Reaching out to potential donors “cold” (without prior interaction) is a common tactic for nonprofits, whether you’re contacting individual donors or local businesses.

Cold fundraising emails can help you expand your supporter base in a cost-effective way – if they’re done thoughtfully.

In the U.S., 26% of donors say that nonprofit emails inspire them to give, so a well-crafted email can make a real impact. 

Before You Write

It’s important to identify who you’re emailing and make sure it’s a suitable audience.

Cold emails work best when you’ve done a bit of research on your recipients.

For instance, if you’re emailing local businesses, ensure they have some interest in community causes or alignment with your mission (perhaps they’ve sponsored similar charities or their business relates to your field).

• For individuals, if you obtained a mailing list from an event or sign-up, segment it so that your message can be as relevant as possible.
• In other words, target the right people – you’ll have more success emailing 100 well-chosen prospects than 1,000 random addresses.

Also, be mindful of email regulations (like the CAN-SPAM Act): you should only email people who haven’t “opted in” if you have a lawful way to contact them and always include an unsubscribe option for recipients.

Structure of an Effective Cold Fundraising Email

Keep your email short and to the point.

Busy people are more likely to read a brief email than a long essay.

A good guideline is to aim for about 50–150 words in the body of your message – long enough to convey your mission and ask, but short enough to be easily digestible.

Here’s a simple structure that works for many fundraising emails:

1. Subject Line

This is critical – it’s your first impression. Use a concise, engaging subject line that encourages the recipient to open the email.

A good subject line hints at the cause or impact and maybe creates a touch of curiosity.

Keep it short (under ~50 characters) so it won’t get cut off on mobile devices.

• “Help 50 Local Students Succeed – Your Chance to Make a Difference” is more compelling than “Please Donate.”
  
• Avoid spammy language (excessive punctuation, all caps, or phrases like “Earn $$$”), which can trigger junk filters.
• Personalizing the subject with the recipient’s name or city can also boost open rates
  (e.g. “John, join us in fighting hunger in Portland”).
  
  

2. Greeting and Introduction

Start with a personal greeting – use the person’s name if you have it (e.g. “Hello Maria,”).

Immediately introduce yourself and your organization in a friendly, succinct way:

• “I’m Jane Doe from Sunshine Charity, a local nonprofit that provides mentoring to at-risk youth.”

If you’re writing to a business or someone who doesn’t know you, you might add one line establishing a connection or relevance:

• “I noticed that [Business Name] is committed to education, and I thought you’d be interested in our work.”

3. The Hook (Problem/Need Statement)

In a sentence or two, present the issue or cause in a way that resonates.

This is where you grab attention by appealing to values or emotions.

• “In our city, over 100 teenagers don’t have a safe place to go after school. We’re working to change that.”

Focus on the impact and urgency. Why should the reader care?

Maybe share a very short story or a startling statistic that underscores the need. Keep it donor-centric – illustrate how the donor can make a difference.

4. Your Project and Ask

After setting the stage, briefly explain what you are doing about the problem and lead into the ask. Be clear and specific in what you’re asking for.

• “Our nonprofit is opening a new after-school center, and we need help to furnish the study room. A gift of $100 will buy a desk and chair for one student.”

By quantifying the ask (“$X does Y”), you help the reader visualize the impact of their donation.

If writing to a business, your ask might be for a sponsorship or a meeting instead:

• “Would [Business Name] consider sponsoring one of our study rooms with a $5,000 donation? We would gladly recognize your support publicly.”

Customize the ask to the recipient’s context and capacity.

Importantly, ask a question or make a direct request, so it’s clear you are seeking a response or action.

• “Would you be willing to contribute?”
• “Can we count on your support?”
  
  

5. Call to Action (CTA)

Provide an easy and obvious way for them to take that action.

In an email, this often means a prominent “Donate Now” link or button  that takes the reader directly to a donation page.

If the goal is to set up a meeting or call, then clearly say how to do that:

• “I’d love to chat more – you can reply to this email or call me at 555-1234 to schedule a visit.”

Make sure any donation link or contact info is easy to find and click.

