Getting the right email marketing software for your nonprofit can make a big impact on donations, awareness, and participation.
Inbox Mailers has a great program just for nonprofits so we wanted to list other software that can also assist not-for-profit groups.
Below you’ll find 19 hand-picked options for email marketing software for nonprofits. With a brief list of features I believe are relevant to charity organizations’ email marketing.
I will sprinkle in extra tools that help with email creation and production.
*Online giving to nonprofits increased by 12.1% in 2021 (Zippia)
Active Campaign
A powerful platform not just for email. Known for:
- Easy and robust automation
- Tons of tagging options
- Detailed list segmentation
Not the cheapest email platform option but allows you to upgrade as your email list grows.
Luckily, Active Campaign offers a nonprofit discount on their email marketing software (20%— 2023)
“A major fundraising trend for nonprofits in 2023 will be diversifying revenue streams” (DonorBox)
MailerLite
Name says it all. Not overly fancy.
- Free starter plan
- Simple interface
- Helpful how-to section
The help section is great but getting hold of customer service requires a full investigation! Not easy to locate.
MailChimp
Experience. This company’s email marketing software for nonprofits has stood the test of time.
Many other email platforms designed their software around this old-school brand’s features.
What the Chimp offers:
- Email templates galore
- Expert guidance from certified MailChimp Specialists (paid)
- Advanced testing features
💡You know how Netflix has fewer glitches than other streaming services? Well, expect the same with MailChimp, because like Netflix, it has been around longer to learn from early mistakes.
HubSpot
No brand does a better job of content creation. HubSpot presents itself as a CRM but its email marketing features are central:
- Tons of automation (beyond email too)
- Automatic data gathering
- Easy-to-understand dashboard
Sure, this feature-rich platform can be an overwhelming email marketing software option for nonprofits. But if you limit yourself to only the features you need, it can lighten the marketing workload.
*Most popular nonprofit organization is Feeding America— received $4.06 billion in private donations in 2022 (Zippia)
Convert Kit
Simply reading how Convert Kit grew their company can be an asset to the nonprofit you work for. This email marketing company leans into being a powerful tool for creators.
What they offer:
- Visual automations
- Live chat support
- Creator network for help + inspiration
Don’t let Convert Kit’s love for creators keep you from testing this platform for your nonprofit email marketing. This software gets rave reviews from top names in the marketing world.
*Email marketing ROI is typically cited in the $40 generated to every $1 spent range.
5 Add-on Tools for Nonprofit Email Marketing
In our work with huge email newsletters, we see various tools used to put together email campaigns.
Here are 5 that stand out.
- Canva
- Eluna.ai
- Google Docs / basic notepad
- Trello
- Clipboard History Pro
Canva is well-known and gives you enough artwork to use in emails to last a lifetime. You never have to worry about copyright issues with Canva images or videos!
Eluna is an AI art program. Mostly a paid program but when you need an image to catch attention for your main call-to-action, unique AI designs can make a sharp impact.
Google Docs are simple and easy to share. Easy to make copies to use as templates for future email campaigns. A basic notepad is often used to keep bulky text formatting out of your email templates that Google Docs may leave in.
Trello is a lifesaver if your nonprofit is sending out lots of promotional emails or daily updates. There are tons of notes to keep up with and to-do lists, right? Trello does not lose notes or checklists!
Clipboard History Pro is like $2 per month. It neatly stores stuff you copy to your clipboard. Lets you section off your favorites and merge copied items too. Easily copy and paste lists, passwords, email sign-offs, post-scripts, addresses, long company names, etc. I use this Chrome Extension and it is worth 20 times the cost.
*For generating leads, 59% of marketers believe email is over twice as effective as PPC and paid social media (Sopro)
Other Types of Email Marketing Software for Nonprofits
It’s smart to test email campaigns before sending them to your entire list of donors.
- Grammarly catches most spelling and grammar errors. But human proofreading is always the final step. By the way, Grammarly has extended its features with artificial intelligence to improve tone and style of emails and blog posts.
- Mail-Tester.com may be the simplest way to check your email for major problems. It can spot spam troubles that could block your email from much of your subscriber base. Can also alert you to any blocklists your domain has landed on.
- Zero Bounce can improve your nonprofit organization’s emails just by keeping bad addresses off the list. With a large list, there is no way to manually keep it free of fake or temporary email addresses. Zero Bounce protects your sender reputation by deleting bad addresses.
- Rytr Not bad for an AI writer. It can give you ideas for emails and outlines too. Though, not recommended to write entire emails, much less an automated email sequence.
- Hemingway App ensures your emails are clear. Crystal clear. Remember, your readers are busy and may only be scanning their emails. Make key points stand out and be concise. This free tool shows you where you can make improvements. Easy to use.
- Using email marketing software for nonprofit website traffic by linking to landing pages via emails? Then SEO is important. WordPress has many SEO plugins, such as Yoast SEO. However, many marketers use these tools. To gain an edge, read articles that rank #1 on Google and find patterns in those article keywords.
Wrap-Up Email Marketing Software for Nonprofits (with 2 more tools)
Getting sign-ups to your email list is tough. Even for charitable groups these days.
People are busy and pop-up ads are everywhere.
Grabbing attention is a challenge but crucial. Optinmonster is scary-good at catching eyeballs! Their sign-up forms should boost your sign-up conversions if you put them in the right locations.
Lastly, check out Validity for a packed toolbox that will help nearly every aspect of your nonprofit’s email marketing.
Oh, and don’t forget your free demo of Inbox Mailers. Especially if your nonprofit has low open rates, minimal engagement, and isn’t getting good click volume. Inbox Mailers solves all three problems while improving deliverability with our patent-pending technology.
