How to Promote Your Charity Event with Email

Planning a charity event takes work and energy, but all your efforts are wasted if no one attends. Email is a quick and cost-effective way to connect with people who may be interested in attending. Here are some things to keep in mind to help you distribute key information and encourage two-way communication.

Make it a Conversation

Sending one email with an invitation is great, but using this communication channel to build and strengthen relationships with your contacts is even better!

• Once you’ve confirmed the date, time, and approximate location, send an email asking your contacts to Save The Date. Along with the confirmed details, provide the general purpose of the event and any other helpful information you already have. In addition, use this opportunity to ask your contacts if they are interested, so you can get an idea of how many people will attend.
• Send a second email with an Invitation, including directions on how to register.
• Prior to registration closing, send a Reminder to everyone who hasn’t signed up yet. Use a more urgent subject line, such as “Last Chance to Register for XYZ!”  You can even send another e-note a few days before the event, reminding all registrants to attend.
• Following the event, send a re-cap to those who attended, thanking them for their participation and include a survey link to get important feedback or include a registration link for the next charity opportunity. Additionally, you can send a recap email to those who did not attend, offering more information on how else they can get involved.

Tap into Top Tools

If you have a large number of invitees, don’t rely on individual user platforms like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook. Work with an easy-to-use email service provider like Mailchimp instead. If you have an audience of 2,000 or less, you can send 12,000 emails per month with Mailchimp—free of charge. Here’s how you can make the most out of email service providers:

• Work with customizable templates, designed to be viewable on all desktop, mobile phone, and tablet devices
• Manage your audience, including new signups and people who unsubscribe
• Receive legal assurance that you’re complying with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
• Help ensure your emails perform well and are not marked as spam
• Get to know your audience and improve your future campaigns by learning who received, opened, and clicked your messages

Customize to Reap the Rewards

Last minute change of location? Not sure if anyone even knows about your event? Need to send different content to different people? All of these issues can be solved with—you guessed it—email. The communication channel that has been around for decades continues to offer new and improved tactics for you to make the most out of your promotional outreach.

Happy emailing!