On a design note, if you can format a button or a bold link, do it – a standout CTA button at the end of the email can significantly increase response rates

6. Thank You & Sign-Off

Close the email by thanking the reader for their time and consideration.

Even though you’re asking for something, you want to leave a positive, appreciative feeling.

• “Thank you for reading – together, we can make a big difference for these kids. Sincerely, [Your Name]."

Use a polite and warm tone. Include your title and organization name below your signature, and any contact info you want to provide.

It’s also a nice touch to reiterate the impact:

• “Thank you for helping create a brighter future for our youth.”

Throughout the email, keep the tone friendly, genuine, and respectful. Imagine you are talking to the person face-to-face: you’d be polite, get to the point, and emphasize shared values.

Do the same in writing. Avoid overly formal or stiff language – you’re not writing a business contract, you’re reaching out human-to-human for support.

At the same time, remain professional and courteous (no slang or guilt-tripping).

The goal is to sound like a real person who is passionate about a cause, not a faceless spam robot.

Personalization Strategies

Personalization can dramatically improve cold email success, because it shows the recipient this email was crafted for them, not mass-produced. Here are some simple ways to personalize fundraising emails:

1. Use the Recipient’s Name

This is the bare minimum – rather than a generic greeting, start your email with:

• “Dear [Name]” or “Hi [Name]” 

Studies show people are more likely to read and respond if they see their name.

Just double-check that you have the correct name spelling!

Nothing undermines personalization more than calling someone by the wrong name or gender, so accuracy is key.

If you’re using an email tool that inserts names automatically, test it to ensure it works right.

2. Reference Something Specific to the Recipient

Depending on your data, you might mention the recipient’s city, their company, or an interest.

• “As a fellow Portland resident, I know we both care about our community...”
• “Noticed that your company was featured in the news for volunteer work – that’s awesome!”

3. Segment Your Audience for Relevance

If you have groups of recipients with something in common, tweak your messaging accordingly.

For example, you might have one version of an email for local business owners (emphasizing community impact and sponsorship benefits) and another version for individual donors (emphasizing personal connection to the cause).

Sending a more targeted message will resonate better than a one-size-fits-all email

4. Customize the Ask if Possible

If you happen to know a bit about the capacity or history of the recipient, tailor the donation ask.

• If you’re emailing a small business that typically sponsors $500 events, you might ask for around that amount or a specific item at that value.
• For an individual who indicated interest in volunteering, maybe the “ask” is to attend an event or give a smaller starter donation.

Personalization isn’t just about inserting names; it’s about crafting an ask that feels appropriate to the person.

5. Show Understanding and Gratitude

A subtle form of personalization is acknowledging that you know it’s a request out of the blue and expressing appreciation.

• “I realize you likely get many requests, and I’m grateful you took a moment to read mine.”

Above all, make sure any personal data you include is correct. If you’re not confident on a detail, it’s better to stay general than to risk a mistake that breaks trust.

• Don’t say “I know you love animals” unless you’re sure they do.

When done right, personalization increases engagement – but when done poorly (like misidentifying someone), it can “cancel the benefits” and turn the recipient off.

So, do that quick grammar and accuracy check before hitting send, to ensure your personalized touches land well

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even with a good structure and personalization, certain pitfalls can derail a fundraising email. Here are some frequent mistakes and how to avoid them:

1. Writing a Novel

Long, dense emails will lose the reader’s attention.

Avoid the temptation to tell your organization’s whole life story in one message.

If an email looks like a wall of text, many people won’t even start reading.

Keep it concise and focused on one main ask or idea. Use short paragraphs and maybe a bullet point or two if needed for readability.

The goal is to make your email easy to scan – remember, you can always provide more information on your website or in a follow-up conversation if the person is interested.

2. Being Too Vague or Indirect

Don’t make the reader guess what you want from them.

Emails that only talk about how great the nonprofit is, without a clear ask, often fail to convert.

Likewise, beating around the bush with a very timid hint can be confusing.

• "We hope you will consider maybe helping in some way.”

Clear calls to action get better results than overly subtle hints.  Just be sure to ask nicely and frame it in terms of the impact, not “we need money, give it.”

