Soapbox Engage Blog

When you spend time and energy writing an excellent fundraising email, don't overlook the power of a great email subject line. Subject lines set the tone for your email and can impact whether your readers open it and donate.

Most of us receive dozens or hundreds of emails each day. One study revealed that about 35% of email recipients choose which emails to open based on the email subject lines. That means it's more important than ever to write appeal email subject lines that stand out and draw readers in, especially during the busy year-end fundraising season.

We've gathered some tips and insights from industry experts to help you write great subject lines for your next email appeal campaign.

Table of Contents

1. Send emails from an actual human, not a generic address
2. Email subject line length matters
3. Add time-specific details to add urgency
4. Personalize your email subject lines for the best results
5. Write intriguing email subject lines to spark curiosity
6. Don't give away all the details in the subject line
7. Say thank you in your email subject lines
8. Send emails at a strategic time and day
9. Track your email performances

9 Tips for Writing Effective Email Appeal Subject Lines for Your Nonprofit

The best subject lines resonate with your ideal target audience. Whether you ask an intriguing question or offer valuable information to your readers, the key is to stand out without feeling "spammy." Although every subject line is unique, there are some proven guidelines that will help you write great subject lines that lead to higher open rates.

1. Send emails from an actual human, not a generic address

Your readers and subscribers judge your email holistically, from the sender name to the subject line and preview text. Rather than sending your email from "info@yourorganization.com" or some generic brand address, make sure your email comes from an actual human.

In one A/B test, an organization sent one email from a human and the other version from a generic "brand" email address. The open rate was 28% higher for the email sent from the human. This reinforces the principle that people give to people, not organizations.

2. Email subject line length matters

While there's no "one-size-fits-all" approach to email subject lines, studies show that keeping it less than 10 words long results in higher open rates. Shorter subject lines between 1 and 5 words have the next highest open rates.

One possible explanation is that people assume wordy subject lines point to a long email that's not worth their time to read.

3. Add time-specific details to add urgency

Adding details that highlight time sensitivity can increase open rates and add a sense of urgency. Setting deadlines can entice your readers to act quicker rather than skip the email (intending to circle back) and forget about it.

For example, you might use email subject lines like one of these to convey a sense of urgency or highlight a deadline:

"Just one week left…."

"One day left to…."

"This is your last chance to…."

4. Personalize your email subject lines for the best results

Adding your reader's name to your subject line is a practical way to make email feel more personal and authentic. It also usually leads to higher open rates. Pairing your reader's name with other personalization techniques can bring even more power to your subject lines.

For example, if your next email fundraising campaign has a matching offer, a generic email subject line might be:

"Just one week left to double your donation!"

This subject line is perfectly acceptable. It's short and includes the most important details. But, adding a personalized touch can really take it to the next level:

"Mike, we can double your donation this week!"

This second subject line personalizes the time-sensitive invitation to give a matched gift. When subject lines feel personal and urgent, people are more likely to make a quick decision to give.

5. Write intriguing email subject lines to spark curiosity

A different angle for writing powerful subject lines is to create a sense of mystery that convinces your readers to open your email. Give your audience a reason to click through and keep reading! Some clever examples of these types of subject lines include:

"Your donation status…."

"We have a job for you!"

"What happened next shocked everyone!"

6. Don't give away all the details in the subject line

There's a delicate balance between writing an intriguing email subject line and giving away too much information. The key is to give your readers just enough information to make them want to keep reading without actually giving your full call to action.

Adding intrigue and mystery to the email subject line gives you a chance to explain more in the body of the email. But giving too much information in the subject line allows readers to make uninformed decisions.

For example, this email subject line lets your readers decide whether they're interested before reading more about the webinar:

"Join this fundraising webinar to get all the latest information about our campaign."

You can personalize this subject line and create intrigue by writing something like this:

"Mike, I want to invite you to a virtual event I've been working on for you."

This second example reveals that it's a virtual event but still requires readers to open the email and get more details before deciding whether to take action.

7. Say thank you in your email subject lines

Take the time to thank your readers and donors throughout the year and especially during year-end giving campaigns. Thank you messages show gratitude and remind potential donors that you rely on financial contributions.

In addition to just saying thank you, you can include clever subject lines like,

"Watch this summary of the incredible things we accomplished this year."

"We couldn't have done it without you!"

"Thank you and Happy Holidays from our family to yours."

8. Send emails at a strategic time and day

It's not just what your email subject line says; it's also when it shows up in the crowded inbox! While there's no day of the week or time of day that's guaranteed to be the best, it's essential to test different days and time slots to see what works best for your audience.

Most email marketing services include email scheduling tools that let you create and schedule emails in advance. This makes it easy to experiment with different days and times and see which ones have the best open and response rates.

9. Track your email performances

As you experiment with different email subject line strategies, it's critical to track your email performances. Which emails had greater open rates? What are the common characteristics of those emails?

Many email marketing services allow you to do A/B tests and compare the results to see which types of email subject lines work best with your unique audience. It's also helpful to keep track of the clickthrough rate and conversion rates (how many people make a donation) for each email campaign. Over time, these data points can reveal valuable trends and insights.

In short, writing compelling email subject lines for appeal campaigns requires both art and science. It may take some persistence and experimenting to find the approach and strategies that fit your context and unique audience. Still, it's worth the investment because it will undoubtedly lead to greater open rates and more donations.

Now that you're writing powerful email subject lines, here are three more resources to boost your fundraising performance.

• Boosting Donor Engagement: 5 Strategies for Nonprofits: In the nonprofit world, the average donor retention rate is between 40 and 45%. Unfortunately, donor retention dropped between 2019 and 2020. Nonprofits continually struggle with donor retention over time, leading to a lack of consistent funding for their causes. What's the solution? How can your organization retain donors and generate long-term support for your mission? The answer is in better donor engagement.
• A Timeline for Your End-of-Year Fundraising Campaign: With nearly a third of all charitable giving coming in December, year-end giving is a critical time for most nonprofits for year-round financial stability. Year-end fundraising is probably one of the most demanding, exciting, exhausting, and engaging times of year for development professionals. A practical year-end giving timeline can help you stay organized, reduce stress, and improve your overall fundraising performance.
• 7 Fundraising Metrics Every Nonprofit Should Track: Tracking and using the right data to assess the performance of your fundraising strategies is essential for all development professionals. To improve your donor care, build relationships, boost your retention rate, adn raise more money, you need to understand your donors. The correct data can give you a great insight into donor behavior and measure the success of your fundraising efforts. The key is to know which data points to pay attention to. Have no fear! We gathered the top metrics every nonprofit should track to understand your donors, care for them well, and ensure you're getting the most out of your fundraising.