’ll achieve none of them.
Automate the basics. Welcome sequences for new subscribers, thank-you sequences for donors, re-engagement for lapsed supporters — these run once you set them up and deliver consistent results. AI tools can help draft these sequences faster, but the strategy and tone need to be yours.
Measure what matters. Open rates are increasingly unreliable due to Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (which pre-loads images and inflates open rates). Focus on click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates instead. A healthy nonprofit email list typically sees 2–4% click-through rates — if you’re below 1%, your content or segmentation needs work.
