Lee Switz & Associates - Hot Sheets - Fund Raising Online

Fund Raising Via E-Mail

by Karin Allen
This is Part 1 in a series of articles concerning Fund Raising Online. Part 2 is titled Fund Raising Through Your Website, and Part 3 is Legal Considerations of Fund Raising Online.

E-mail solicitation is probably the easiest method to raise funds online because a) you don't have to create a website to do it, b) it offers free, instantaneous access to a large base of potential donors, and c) if you can be certain all your e-mail goes to Virginians, you don't have to worry about the multi-state registration issue (See our Legal Considerations hot sheet for details on this problem).


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On the other hand, it is absolutely critical that you only e-mail people who have asked to be on your list. Unsolicited e-mail, also know as "spam," is not the online equivalent of Direct Mail. Spam is the lowest form of life on the internet, and many e-mail and internet service providers will delete your account if they learn you're using it. Worse still, spamming will cost your organization any credibility with potential donors. To avoid this trap, be sure to get recipients' permission before sending them a single piece of e-mail, especially a solicitation for funds; and at the bottom of every message you send, include a statement like this: "If you would like to be removed from our mailing list, please e-mail us at _____."

Here are a few suggestions for using e-mail to raise funds.

  • Start an e-mail newsletter to keep people informed about happenings within your non-profit. Keep it brief and to the point; don't waste your readers' time or clutter their mailboxes with useless information. If you have a website, provide links within the newsletter to the articles posted on that site, rather than reprinting the entire articles. If you do not have a website and want to post whole articles in your e-mail newsletter, ask yourself how much information you'd be willing to read in a single piece of e-mail and use this as a guideline.
  • Include a "current needs" section in your e-mail newsletter. List not only monetary needs, but also needs for volunteers, particular supplies, etc. Include a table: X dollars will purchase Y services for Z days.
  • Use e-mail to keep your readers informed of announcements and upcoming events - both within your organization and throughout the area you serve. Let them know about upcoming bills in state and local government which pertain to your cause, and give them the information they need to write their representatives. These days, most government officials have their own e-mail addresses; find them and pass them on to your readers. Many people who wouldn't take the time (or pay the postage) to "snail mail" a government official will be delighted to e-mail one.
  • If you plan to accept donations online, provide a link directly to the appropriate page of your website (if you're using a secure server) or to the donation portal (if you're using an outside service). Read Fund Raising Through Your Website for more information on these options.
  • In every e-mail you send, provide all necessary mailing information so readers can send cash donations.
  • Don't include a "beg" notice in every piece of e-mail you send; this can wear out your donors' wallets - and their patience. But do use e-mail as a way to maintain connections - both with your donors and with the people you serve.

More Hot Sheets....

For Further Information....

  • Seeuthere.com: This for-profit company allows you to create and send invitations to events via email, fax and mail; it also provides tools for organizing and promoting professional events and clubs both on- and offline.
  • Why Your eMail Newsletter Annoys Your Readers: Great advice on what not to do in your e-mail newsletter.

--Karin Allen is a web designer and a former member of Lee Switz and Associates.

This article was last updated November 2001.


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Richmond, Virginia 23226
phone 804.354.0820
fax 804.358.9746
e-mail ehs@leeswitzassociates.com