It’s important to remember that the majority of your supporters will be reading the email on their mobile device and spend only a few seconds scanning it. Your body copy should have a compelling opening line and a clear call to action at the very top.

A great way to do this is to shrink the column size on your word processor when drafting the email to simulate the line breaks on a smartphone. That way you can understand immediately what someone reading on a phone will experience when they open your email.

Remember: email fundraising is won and lost in a matter of seconds. If your supporters don’t have the information they need immediately, they’re going to send it to the recycle bin.

Urgency is the single most important principle to drafting your fundraising pitch. Review your emails by looking to answer the question, “On a scale of 1- 10, how urgent is this email?”

Whether it’s a survey petition or donation ask, the email must drive the reader towards action! [lightning emoji]

Is it easy to read?

You only have a few seconds to catch your reader’s attention, so they’ll start by scanning the email. Get your supporters to the donate button by eliminating clutter.

The best copy is spaced very clearly.

It avoids large paragraphs of text.

One sentence per line is best.

One line at a time is easier to read.

People’s eyes glaze over when they see a large block of text coming.
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If they see a wall of text, they won’t donate to you.

Stick to one sentence per line – always!

Tip from the Pros:

The Resend aka “The Remail”

If an email did well with many of your supporters, resend the email to anyone who didn’t open it with an updated subject line or sender name! Maybe they were in the car or running errands when you sent your email the first time. Resending the ask gives you the opportunity to grab their attention again. How long you should wait is up to you: sometimes a few hours or even a few days can do the trick. Test it out and see what works best!

In general, a good email should convey a sense of urgency, offer some value to the reader, and have a clear call to action.

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