Believe it or not, email is still one of the best fundraising techniques around.
It scales better than every other outreach method, and if you do it right it works like a charm!
Believe it or not, email is still one of the best fundraising techniques around.
It scales better than every other outreach method, and if you do it right it works like a charm!
But it all starts by using the right emails for persuading people to give to your campaign.
In this article, we’re giving you some tried-and-true examples of political fundraising emails to start using in your campaign today.
Need a purpose-built fundraising software? Click here to find out how you can start streamlining those emails and meet your fundraising goals in no time.
If you write every cold email like it might change your life, one may.
— Sahil Lavingia (@shl) September 24, 2020
If you don't, none will.
Best Political Fundraising Emails
It’s important to consider your audience carefully when thinking about which emails you want to send out.
For example, an email to an individual will differ from an email to an organization.
So, when writing your emails, you should think about:
- Who’s receiving your email?
- What do they care about?
- How can you get them to support your political fundraiser?
You should ask yourself these questions before sending any campaign (email, text messages, or any other campaign) – or you’ll fail before you’ve even started.
There are essentially 2 types of recipients you’ll be reaching out to: individuals and/or organizations.
These recipients require very different messaging to successfully gain their support, and we’ll cover both of these in this article.
In addition to the type of recipient you’re reaching out to (individual vs. organization), you need to consider their awareness of your political campaign.
Nobody is going to donate to your cause after only 1 email, so it’s best to plan a multi-step email sequence with this in mind.
Your recipients will be in 1 of the following 3 stages of awareness:
- Cold recipients – People who’ve never heard of you.
- Warm recipients – People who’ve heard of you and ideally have given you their contact information.
- Hot recipients – People who know and like you but require a small push to donate.
This article will give you a few examples of the best political fundraising emails to use for each of these stages of awareness.
Let’s get into it.
3 Best Political Fundraising Emails to Send to Individuals
Writing to individual donors is a lot easier than writing to an organization or public figure.
This is because it’s easier to reach individuals compared to organizational decision-makers.
It’s also easier relating to their pain-points compared to large corporations or influential people who might already have everything they need or have more complex goals.
Here are 3 emails you can send to individuals for your political fundraising campaign.
Dear [first name]
We’ve seen the need for [positive change] in [location], and we’ve decided to do something about it. We’re excited to be running for [position] of [location], with a clear objective to achieve [main goal] by 2024.
Our candidate for [position] is [full name] – a talented and passionate member of the local community who wants to make [location] a better place for all.
Key issues we’ll be tackling include:
- [Issue #1]
- [Issue #2]
- [Issue #3]
However, to achieve these goals we’re going to need your help. Before we can solve these issues for our community, we need to win the election. This requires staff, public relations, software, and much more.
If you’d like to help us achieve our goal of [main goal], click here to contribute to our campaign. Or respond to this email if you have any questions or would like to get involved.
Thank you for your support,
[sign-off]
Dear [first name],
We’ve spent the last [number] years recruiting the most amazing volunteers, and kindly received [products / services / donations] from local businesses like [company name]. However, we need to do more and with your help, we can [your cause / campaign].
We appreciate how busy you might be, so we’re not going to ask you to read about every aspect of our campaign right now. However, we’ll be happy to provide more details should you want to know more.
In summary, here’s what your contribution will be supporting:
- [Benefit #1]
- [Benefit #2]
- [Benefit #3]
- [Benefit #4]
- [Benefit #5]
With your help, we can [your cause] and make our combined dream a reality.
We understand it’s not easy giving, especially in a climate where fewer and fewer organizations are backed by good intentions. We aim to change this view by [being transparent / regularly reporting], so you’ll know exactly where your contributions are going.
Click here to give what you can towards [your cause] and help us [main benefit].
Thank you for your support,
[sign-off]
Dear [first name],
Your amazing support for [candidate name] has helped our campaign grow from strength-to-strength.
As you may already know, we’re currently working on [specific goal] in [location], and making really good progress. We’ve put the contributions from our supporters to good use, and achieved what many would consider impossible.
Key outcomes we’ve achieved so far include:
- [Achievement #1]
- [Achievement #2]
- [Achievement #3]
As we’re sure you’ll agree, this has been long overdue and we’re making it a reality, right now.
