Non-profit newsletter: how to get it right

A good non-profit newsletter starts with consent and one clear goal. These are the steps: list, GDPR, segments, calendar, templates, SPF/DKIM/DMARC and metrics.

A good newsletter for your non-profit starts with people who asked for it and one clear goal per issue. After that come a sustainable rhythm, a simple template, a sender that mail providers trust and a few figures to learn from. This piece summarises the complete guide.

1. Start with one sentence and one action

Write down who you write for and what you want them to do: donate, register, volunteer or share. A newsletter with six buttons usually gets no clicks at all. A common rule of thumb is: one main story, one main button. Choose a rhythm you can keep: monthly or every two months.

2. Build your list honestly

Never buy a list. Let people sign up through your website, at events (with a QR code), or through a separate box when they give or volunteer. Promise something concrete, such as "one email a month, with one story and one way to help".

3. Consent under the GDPR

For marketing email you need a valid basis, which for new contacts is usually consent. It must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous: an empty box the person ticks themselves, not a pre-ticked box.

You must be able to prove it, and unsubscribing must be as easy as subscribing. Every email carries your organisation details and an unsubscribe link. According to the Belgian Data Protection Authority, objecting and withdrawing consent must be possible at any time, easily and free of charge. This is not legal advice: for grey areas, such as existing donors, consult your data protection authority or a lawyer.

4. Segment with five groups

New subscribers, active donors, monthly donors, lapsed donors and volunteers. In Belgium language is often the first segment. With five small variations in the first paragraph and the button you tailor your message without writing five times.

5. Plan twelve issues

Use standing sections: a story, a result, an invitation, a thank-you and at most one ask. During the month, collect photos, quotes and figures in one folder so that writing becomes a matter of choosing. A rule of thumb many fundraisers use: give back three times for every ask for money.

6. Keep the template simple

One column of about 600 pixels, a font size of at least 16 pixels, a small logo header, photos with alt text and buttons with enough contrast. Use JPG or PNG, because some Outlook versions do not display WebP. Before every send, mail a test to yourself and read it on your phone.

7. Deliverability: SPF, DKIM and DMARC

These are three technical checks Gmail and Outlook use to see whether an email really comes from you. SPF is a list of servers allowed to send in your name, DKIM a digital signature, DMARC a rule on what recipients should do if the checks fail.

According to Google's guidelines for bulk senders (more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail) all three are required, the spam rate must stay below 0.30 percent (recommended below 0.10 percent) and one-click unsubscribe must be possible. For small associations they are simply good rules too.

8. Measure what counts

Clicks and results (donations, sign-ups) say more than opens, because an open depends on a tiny image loading. Also look at list health: growth, active core and sleeping addresses. A worked example with invented numbers: from 1,000 emails sent come 36 clicks, of which 5 people donate, 35 euros on average. That is 175 euros for one issue.

What WeGlow Mail does

WeGlow Mail sits in your WeGlow dashboard. You create sign-up forms (embedded, pop-up, slide-in or separate page), import contacts with a consent record and can undo an import for 24 hours. You build emails with blocks, use tags such as {{first_name}}, see a preview and send a test.

A check step looks at sender, reply-to and legal footer and excludes unsubscribed and bounced addresses. Self-filling groups come from donations, automatic emails have four triggers (new contact, new donation, lapsed contact, manual) and you can add your own domain with a DNS guide.

WeGlow Mail is free up to 250 contacts in every plan. After that Start is from 19 euros per month for up to 1,000 contacts and Growth from 29 euros for up to 2,500 (excl. VAT). With the Pro platform plan (40 euros per month or 400 per year) mailing is included up to 2,500 contacts. Check the current prices in your dashboard.

Get the full guide

The full guide has nine chapters with templates: sign-up form, consent text for a paper list, welcome email, thank-you email, "we miss you" email, a one-page report and a message for your webmaster about the DNS settings. Get the full guide, also as a PDF, and then try it in your WeGlow dashboard.

How often should I send my newsletter?

Choose a rhythm you can keep: monthly or every two months. A common rule of thumb is one main story and one main button per issue. Standing sections and a folder of photos, quotes and figures make writing a matter of choosing.

Do I need consent to email people?

For marketing email to new contacts, usually yes. According to the European Commission, consent must be freely given, informed, specific and unambiguous, and as easy to withdraw as to give. For grey areas, such as existing donors, consult your data protection authority or a lawyer.

What are SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and do I need them?

They are three technical checks Gmail and Outlook use to see whether an email really comes from you. Google requires them from anyone sending more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail, with a spam rate below 0.30 percent. For small associations they are simply good rules too.

Why do clicks matter more than opens?

An open depends on a tiny image loading, so it says less than clicks and results such as donations and sign-ups. Also look at list health: growth, the active core and sleeping addresses, so that you can see whether your list stays healthy.

Read next

More on this topic:

Sources

More from Glowie

More about WeGlow