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.
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).
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.
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:
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.
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:
If you’re writing to a business or someone who doesn’t know you, you might add one line establishing a connection or relevance:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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
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.
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:
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 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:
This is the bare minimum – rather than a generic greeting, start your email with:
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.
Depending on your data, you might mention the recipient’s city, their company, or an interest.
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
If you happen to know a bit about the capacity or history of the recipient, tailor the donation ask.
Personalization isn’t just about inserting names; it’s about crafting an ask that feels appropriate to the person.
A subtle form of personalization is acknowledging that you know it’s a request out of the blue and expressing appreciation.
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.
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
Even with a good structure and personalization, certain pitfalls can derail a fundraising email. Here are some frequent mistakes and how to avoid them:
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.
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.
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.”
As a corollary to the above, stick to one primary call to action per email.
If you ask for several different things
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.
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.
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:
Instead, speak to the reader’s perspective:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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).
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.
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!
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.