How to leverage the power of nonprofit email drip campaigns

Drip campaigns are at the core of some of the most effective nonprofit email marketing campaigns. By finding a rhythm — and getting supporters into the groove — nonprofits can actively engage new members and donors, or make volunteers feel like they’ve found a home.

The reason why email drip campaigns for nonprofits are so effective is because relationships are built on consistency. When you show up for your friends in the good times and the bad times, it clicks that you aren’t going anywhere.

And because your nonprofit is here for the long haul, it’s time to leverage drip campaigns in establishing that devoted, engaged community. 

We’re going to start off with the basics of what modern drip campaigns can do and discuss why they’re so vital when crafting nonprofit email marketing strategies. Then we’re going to highlight four ways to make the most of your upcoming email drip campaigns.

What are nonprofit email drip campaigns

Drip campaigns are emails on a schedule. Say someone donates to your organization (or becomes a member). It’s customary to send a thank you the same day, but drip campaigns take it one step further.

The next day or even the next week, you can set up an automatic email to further explain the difference that donation is making (or all the added benefits of a membership). 

Salesforce found that 92% of consumers reported that “A positive customer service experience makes me more likely to make another purchase.” 

This report may have had for-profits in mind, but your donors and members deserve an incredible experience too! And that experience is going to go a long way in ensuring they return year after year (or maybe month after month for donors!).

But that’s not even the end of a drip campaign. 

If someone clicked through that second email, you can follow up with a third and fourth, reminding them of their interest or commitment. But say they didn’t open the second or third email, you can now set up triggers so that these people receive a different fourth and fifth email. 

The magic of email in the digital age is that it can be personalized for the recipient. 

By building out a nonprofit email drip campaign, instead of needing 100 people writing thank you letters and personal follow ups, you can build an email journey for each type of supporter (okay, maybe not every type, but at least you can get close without needing the 100 additional staff).

But now that we’re all sold on nonprofit email drip campaigns, let’s talk about four ways to make sure yours lead to a constant drip of new donors, members, volunteers, and supporters!

1. Stay on topic

Ok, the topic is likely going to be your organization’s mission. But what I really mean is stay personal. The recipient of your email had a reason for the action they took with your organization. They didn’t give that donation or become a member by accident. So consider how best to continue that unique conversation.

Certainly a new donor should receive a different type of email from a recent volunteer. Or a major donor is going to have different expectations that someone who donated a few dollars. Getting the signals crossed early on in someone’s journey with you isn’t going to clearly communicate how important they are to you.

Consider the needs of each person that will open your drip emails, and build every email sequence with those unique relationships in mind.

2. Don’t be too selfless 

It’s good to keep other people top of mind, but sometimes it’s time to think about you. And by you, I really mean your organization. You all are changing the world, so don’t waste a good chance to invite someone into a larger commitment.

There’s a time to say thank you, and there’s another time to say please. Now, depending on the size or frequency of the most recent gift, today may not be the right time. Or if they became members yesterday, next week isn’t the time to begin the renewal conversation. 

But you get the point — drip campaigns should lead to meaningful results for your organization, and sometimes that requires you making a simple, direct ask.

So definitely build each email with your supporter in mind, but don’t forget that it’s a wonderful thing to be invited into the life-changing work your organization does every day.

3. Make sure it’s a drip, not a pour

It’s called a drip campaign for a reason. It should be constant, but not a downpour.

I’ve signed up for a newsletter before, and before the end of the week, I’ve unsubscribed. Why? Because I received five emails during the week, and I signed up on a Thursday!

Unfortunately, there’s no magic number for emails, and that’s mostly because people are very different from one another. But the real magic number is based on how many emails you can send that offer real value.

If I got five emails that week that made my life better, I wouldn’t have unsubscribed. But be honest with yourself — your recipient may care about your mission, but they might not care as much as you do (you care about it all day, everyday!).

So be cautious about sending multiple emails a week, unless you have good reason to think this is the type of person who’s into that sort of thing.

4. Follow your head

You hear people telling you to follow your heart everyday, but I’m here to recommend following your head. When it comes time to build your second drip campaign, use the things you learned from the first time around.

When you don’t have good data pointing the way, follow your gut. But when you do have good data, please follow your head instead. 

Listen carefully to what’s working and what isn’t. Maybe it’s time to build a specific drip campaign for highly engaged supporters and a separate, slower campaign for those who aren’t doing much (and lucky for you, you can see and do all of that in Feathr!).

Making emails automatic

There are two important things going on with nonprofit email drip campaigns. First, you’re engaging with your people in a long-term, consistent way. And second, you’re doing this in a way that doesn’t require your small team to work 80 hours every week.

Email automation is a good thing when it’s used by organizations that care about their communities. You’re both better meeting your supporters’ needs, and you’re doing it in a strategic and sustainable way.

If you’re busy writing individual thank-you emails to your donors or newest members, or you don’t know where to begin with audience segmentation, we think it’s time for you to level up your email marketing software. And we hope you'll consider putting Feathr in your corner.

We’re passionate about seeing nonprofits soar, and part of that happens by finding the right nonprofit email automation software for your organization. Talk with us today and see if Feathr is the right fit for your mission!