However, there’s more work to do and we need your help. The success of every campaign depends on people like you who give of their hard-earned money to support a collective goal, and our campaign is no different.
We need your support to keep the awesome work [candidate name] and his/her team are doing in [location] on track.
Please click here to contribute to our goal of achieving [main goal] by 2024.
Thank you for your support,
[sign-off]
Remember, it’s important to know how aware your recipient is of your campaign or candidate. The more aware your audience is, the more direct you can be when asking for donations.
Avoid being too pushy with a cold audience, because you’ll end up annoying them and possibly damaging your reputation. It’s important to nurture your audience until they’re ready to give.
3 Best Political Fundraising Emails to Organizations
As I mentioned before, getting individuals to donate to your campaign is easier than getting organizations to give.
However, it’s important to make the effort of reaching out to local businesses for their support – not only financially, but also as advocates for your candidacy.
When a trusted company publicly endorses your campaign, you’ll win the confidence of individual donors who trust those companies too.
Unlike political fundraising emails sent to individuals, emails to organizations should NOT be asking for donations immediately. It simply won’t work.
Rather, your goal with these emails is to schedule a conversation between your candidate and the organization’s owners. This way, your candidate can grow a rapport with the owners, and hopefully gain their support.
With that said, here are 3 emails you can send to organizations for your political fundraising campaign.
Dear [first name],
If [main issue] in [location] is a concern for you, then you’ll want to read this.
[recipient company name] has been an important part of the [location] economy, and we believe you should have a say in your local government. Your knowledge of [location] and ideas for solving the issues that affect the people who live here will help to shape our approach and increase our chances of successfully achieving our goals, together.
For this reason, our [position] candidate, [full name], will be speaking to local business owners like yourself who have valuable insight into solving the issues that matter.
Are you available to meet with [full name] in the next few weeks?
We look forward to hearing from you,
[sign-off]
Dear [first name],
Our [position] candidate, [full name] has been speaking with local business owners like yourself in [location], and exploring the various issues that are important to them.
Issues we believe you’ll agree need addressing include:
- [Issue #1]
- [Issue #2]
- [Issue #3]
And who better to consult about solving these issues than local business owners who are affected by them.
For this reason, [first name] would love to meet with you to get your thoughts on potential solutions and hopefully gain your support for our campaign.
Do you have some time in the next few weeks to meet with [first name]?
We look forward to hearing from you,
[sign-off]
Dear [first name],
We need your help solving the issues affecting people living in [location].
Our candidate for [position], [full name] is meeting with local business owners like yourself to understand which issues are most pressing and how they would recommend solving them. This way, you can help improve the community that supports your business.
If you don’t have time to meet, consider contributing to our campaign by clicking here and helping us make [location] a better place to live for all.
Alternatively, we’d love to schedule some time with you in the next few weeks if you’re available.
When would best suit you?
[sign-off]
Once again, avoid asking for donations in your emails to organizations, unless it’s to a hot recipient who already knows and likes your candidate.
You’ll have far more success fundraising and gaining the support of companies if you speak with them in-person.
Conclusion
Now you have a few great political fundraising email templates to use for your campaign.
These templates can be customized to fit your specific needs and goals, but it’s important to remember that the level of awareness of your recipients will play a role in how effective your emails are.
If your recipients are already familiar with your campaign and your platform, you can use more direct and persuasive language in your emails.
However, if your recipients are not yet familiar with you or your campaign, you’ll need to take a more educational approach and introduce yourself and your platform before asking for donations.
No matter what level of awareness your recipients have, it’s important to make sure that your emails are clear, concise, and easy to read.
You should also make sure that your emails are personalized to each recipient as much as possible. This will help to show your recipients that you care about them and their support.
Finally, don’t forget to include a call to action in your emails. Tell your recipients what you want them to do, whether it’s making a donation, volunteering their time, or simply spreading the word about your campaign.
If you’re looking for a reliable fundraising platform to make your life easier click here to learn more. This platform can help you create and send effective fundraising emails, manage your donors, and track your progress.
By following these tips, you can write effective political fundraising emails that will help you reach your goals.
Good luck with your campaign!
