If you’re like me, you got A LOT of nonprofit emails in November and December.

And many of them communicated similar things

Support our cause

Help us reach our goal

Your gift will be matched

Give before the deadline

Don’t get me wrong. These emails came from worthy organizations with missions worth supporting. And many sent stories in addition to cut-and-dried asks, which is great!

But if you’re getting a half-dozen or more of these emails every day for two months, it feels almost sanity-saving to start to tune them out. Especially if the organization hasn’t been working on building a relationship with you throughout the year.

One email, though…

One email jumped out of my inbox and demanded—with warmth and humanity— that I open it.
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The subject line?
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​Help us thank our volunteers
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​Not, “Donate now!” Not “2x match extended!” But an invitation to connect with another group of people who support the same mission I do.
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And that’s what the email was about. How Moms Demand Action has amazing volunteers making incredible things happen, and won’t you send them a quick note to say thank you?

The email did several things very well.

• All the copy focused on what the volunteers—not the organization—do and make possible.
• The call to action (CTA) was accompanied by an image that scrolled through two pictures of volunteers (so you could see who you’re thanking) and quotes from others' thank-you notes (for both social proof and inspiration):

• The CTA links took you to a simple form that included text and images from the email, where you could fill out your thank-you and send it. Supporters could complete the whole process in just a couple of clicks.

Was there a donate button? Yes, at the bottom, after a separator, like an afterthought, just in case you needed it. There was a tiny box underneath with some legal information (“we’re a 501(c)3", etc.), but zero copy asking you to donate. The focus of the email was entirely on thank-you notes.

It’s so easy to silo your supporters into different groups: volunteers here, donors there, members or subscribers over there. But they’re all humans coming together to support the same mission, even if they do it in different ways. Finding opportunities to connect them, like Moms Demand Action did, is a beautiful way to unite all of the pieces of the puzzle that is your organization and help bring them to life.

Interesting Nonprofit Link

It’s so, so easy as nonprofit professionals to say the things WE want/need/are “supposed to” say, without really thinking about what your supporters need to hear. I love this post from fundraising copywriting pro Jeff Brooks, who outlines a whole thought process inspired by an envelope teaser as he ponders how to make it more donor-friendly.

Nonprofit Good News

After the LA wildfires last year, an eighth-grader from Altadena turned to Instagram to help her classmates. Her family had lost their home in a flood a few years before, so she knew what to do. She specifically asked for items that would help teenage girls feel good about themselves after a disaster: makeup, hair products, clothing, and personal care items. The post went viral, leading to tons of donations, a new nonprofit, and a brick-and-mortar support center for teenage girls. It’s a true testament to the power of understanding the people you serve, and how clear, specific asks can rally supporters. Read the story.

See you next month!

Lee O'Connell, nonprofit content and copywriter
<--- Still the most recent picture of me in my phone

​leeoconnell.com​
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