Email newsletters: build a list and send your first one

This guide is for small charities that want to stay in touch with supporters by email but haven't started, or have a messy list of addresses in someone's inbox. Email is still one of the most reliable ways to reach people: you don't depend on a social media feed deciding who sees your news. After reading, you will be able to build a list with real consent, follow the basic federal rules, and send a short first newsletter.

Why email is worth the effort

When someone gives you their email address, they are inviting you into their inbox. That is a lot of trust. Treat it well, and email becomes the place where volunteers find shifts, donors see their gifts at work, and partners learn what you are doing.

You don't need to send often. A friendly, useful email once a month is plenty for most small charities.

Building your list, with consent

Consent means the person clearly agreed to get your emails. It is the foundation of a healthy list.

Good ways to grow your list:

• A sign-up form on your website ("Get our monthly update")
• A paper sign-up sheet at events, with a clear heading saying what people are signing up for
• A tick box on your donation or volunteer form ("Yes, send me the monthly newsletter"), left unticked by default
• A link in your social media profiles

Things to avoid:

• Don't add people just because you have their address. A business card, a reply to one email, or a donor record is not consent to a newsletter.
• Don't buy or borrow lists. People on them never agreed to hear from you. They are more likely to mark you as spam, which can stop your emails reaching anyone.
• Don't sell or share your list. Promise this on your sign-up form and keep the promise.

Use a proper email service

Don't send a newsletter by putting a hundred addresses in the "To" or "CC" line of your personal email. It exposes everyone's address to everyone else, looks like spam, and makes unsubscribing hard.

Use an email newsletter service instead. Many offer free or nonprofit plans for small lists. A good service will:

• Host your sign-up form
• Add an unsubscribe link to every email and process requests for you
• Let you write emails that look good on phones
• Show basic numbers like how many people opened and clicked

Before you choose, check what each service's own website says about its current nonprofit pricing, and read how it handles your supporters' data.

CAN-SPAM basics

The CAN-SPAM Act is the federal law that sets rules for commercial email. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces it. The law covers messages whose main purpose is to advertise or promote a commercial product or service. Not every charity newsletter will fall under it, but some might, for example an email mainly selling event tickets or merchandise. The simplest approach is to follow the rules for every newsletter. They are good practice anyway.

According to the FTC's compliance guide, the main rules are:

• Don't use false or misleading header information. Your "From" name and address must accurately show who is sending.
• Don't use a deceptive subject line. It must reflect what is in the email.
• Identify the message as an ad if it is one.
• Tell recipients where you are. Include a valid physical postal address. This can be a street address, a post office box registered with the U.S. Postal Service, or a registered private mailbox.
• Tell recipients how to opt out. Give a clear, easy way to unsubscribe.
• Honor opt-out requests promptly. Your opt-out method must keep working for at least 30 days after you send. You must honor a request within 10 business days. You can't charge a fee or ask for more than an email address to process it.
• Watch what others do on your behalf. If you hire someone to send email for you, you are still responsible.

Keep your list clean and safe

• Remove people who unsubscribe straight away (your service should do this).
• Remove addresses that keep "bouncing" (failing to deliver).
• Limit who can log in to your email account, and turn on two-step login.
• Collect only what you need. For most newsletters, that is an email address and maybe a first name. The FTC's privacy guide for businesses puts it simply: keep only what you need.

Writing your first newsletter

Keep it short. Most people will read it on a phone. A good first newsletter takes three to five minutes to read and has one main goal.

A simple structure:

1. Subject line: clear and specific. "Thank you: 40 families fed this month" beats "October Newsletter."
2. A warm hello in one or two sentences.
3. One story with a photo (with consent). 150 to 300 words.
4. One or two short updates, a line each.
5. One clear request, with one button or link: volunteer, donate, come to an event, or reply with a question.
6. A thank-you and a real name to sign off.
7. Footer: your charity's name, postal address, and the unsubscribe link.

Hypothetical subject lines:

• "Meet the volunteer who drove 30 neighbors to the doctor"
• "Your coats kept 120 kids warm this week"
• "Can you help on Saturday morning?"

Write as if to one friend, not a crowd. Use "you" and "we."

Before you press send

Send a test email to yourself and one other person. Read it on a phone. Check:

• Do all the links work?
• Is the postal address in the footer?
• Does the unsubscribe link work?
• Are names spelled correctly, and do you have consent for every photo and story?

After you send

Look at your numbers a few days later, but don't obsess. Open rates are not exact. What matters more:

• Did people click your one request?
• Did anyone reply? (Replies are gold. Answer every one.)
• Did many people unsubscribe? A few is normal. A lot may mean you added people who didn't sign up.

Your newsletter checklist

• Choose an email service with a proper unsubscribe feature
• Create a sign-up form that says what people get and how often
• Add an unticked newsletter box to your donation and volunteer forms
• Remove anyone from your list who never agreed to join
• Add your charity's postal address to the email footer
• Turn on two-step login for the email service
• Write and test your first newsletter on a phone
• Put a monthly send date in your calendar

A small list of people who chose to hear from you is worth far more than a big list of strangers. Respect their trust, and they will open your emails for years.

If you want someone to read your first newsletter before it goes out, ask a member charity for help through the Exchange.

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change and every situation is different, so check the official sources and talk to a qualified professional before you act.