Last Saturday, I attended the annual board retreat for the nonprofit I volunteer for during which the ED reviewed the plan for the year. The budget was already set in Q4 last year, so we knew where we stood financially.
Still, questions remained: What if the state grant we rely on gets cut? What if a major donor falls through? In the medium to long term, how can we build resilience and secure predictable, unrestricted funding to cover basic operating needs?
For me, while email fundraising won’t replace big gifts overnight, it’s the easiest place to start. Because, even with limited budgets for events, campaigns, or grant consultants, your existing newsletter and regular communications can quietly generate a steady stream of unrestricted support—without extra work.
Below are common board questions about email fundraising—and answers you can use to move the conversation forward and get started with email fundraising.
Q: Won’t this mean asking donors for money more often - causing donor fatigue?
A: Not necessarily. Effective email fundraising relies on structure and consistency not frequency. Automated systems offer donors ongoing opportunities to give without increasing the number of emails sent. The goal isn’t to ask more—it’s to ensure supporters can give anytime they’re ready with very low friction.
An automated email fundraising setup places timed, evergreen giving opportunities alongside the regular communications, so fundraising doesn’t depend on constant appeals.
Q: Isn’t our newsletter meant to inform, not fundraise?
A: Yes—and it can do both. Right now, many newsletters communicate impact without activating supporters to give. Supporters may want to help but won’t if they are prompted or guided.
Email fundraising simply connects the story to a low-friction way to act. With the right system in place, your newsletter remains informative while quietly supporting sustainability.
Q: Do donors really want to give outside of campaigns or events?
A: Many do. Former beneficiaries, long-time supporters, and deeply mission-aligned readers often don’t need the urgency of an event or campaign—they need visibility and ease - so they can give in a low friction way with a few taps on their devices.
Without systems in place, these donors are forced to wait for campaigns that may not align with when they’re ready to give.
Q: Isn’t our email list too small for this to work?
A: List size matters far less than trust and engagement. A smaller, well-aligned list can generate meaningful unrestricted revenue when supporters are given a clear and simple way to contribute.
Email fundraising works best when it serves an engaged audience even if small—not necessarily with a large list. A small group of 100 supporters giving $50 per month is easily $5,000 per month in donations with events, grant applications etc.
Q: Does this require major staff time or technical work?”
A: Usually not. This is often a connection issue, not a rebuild. We already have a newsletter which means that the next step is to link it to donor tools that can facilitate giving.
For organizations that want help putting this foundation in place, the Automated Email Fundraising System handles the setup—connecting your newsletter, donation tools, and scheduled fundraising emails so the system runs quietly in the background.
Q: How does email fundraising fit with our current marketing?
A: Marketing gets supporters in the door—email fundraising guides them to take action. Think of marketing as the invitation: it raises awareness, builds interest, and keeps your mission visible. Email fundraising takes that engagement a step further by turning interest into action.
Every newsletter, update, or story can include a clear, low-friction path for supporters to contribute, creating ongoing, unrestricted revenue without the need for extra events, campaigns, or grant applications. In other words, marketing fills the room, and email fundraising helps your supporters raise their hands.
Q: How does email fundraising fit with other fundraising efforts?
A: Email fundraising strengthens every other effort by creating predictable engagement and revenue. Supporters who see consistent updates and giving opportunities are more likely to respond to events, campaigns, and grant appeals.
It also builds credibility and trust—making larger asks, sponsorships, or one-time campaigns more effective because donors already feel connected and invested. Essentially, it makes all your other fundraising efforts easier and more impactful.
Q: How can the board support:
A: The board can play a key role without doing the day-to-day work by:
Approving the tools and resources needed to connect your newsletter to a simple, automated system.Investing early in the right tools and setup
Encouraging board and major donors to engage with email content and model giving behavior.
Providing strategic feedback on messaging and impact stories to ensure communications resonate with supporters.
Championing a culture of giving by celebrating email fundraising wins and reinforcing its importance in board discussions.
Use these answers to confidently address board questions and secure support for your email fundraising system.
Cheers to your impact
Carol
P.S. If you would like to turn your newsletter into a fundraising tool, Sign up at this link and your automated fundraising newsletter system will be up and running in only 4 weeks.