How to get started with email marketing
Email marketing remains one of the most powerful — and cost-effective — tools available to charities today. It gives you a direct line to your supporters, helps build lasting relationships, and allows you to share stories, raise funds, and drive action at scale. Done well, it can turn passive subscribers into passionate advocates.
But the truth is, many charities are missing out on its full potential because the foundations aren’t always in place. Confusing terminology, unclear strategies, unsegmented lists, or emails that simply don’t resonate can all get in the way of success.
The good news? The basics aren’t complicated — and once you have them in place, everything else becomes much easier.
Follow these five steps to help you build a strong, confident start in email marketing:
Step 1. Email marketing glossary
Understanding the terminology is the foundation for successful email marketing campaigns. It empowers you to create, execute, and analyse email campaigns effectively, ensuring that you can engage with your audiences and achieve your marketing goals.
Step 2. Creating an effective email marketing strategy- the basics
Creating an email marketing strategy does not need to be an overwhelming task. By starting small and adapting as you learn you can continually refine your approach.
This short guide introduces the basic elements to consider so that your email marketing activity can drive meaningful outcomes.
Step 3. Tips on segmenting your email database
Segmenting your charity’s database is a great strategy for more effective and targeted email marketing. Even with limited knowledge, you can start with basic segmentation of your email subscribers to improve your results.
This guide shares ideas on how you might segment your database.
Step 4. How to write compelling charity emails
In this guide, we will share the importance of writing emails that captivate and resonate with your audience, helping you to build meaningful connections, drive support, and ultimately further your cause.
This guide also provides practical tips to help you navigate the world of email marketing, even if you’re starting with little prior knowledge.
Step 5. 52 Email marketing ideas
Finding the right content to share and knowing how to consistently engage your audience can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when resources are limited.
This guide is here to help you navigate these challenges by offering 52 creative, practical, and inspiring email marketing ideas designed specifically for small charities.