How Not for Profits Get Their Emails Opened

I receive stacks of emails, and I mean A LOT. I’m at the point I get my team to send me weekly summaries of their emails I haven’t answered!

Now it’s not like I don’t care – quite the opposite – but with so much happening, I have to really prioritise where I can make an impact, instead of getting buried in my inbox.

Now you’re quite possibly nodding along with me, thinking of all the unread emails you have, and how many emails you’ve just deleted this week without even reading them.

There is good news though. New data shows not for profits have one of the highest email open rates, according to Mail Chimp. Statistically 25.25% of people are opening emails sent by not for profits.

This makes direct email marketing a great way for you to reach out to volunteers and donors.

The key to high open rates (the % of people who open the email) is all in the subject line. It is your one chance to grab their attention so you need to make it relevant and intriguing.

This week I challenge you to send an email to your database, but first really think about your email subject lines. Read them out loud, put yourself in the shoes of the recipient, do an office poll, even ask the dog, but make sure you put some thought into it.

No matter how great your content is, if no one opens the email they aren’t going to see it.