Cold Email: 3 Things Your Nonprofit Needs to Say After #GivingTuesday

Imagine it’s Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020.

#GivingTuesday has come and gone. You’ve participated in a global day of giving, raised some impressive funds, and gained valuable learnings to apply to the next year.

Nicely done!

Now it’s time to make #GivingTuesday your launching pad for record-breaking year-end donations.

To build on your #GivingTuesday momentum, you need to plan your thoughtful follow-ups in advance. Make sure you’re saying these three things to your supporters once the big day is in the books:

1. Thank you

You absolutely cannot overlook the importance of expressing gratitude to your donors. Saying “thank you” reinforces that their donation matters and increases their investment with your organization.

The most effective thank you emails are simple, straightforward, and above all, authentic.

Strong Women Strong Girls expresses their gratitude in a couple quick paragraphs with powerful sentences like: “We do not take for granted that our work would not be possible without supporters like you.”

Take this opportunity to remind supporters of what their donation makes possible. You can also use your thank you email as a chance to give something back. Strong Women Strong Girls does a great job of this by inviting donors to celebrate a successful year during their Holiday Open House.

Tip: Don’t be camera shy! Sharing a thank you video is a really engaging way to show your appreciation.

2. We missed you

What about the people on your email list who didn’t make a donation?

Make sure they know that #GivingTuesday isn’t the only day they can get involved. Send a thoughtful We Missed You email to let your subscribers know how important year-end donations are to meeting your organization’s goals.

Don’t be pushy here. Even if they’re not able to donate this time around, show them other ways they can help out.

Encourage supporters to share a link to your donation page from their social media channels or remind them to refer your organization directly to a friend or family member who might be able to help out.

3. Here’s what we accomplished

Have you ever dedicated time, energy, and resources to something without knowing if your efforts paid off?

Not a very nice feeling, is it? Definitely not something you want your donors to feel!

Instead, treat your donors like important stakeholders of your organization. Keep them informed of the specific goals you’re trying to accomplish and how you’re faring. The more transparency you offer the more invested they’ll feel.

Include anecdotal accomplishments as well as charts that show year-over-year results so your supporters know exactly where things stand and how they fit in.