GivingTuesday Email Templates and Subject Line Guide

Millions of givers each year participate in GivingTuesday. To make the most of this giving tradition, you need to develop a communications strategy that effectively engages supporters.

You may already have excellent solicitation and thank you letters. But to help you maximize your strategy, we are providing you with email templates to inspire and guide your communication efforts. Although these templates were developed specifically with GivingTuesday in mind, they can be tailored for any campaign or event throughout the year. Feel free to download and modify these templates for your own needs.

In this Guide you will find:

• Tips for a captivating subject line. NEW
• 5 email templates for GivingTuesday and the end of year campaign

Are you Ready? Then, let's GO!

Writing a Captivating Subject Line

Before we dive into the email templates, let's take a look at what it takes to write a good email subject line.

• Keep subject lines to 9 words or fewer. Extensive research has been done on the best length for a subject line. Different researchers produce different results, but all agree that shorter is better -- a safe length is 44 characters. The average inbox displays about 60 characters on a desktop while the average mobile device displays only 30 characters. Anything else will get cut off.

Pro-Tip: Don't waste space with your charity name or today's date -- that information will be available in your email.

Take a look at these statistics and subject lines.

• An email displayed on a 15" laptop will display 98 characters before being cut off.
• An email displayed on an iphone Mail App will display 46 characters before being cut off.
• An email displayed in an Android Outlook App will display 38 characters before being cut off.

If you used a subject line of "What would our community look like if there were no homeless on the streets?" here's what it would look like in the different email apps.

• Build on the sense of urgency. GivingTuesday lends itself well to an urgent tone since donors are encouraged to get involved on this one special day. Time-specific or goal-based language like "No time to waste -- donate now!" or "Just two donations away from our goal!" can be a great motivator.

• Address recipients by their first names. Your email platform should allow you to automatically program your supporters' first names into the subject line and the opening greeting of your emails. The more personalized your messages, the more likely supporters are to open your emails.

• Ask a question to peak curiosity or state something unexpected. How about "We need to raise money for international refugees!" Boring!! Try "What do you know about xyz refugees?" or "What does it feel like to lose your home?"

  Here's a real life example of an unexpected statement: an education foundation recently sent an email subject line that read: "Our teachers are refusing to teach math today!" When the donor opened the email, it explained that the school was celebrating Curl Up With A Good Book Day, a day devoted to reading and writing.

• Let preview text help tell your story. Some email services such as Constant Contact will allow you to write a preheader (or subtitle) as email preview text. The preheader displays in the inbox below the subject line in some email applications. By default, the preheader will populate with the first line of the body of your email. However, you might want to manually write in the preheader text. Let your preview text expand on or respond to your subject line, making your reader want to know more.

• Use limited capital letters. Capitalizing the entire subject line is a poor practice for email marketing. Rather, use capital letters only to emphasize words like 'you', or the deadline or impact.

• Keep a swipe file. Whenever you get an email with a great subject line and it's intriguing enough that YOU open the email, cut-and-paste it into a Word file. Make a note about what caught your eye. Then the next time you need to write a subject line, you can refer to your swipe file for inspiration.

• Don't stop with just one subject line. Since your subject line can mean the difference in your email being opened or deleted, make sure to take your time with this task. Write 8 to 10 draft subject lines. If time allows, sleep on it; roll them over in your mind; try them out on friends or colleagues, then pick your favorite.

• Use action words -- Donate vs Give. Donate is a good action word and is probably used most often in an organization's call to action. But did you know there is research on when one is better than the other?

  While donate and give are often used interchangeably, there are subtle differences that can impact the effectiveness of a donor's generosity. Donate typically refers to giving money or resources to a specific organization or cause, while Give can encompass a wider range of actions such as volunteering time or physical items like clothing or food.
  
  When one donates, there is a deliberate choice to support a particular cause or organization with financial resources. On the other hand, giving can be more informal and spontaneous. It can be an act of kindness that may involve giving of one's time or resources to someone in need without necessarily aligning with a specific organization or cause.

  Other good action words include: join, stop, act, change or transform.

Email Templates

General Emails to encourage giving, sharing and supporting

Dear {donor first name},

Can you feel the excitement starting to build this time of year? The beginning of the holiday season is an exciting time of year, and we invite you to kick off the season with us on GivingTuesday, November 29th!

GivingTuesday is a global day of giving back. On the Tuesday following Thanksgiving you will have the opportunity to join people around the world and support a cause that is close to your heart.

This GivingTuesday, help us {explain your mission}. By joining us in this mission you can {explain your goal for GivingTuesday}.

Mark your calendars. Spread the word. And Stay Tuned for more details!

(link to your GivingTuesday donation form)

[Name]
[Title]
[Organization]

{include your SM icons and links}

{consider adding an emotional or motivational photo}

Dear {donor first name},

{If you add a photo, consider adding a caption for the photo here to increase the likelihood of an emotional response}

This year, we're celebrating GivingTuesday to raise ${fundraising goal} in 24 hours. This funding will go to support our team in [mission programming], [optional mission or purpose statement], and [optional mission or purpose].

We need your help! Will you consider making a $[suggested donation amount] donation?

Remember, It's OK to donate early!

(link to your GivingTuesday donation form)

[Name]
[Title]
[Organization]

{include your SM icons and links}

Use this template if you did not meet your GivingTuesday goal.