Break Free From Desperate Fundraising Emails: How to Mix Fundraising, Engagement, and Heart

“DID YOU SEE THIS BREAKING NEWS?”

“CONFIRM YOUR SUPPORT FOR KAMALA HARRIS”

“500% DONOR MATCH UNLOCKED”

We’re nearing the end of election season, which means I’m willing to bet a year's salary that you've seen at least one of these subject lines in your inbox asking for money. 

You can’t blame them for trying — we’re less than two weeks out from the General Election, and campaigns need to raise a lot of money, fast. But if you’re anything like me, you’re tired of every political email always asking for money. As my colleagues in the Digital Department at Evinco Strategies know, they shouldn’t be. A well-functioning email program should be made up of three different types of asks.

What are the three main types of email asks?

First, we have engagement emails. Here, you’re asking your list to sign a petition, take a survey, or engage with your email list in a way that isn’t about donating (at least directly.) These sends allow you to engage your list on policy issues, important dates, or current events to show your list who you are and what you care about. These sends still support your overall fundraising goals by asking for money, boosting your open and click rates, and making your next fundraising email more likely to land in their inboxes. 

Next, we have heartfelt sends, where you’re talking to your list as a human being about issues ranging from a sensitive news event to wishing your list a happy holidays. Here technically there is no ask — you’re taking a moment to speak to your list with no specific call to action; however, these types of sends let your list know that there’s an actual person behind the emails landing in their inbox, and is your chance to remind them why they support you.

Lastly, we have fundraising: we know it, we’ve seen it, and no, Nancy Pelosi, we do not buy that someone is matching $500 to our $1 donation. These are the emails you probably see the most frequently in your inbox, and the worst examples I can think of are the ones that often give digital campaigning a bad reputation. But when done correctly, fundraising emails can help power a grassroots campaign and build a movement funded by everyday people who have bought into your message. 

How do you decide what your email ask should be?

While direct fundraising emails can raise a good amount of money through a digital program, they should only consist of 30-50% of the content on your email calendar. Unless you have a bulletproof email list, users will eventually tire of getting nothing but asks for money in their inbox. You want to focus on fundraising deadlines or campaign announcements (like major endorsements or milestones to election day) so that your list doesn’t feel like you're asking for money every chance you get. This builds trust with your list so when you do come to them asking for money, they know you have a reason for doing it.

Because clear-cut calls to action give readers something to engage with — boosting deliverability and allowing readers to feel like an active member of the “team” — we recommend no more than 1-2 heartfelt emails a month. Each month there’s a wide range of topics you can speak on — from anniversaries to platform announcements and endorsements to current events.

But there are some issues you or your candidate will want to speak on that are in poor taste to fundraise off of, and an engagement call to action may not naturally fit. Think the anniversary of 9/11, a mass shooting, or a devastating Supreme Court ruling. Where these sends are your chance to speak to your list about upsetting issues in a raw way, it doesn’t always have to be about sad topics. You can also use this space to wish your list a happy holidays, Mothers Day, or speak on other happy events where a call to action doesn’t naturally fit. 

The rest of your sends on the calendar should consist of engagement. These sends create a sense of buy-in to your program with your list without actually requiring them to donate. Whether you’re highlighting a new platform and asking them to endorse it, talking about a specific policy and calling on legislators to pass it, or sending out an issues survey, these sends should allow your list to feel their voice is being heard and that they’re involved in the issues you care about. 

Some final thoughts

The examples of types of fundraising, engagement, and heartfelt themes listed above are just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot of room for creativity when it comes to planning your email calendar and deciding what to talk about and what the ask should be (click here to read our blog about crafting email calendars). Oftentimes a topic can fit as either a fundraising, engagement, or heartfelt send. The biggest factor in determining this is who the sender is, what their brand is, and where their voice, experience, and credibility best match the theme at hand to an ask.

In the digital department at Evinco, it’s our job to collaborate with clients when building a calendar to determine what issues should be talked about, what the asks will be, and what the messaging will look like (among other things). If you’re ready to take your email program to the next level, click here to book a call now.