1 Email to Steal, 1 Email to Learn From

So what are the nonprofit takeaways from these two commercial emails?

Surprise your donors
Acknowledge their milestones — giving to you for three consecutive years, total giving since their first gift totals $1,000, enough donated to feed 250 people, or whatever giving highlight makes sense to recognize. Save the Children once sent me a certificate to honor my first year of partnership; what a nice touch — that I still remember because it was the one and only I have received from any nonprofit. These kinds of emails are relatively inexpensive but can be invaluable in deepening a relationship.

Make it easy
Make it easy for your donors to provide information, make a gift, read your material, peruse your website or whatever else it is you want them to do. Unlike you, supporting your organization is not their full-time job. We love involved donors, so make it simple to get involved by providing lots of “baby steps” along with the serious leaps of commitment. Don’t let the tail wag the dog — for example, your forms being driven by data-processing policies rather than ease for donor completion — or you risk frustrating donors.