1. Grab readers’ attention.

Your fundraising appeals should grab readers’ attention immediately and encourage them to keep reading so they know how they can make a difference. Start your appeals strong by:

• Optimizing your subject lines. A subject line can determine whether a donor clicks on your email or lets it sit in their inbox unread. Make the most of this first impression by keeping your subject lines short and sweet, using your nonprofit’s CRM to incorporate donors’ names automatically, and adding emojis. For example, your subject line may look like, “Daniel, are you ready to save the trees?🌳”
• Incorporating a relevant statistic. Statistics allow you to quantify your cause and make it more tangible for your audience. Saying “the trees are dying” is one thing, but stating that “15 billion trees are cut down each year” quickly and effectively illustrates the gravity of the situation.
• Using emotionally charged language. While statistics appeal to donors’ logic, targeted word choices can cater to their emotions. For instance, words like “hope,” “change,” “uplift,” and “empower” can inspire donors to contribute.

A compelling hook should also be concise. Bogging donors down with a lengthy introduction may distract them from the task at hand and cause them to ignore your appeal. Instead, use just enough words to engage readers and leave them wanting to learn more.

2. Tell a story.

Interview beneficiaries and incorporate their stories into your fundraising appeals. Storytelling legitimizes your ask and breathes life into your cause. Plus, narratives are a more engaging way to learn about your cause and its real-life impact.

For instance, here’s what a story in a fundraising appeal for a women’s higher education-focused nonprofit might look like:

Mia was always the one to get As on her math tests and win the spelling bee. She was destined for greatness, but there was only one problem.

When it came time for Mia to apply for college, her options were limited—not by her acceptances—but by her family’s finances. Mia’s father had recently been laid off and was struggling to make ends meet.

Luckily, Mia’s mother had heard about the Bright Young Minds Foundation and started to do some research. She found that Mia was eligible for one of our scholarships and encouraged her to apply. After our committee read her stellar application, Mia was awarded the scholarship and celebrated the life-changing news with her family.

Mia’s scholarship made the cost of college attainable for her family. She recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University with the highest honors, and she couldn’t have done it without the generosity of donors like you.

This story introduces a main character the audience can root for and clearly makes the connection between their positive outcome and donors’ contributions. In addition to your main story, you may incorporate social proof via testimonials from donors, volunteers, staff, and other stakeholders involved in your mission.

3. Emphasize impact.

Donors want to know the exact impact their contributions will have. Emphasizing impact allows donors to better understand how you’ll use their hard-earned funds and makes them more confident that you’ll steward donations appropriately.

Start by associating impact with different donation amounts. For example, you may give a breakdown like this:

• A $25 donation replenishes cutlery for our soup kitchen.
• A $50 donation provides meals for a family of four for one week.
• A $100 donation helps stock up on kitchen essentials like flour, sugar, salt, and pepper.
• A $500 donation delivers meals to food-insecure families in remote areas.

By mapping impact in this way, donors can better grasp the difference their donations will make and may even encourage them to give at higher amounts. These impact updates can work for any fundraising initiative. For example, if you’re running a product fundraiser, you may incorporate this concept by saying something like, “Every discount card you purchase funds a week of groceries for a family of four.”

4. Create a sense of urgency.

Your fundraising appeals should not only answer why donors should contribute but also why now. Inducing a sense of urgency encourages donors to act quickly and makes them more willing to lend their support. You may do so by:

• Demonstrating need. If your organization truly needs donations as soon as possible to help beneficiaries in need, make that clear in your appeal. For example, a disaster relief organization may explain how the destruction caused by a recent hurricane has left families in the area without electricity and running water and that with donors’ help, you can turn things around more quickly.
• Giving a campaign timeline. If your mission isn’t as urgent, but you still want to create a sense of urgency, let donors know how long they have left to support your campaign. For instance, you may say, “Our annual popcorn sale fundraiser ends in just two days, so get it while it’s hot!”
• Highlighting limited-time offers. In some cases, you may have a sponsor who is willing to match donations. By putting a time limit on this sponsorship opportunity, you can create a matching donation challenge that encourages donors to act now so they can increase their impact. For example, 360MatchPro explains that The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center (OHMTEC) ran a matching donation challenge that allowed the organization to raise over $1 million throughout its campaign.

Additionally, you may use visual elements to engage and motivate your audience to participate. ABC Fundraising recommends leveraging a fundraising thermometer to keep track of your goals, show progress to donors, and encourage them to give.

5. Make it easy for donors to give.

Once you’ve gotten donors’ full attention, you need to round out your appeal by making the ask and facilitating giving. Make it as easy as possible for donors to follow through by:

• Creating clear calls to action (CTAs). CTAs tell donors exactly what you want them to do and direct them to where they can complete that action. For instance, your CTA may be a “Donate Now to Change Lives” button that links to the donation page on your website or a “Register For Our Annual Gala Today” button that links to your event registration page.
• Supporting various giving options. Once donors arrive on your donation page, give them a choice for how they can donate. The more donors feel they have control over the giving process, the more likely they will contribute. These giving options may include one-time gifts, recurring donations, cryptocurrency, stocks, legacy giving, and donor-advised funds (DAFs).
• Accepting multiple payment methods. Additionally, donors should have multiple options for how they can pay. Select a payment processor that supports various options like credit, debit, ACH, and mobile wallet payments.

If donors open your appeal or navigate to your donation page but don’t contribute, consider automating a follow-up email asking them if they’re still interested and if you can do anything to make the giving process easier.

Once you’ve incorporated these tips into your strategy, collect donor feedback to assess your appeals’ effectiveness. By constantly innovating your fundraising appeals, you can revitalize your asks and ensure they resonate with donors.