4 Email Marketing Mistakes Nonprofits Make (And How to Fix Them to Raise More Money)
(Hi all, Josh here. I recently connected with Samantha Roose of The Good List (she helps nonprofits level up their email marketing) and I asked if she’d be willing to share some of her wisdom with my readers. If you’re looking to improve your fundraising emails, this post is a great place to start. And if you want to go further, Samantha is definitely worth speaking to.)
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If you're a nonprofit leader, you’ve probably heard that email marketing is one of the best ways to turn curious visitors into long-term supporters—and it’s true.
Email is 56% more effective than social media (Campaign Monitor).
61% of people prefer email over calls, texts, or DMs (OptinMonster).
And the ROI? Email marketing generates an average of $42–$44 for every $1 spent.
So if your nonprofit emails aren’t leading to donations, engagement, or replies… the problem isn’t email. It’s how the emails are written.
I’m Samantha Roose, a certified fundraising copywriter and messaging strategist specializing in donor psychology and email strategy for nonprofits. I help mission-driven organizations write emails that build trust, deepen connection, and raise more money.
Below, I’ll walk you through four of the most common nonprofit email marketing mistakes—and exactly how to fix them.
Mistake #1: Ignoring the Subject Line (Your Most Important Email Real Estate)
Most people spend 90% of their time on the body of their email and 10% of their time on the subject line. The problem with this is that subject lines are the most important part of getting an email opened.
And…
If your emails aren't getting opened they aren't getting read. If your emails aren’t getting read, your donors aren’t learning about the beautiful things they’re making possible for others and could make possible for even more people.
So here’s what I recommend (and often do myself): Write ten subject lines and choose the best one.
It can feel silly to focus on writing the best possible subject line, after all, it’s only 3-10 words. But they’re 3-10 words that make all the others count.
Mistake #2: Focusing on Your Nonprofit’s Priorities Instead of Your Donor’s
A summer camp I worked with was excited to share updates about dining hall renovations, upgraded cabins, and new recreation space.
Important details for the internal team. But when they led with those updates in donor emails, response was underwhelming.
Why? Because most donors don’t give to drywall. They give to what happens inside those walls.
This isn’t a one-time issue—I’ve helped many nonprofits make this exact shift. And it often starts by asking one simple question: “What’s in it for the reader?”
So we reframed the message—highlighting the story of a camper who arrived feeling isolated, but by week’s end, was laughing with new friends in that same dining hall. More importantly to the organization's donors, her faith came alive in that space.
The buildings didn’t inspire giving. The camper’s transformation did. So that’s what we wrote about.
And if you really want your donor stories to connect? Try video.
Even a short 30-second clip from a staff member, volunteer, or recipient can dramatically increase engagement (Josh can give you expert pointers for this). It gives your donors a face, a voice, and a reason to care. In my work with nonprofits, emails with video links or embedded thumbnails consistently outperform those without.
Here’s your takeaway: Donors give because they care—about impact, outcomes, and the people their gift can help.
Write and send emails about that.
Mistake #3: Not Making Emails Mobile-Friendly
It’s estimated that 60–80% of emails are opened on smartphones.
That means if your email isn’t easy to read and navigate on a phone, most people will delete it—or never even get through the first few lines.
Common mobile mistakes I solve, include:
Long paragraphs with no line breaks
Text that's too small to read without zooming
Buttons that are hard to tap
The easiest way to optimize your emails for mobile is to open a test email on your phone. If you wouldn’t read it all the way through standing in line at the grocery store, ask yourself, “How can I make this easier to skim?”.
Que: Shorter paragraphs. Clear calls to action. Bigger fonts.
If you want your message to be read, design it for the place it’s most likely to be opened.
Mistake #4: Including Too Many Calls to Action
When your email tries to do everything, it ends up doing nothing.
For example, I recently helped a nonprofit with one of their email updates. The email talked about three things: a holiday, the organization's impact, and a tax benefit for donations.
This led to no action. Because when there are too many choices or updates most people choose none.
Instead, focus on one update or one clear next step. Just one.
Whether it’s clicking to donate, answering a short question, or forwarding the email to a friend—make the ask simple, specific, and singular. Not only will focusing on one thing improve your email engagement and clicks, but it will increase the amount of emails you can send without having to come up with new ideas.
Remember the nonprofit update talking about three things? We turned their one update into three different emails each with a specific call to action.
Ready to Improve Your Fundraising Emails
Start small—but start now!
Choose one improvement to make in your next email:
Simplify the design.
Sharpen the subject line.
Focus on just one clear call to action.
Tackle one change each week, and in a month, you’ll have transformed how your organization shows up in your donors’ inboxes.
Email is still one of the most cost-effective, relationship-building tools you have.
And when it’s done well—with clarity, intention, and heart—it deepens trust, increases giving, and keeps your supporters coming back.
Want an expert to take over your fundraising emails—so you can focus on what you do best?
Email me at: samantha@samantharoose.com
Not ready to outsource?
No worries, I thought of that, and created this for you: The Email Marketing Good List—my weekly newsletter with actionable tips to improve your nonprofit’s email performance.