This is lesson fifty-five. This is towards one of our missions. Education.
You'll learn everything about marketing - from the basics to the most advanced strategies - for free, thanks to VellumWorks.
The Inbox Is Competitive
The average person receives over 100 emails a day.
Your charity's email is competing with everything else in that inbox: work emails, bank alerts, offers, newsletters. You have about two seconds to earn an open.
That means how you write your email matters as much as what you write about.
The Subject Line: Your One Job
If your email doesn't get opened, nothing inside it matters.
The subject line is the only thing that determines whether someone opens or ignores your email. It has one job: create enough curiosity, urgency, or value that the reader clicks.
What works:
A question: "Are your supporters slipping away?"
A specific promise: "Three ways to increase donations this month"
A story hook: "She nearly gave up on us. Then this happened."
Urgency: "48 hours left to make your gift count"
Personalisation: "Alex, we wanted to share this with you"
What doesn't work:
Generic updates: "Our March Newsletter"
Vague announcements: "Exciting news from [Charity Name]"
Overused words: "Important update," "Check this out"
Write five subject line options for every email. Then pick the best one.
The Preview Text: Your Second Chance
The preview text is the small grey line that appears next to the subject line in most inboxes.
Most charities ignore it. Most should not.
It's a second sentence to add context, build intrigue, or complete the subject line's hook. Used well, it can meaningfully increase your open rate.
Example:
Subject: "She nearly gave up on us."
Preview: "Then a single letter changed everything."
Inside the Email: Three Rules
1. One email, one ask
Every email should have a single primary call to action. Not three links, not two appeals, not a donate button and a volunteer form. One thing.
When you ask for everything, people do nothing.
2. Write like a human, not an organisation
"Dear Supporter" feels cold. "Hi Alex" feels warm.
Write in first person. Use short sentences. Avoid jargon. Sound like a person writing to another person — not a press release.
3. Lead with the reader, not with you
Most charity emails start with the organisation: "We are delighted to share..." "We've had an amazing month..."
Start with the reader or the story instead:
"You helped make this happen."
"Last week, a family in east London received their first hot meal in four days."
That shift — from "we" to "you" or "they" — is one of the most powerful changes you can make.
Avoid: "Click here" or "Learn more"
Use: "Read James's story," "Donate £10 today," "Sign up for free"
Specific CTAs outperform vague ones consistently. Tell the reader exactly what they'll get when they click.
10-Minute Exercise: Rewrite Your Last Subject Line
Take the subject line from your most recent email. Now write five alternatives:
A question
A specific promise
A story hook
An urgency frame
A personalised version
Which one would you have opened if it was from a stranger?
Why is this important to know?
The most carefully crafted email is worthless if nobody opens it and most emails, even from well-meaning charities, are written in ways that make opening feel optional.
Learning how to write subject lines, structure content, and place calls to action correctly turns every send into a genuine opportunity to deepen your relationship with supporters.
At VellumWorks, we believe knowledge should be free. That's why this series will guide you, step by step, through everything from the basics to the most advanced strategies in marketing: no jargon, no gatekeeping, just education that empowers.