• “Would you donate $50 to sponsor a child’s meals for a month?” is a direct ask tied to impact.
  
  

3. Overloading with Multiple Requests

As a corollary to the above, stick to one primary call to action per email.

If you ask for several different things

• “Please donate, and also sign up to volunteer, and share our newsletter”

Figure out the one thing that would be the best outcome of the email and focus on that. You can always engage them with other asks later once they respond or show interest.

4. Sounding Robotic or Mass-Produced

If your email feels like a spam blast or a canned template, people will tune it out.

Avoid generic phrases like “Dear Sir or Madam” or overly formal corporate language in a cold email.

Also, double-check mail-merge fields – nothing is worse than “Dear [NAME].”

Use a natural, human tone as discussed. The email should feel like it was written by a real person who cares (because it was!).

Adding a little personalization (as covered above) helps prevent this mistake.

5. Neglecting the Donor’s Perspective

A common mistake is making the email all about the organization’s need for money, rather than about the cause or the donor’s opportunity to make a difference.

Try not to use “we/we’re” in every sentence:

• “We are doing this, we need that, we hope you will...”
  
  

Instead, speak to the reader’s perspective:

• “With your help, 50 students can have…”

Make the donor the hero, not your nonprofit. And never guilt-trip or shame the reader for not having donated yet; keep it positive and empowering.

6. Typos and Sloppy Writing

This might seem minor, but spelling or grammatical errors can hurt your credibility.

They signal a lack of professionalism or haste, which is not the impression you want to give when asking for funds.

Always proofread your email.

If writing isn’t your strength, have someone review your draft or at least use spell-check tools. Reading the email aloud to yourself can also help catch mistakes or awkward phrasing.

Remember, your email is representing your organization – you want to put your best foot forward.

Typos, grammatical errors, and sloppy sentence structure scream unprofessionalism and may cause potential donors to question your organization’s competence.

7. Ignoring Mobile Users

Many people will read your email on their phone.

If your email isn’t optimized for mobile, it could appear poorly formatted.

Keep subject lines short (so they fit on small screens), and use a clean layout.

Having a big easy-to-tap donate button is great for mobile readers.

Before sending, test your email on a phone to ensure it looks good (images resize, text is readable, links are working).

A mobile-friendly email will reach people wherever they are.

8. Not Following Up

If you don’t get a response, it doesn’t necessarily mean the answer is “no.”

People are busy or may have intended to get back to it and forgot. A gentle follow-up email after a few days can significantly increase your success rate.

Many fundraising efforts succeed on the second or third touch.

Your follow-up should be friendly and understanding:

• “Just wanted to bump this email in case it got buried. I’d love to chat with you about how you can help…”

Don’t send too many follow-ups (that can annoy people), but 1–3 polite follow-up messages spaced over a couple of weeks is reasonable.

On the flip side, sending daily reminders or being pushy is a mistake – give people time between contacts. Show persistence but always with courtesy.

If they ask not to be contacted, respect that immediately (and remove them from your list).

9. Violating Email Etiquette or Laws

Also, address the recipient properly (no misleading subject lines, etc.).

If someone opts out, don’t email them again. These aren’t just legal requirements but best practices to build trust.

Additionally, avoid sending emails too frequently or at odd hours.

There is no hard rule for frequency, but watch your open rates and unsubscribe rates – if you send too many emails, people may start to ignore or block you.

Summary - How to Write a Cold Fundraising Email

By being mindful of these mistakes, you can refine your approach and increase the effectiveness of your cold emails.

In essence, the recipe for a good cold fundraising email is: a targeted list, a short and sincere message with a clear ask, a friendly tone, personalization, and a follow-up plan.

Combine those elements, and you’ll greatly improve the odds of turning cold contacts into warm supporters!

Level Up Your Fundraising Skills

If fundraising feels hard, that’s because it is — even for the pros.

But you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

With expert guidance, practical tools, and support from those who’ve been in your shoes, you can turn these common challenges into real progress.

Want to raise more with less stress?

Explore Oregon State University’s online, self-paced Fundraising Certificate Program — built by experienced fundraisers to help you develop, strengthen, and support your fundraising success.

Your mission matters.

Let’s help you fund it.