Email is still one of the most cost-effective and efficient ways to reach your target audience. You get to contact them where they live the most – on an email client they can access from anywhere. Instead of dealing with endless flyers in the post or dealing with cold calls at the wrong moment, potential clients are given the time and freedom to read what you are offering when they want.
Cold email campaigns allow clients and stakeholders to learn more, talk to friends, and then decide whether you are the right match. With 8 out of 10 buyers preferring email, this is a solid strategy to grow your NDIS not-for-profit.
The challenge is finding the right combination of content, visuals, and formatting to ensure you increase open rates and response rates. Here are some essential tips for writing a cold lead generation email for your NFP. With some subtle changes, you can use these steps for fundraising, requesting volunteers, increasing clients, or any other campaign goals.
Step 1: Research Your Target Audience
You need to answer one fundamental question before writing anything in your cold email.
Why?
Any NFP hoping to target an audience needs to understand their pain points and answer why your email is a solution. You can use data gathered from website analytics, CRM reports, and previous interactions to pinpoint the driving factors of your audience.
Use emotional content that directly appeals to their pain points while emphasising their challenges and aspirations.
Step 2: Begin with an Introduction
It may seem elementary, but you need an introduction. It should state who you are, what your not-for-profit does, and why you are reaching out today.
You want to establish a connection that can build future relationships. Try to keep these introductions brief. The more you can create interest with the right person in what you say in your text, the greater the chance they will continue to go through to the final CTA (call to action).
Step 3: Personalise Everything
Every recipient’s inbox contains emails from various businesses, friends, and family members. You need to stand out by personalising your cold email.
This is a cold message, meaning you have never interacted with them. However, you can still personalise it by using demographic information or talking about recent successes of your not-for-profit inside the community. This signals to potential clients that you are authentic in your message.
Step 4: Define Your Value Proposition
You must articulate what your NFP offers that is valuable to your target audience’s unique pain points and challenges. This is known as a value proposition. It should be compelling and provide benefits for your readers.
For example, if you are requesting an influencer in your niche to advertise an upcoming fundraising gala, you can offer the value of expanding their audience through your social presence and cultivated email list.
Step 5: Always Have a CTA
A CTA is a call to action. It is the actionable thing you want your audience to do during or after they read your email.
If you were in eCommerce, you would include a free trial of the pet products you are selling. As a financial planner, you would say, “Book a free consultation” at the end.
For an NFP, you might say, “Donate now,” “Schedule a tour,” or “Become a volunteer.” Try to make the CTA clear and easy to find so you are funnelling readers toward that action.
Step 6: Provide Contact Details
A cold email campaign without contact details is not practical. You must have a way for readers to respond to your email and verify the validity of your NFP, government organisation, or medical service.
Some typical details that signal you are a professional organisation would include:
- Social media profiles/links
- Headshots or company logo
- Name and position
- Contact information (phone, email, website, etc.)
Don’t forget any licenses if your niche requires them. That builds trust with your readers.
Step 7: Create an Engaging Subject Line
The subject line of your email is your first impression. Don’t use language that feels too much like clickbait. Try to keep things professional, simple, and personalised to your reader.
A good trick is to speak the subject line back to yourself. How it sounds in your ears can increase the chances it is relevant and free from confusing terminology. Stick to under 45-65 characters total.
Step 8: Keep a Clean Format
Readers will look at your email across various devices and screen sizes. The best way to ensure they can open and click on any CTAs is to have a universally formatted email.
Use white space whenever you can. That makes the format look cleaner. Break up any long paragraphs and sentences for clarity, and only use visuals that translate well on different platforms. A large image file can lead to slower open rates.
Wrapping Up
Cold email is now and will likely always be a powerful tool for your nonprofit organisation. It enables you to increase brand awareness, forge relationships, and solicit support in a personalised, cost-effective way.
These steps will ensure you get the most ROI for any cold email campaign you initiate. While you’re at it, contact our team at Web 105 for a streamlined online landing page. This can be an intake form, scheduling calendar, or other form of resource for your CTA’s action.
As a leading website design and development team working with NFPs all over Australia, we have the experience and insight you need for a wonderful client website experience.
FAQs
How do you write a cold email for a non profit?
Beyond the tips we’ve shared in this post, you should also include a personal story from your clients, volunteers, or team members. This will encourage more engagement through an emotional story.
Is cold email illegal?
This can vary based on your country, but as long as you are not linking to anything SPAM-related, you should be well within your rights.
What not to say in a cold email?
There are a lot of things you should avoid in a cold email, but the most important is avoiding generic language. You can use a template, but be sure to personalise everything so it is more appealing to your target audience.