The essential list of marketing automation journeys nonprofits and charities need to implement to nurture relationships, increase donations and create engagement for fundraisers.

 
When it comes to email marketing, automated customer journeys are the number 1 thing we recommend setting up.
 
This is the key area that will nurture the relationship donors and volunteers have with your cause.
 
By acknowledging them at each stage of their journey with you from their first donation and beyond, these automated campaigns are going to help you increase the number of donations an individual makes and ensure they become true advocates for your charity.
 
Plus, using marketing automation gives you more time to focus on bigger campaigns and content!
 
Here we have our top 10 marketing automation campaigns we recommend every nonprofit and charity should be running:
 

1. The welcome series

 
Likely to be the first communication you send to new prospects or donors, and first impressions count.
 
This series of automated emails can be triggered from them registering for an event or when they have signed up for your newsletter.
 
These emails will give them the full picture of what your organisation does, your mission and impact and any information on how they can get involved and support.

2. The donation acknowledgment

 
Immediately after someone makes a donation they should be automatically enrolled into your donation journey.
 
First off thank them for their contribution and any other formalities such as receipts, but then also flood them with content. How will their donation make a difference and following emails with updates as the project progresses.
 
Dynamic content may also be added on how they can share this information on their social media channels to turn them into true advocates.
 

3. The abandonment campaign

 
A powerhouse in the retail industry and should be no different for nonprofits. The abandonment campaign is one of the most successful for conversion.
 
Anyone who has abandoned their purchase, donation, event participation or volunteer position should receive a communication to encourage them to complete their process.
 
You can easily set up journeys for each of these abandoned categories to really make it personalised. Plus, post-purchase follow-ups can be automated to encourage further engagement.

4. The event journey

 
If you host fundraising events or volunteer opportunities, to each of these groups you can trigger automated campaigns.
 
Not just how fun the event will be but also send them relevant information such as timings, locations/parking information, and even real-time weather predictions to remind them of all they need and perhaps also encourage friends and family to join them.
 

5. The volunteer persuader

 
Some supporters may feel an affinity for wanting to help in other ways rather than financially.
 
For those who have expressed an interest in volunteering an automated series of communications can be sent to notify them of upcoming volunteer opportunities or training sessions.
 
You could segment it further based on skills they may have or previous activity attendance or based on the pages they have browsed on your website to ensure the whole time your content is personalised to what matters the most to them.

6. The impact updates

 
Donors want to know that they are making a difference. So, by providing regular updates on your charity’s programs and initiatives they will become even more invested.
 
Automate an email journey sharing success stories, testimonials from beneficiaries, and statistics on the impact of their donations will all help them feel connected and it may also be an opportunity to gain even more support by garnering more donations or encouraging purchases from your online shop.
 

7. The re-engagement campaign

 
Once your supporters haven’t engaged with your charity for a certain amount of time you can trigger an automated campaign to reconnect and prevent them from lapsing.
 
Send them content about the projects they have supported, content from the recipients of the donation and the future of the campaign.
 
Before the CTA to donate or volunteer again, nurture the relationship to build the affinity back up.

8. The special occasion emails

 
Make your supporters feel special. May it be their birthday or the anniversary of their donation to your cause… celebrate it!
 
Sending personalised emails can help strengthen the relationship between you and your donors, making them feel valued and appreciated.
 
A fun video, invitation to an event or personal thank you from a senior team member or high-profile supporter of your cause will all be appreciated. Plus, this kind of campaign, once you have the data is so easy to set up and leave run.
 

9. The lapsed supporter campaigns

 
Don’t ignore your pool of lapsed supporters. Automated emails can be triggered for donors who have stopped engaging or giving their money or time.
 
Remind them of the impact of their past donations and encourage them to renew their support.
 
Make them feel valued and offer them different ways to get involved rather than just monetarily. You can work on converting them again further down the line.

10. The feedback request

 
Automating surveys for feedback to gather insights is such an easy but important way to gather data to improve your campaigns, programs, communications, and overall impact.
 
No matter where an individual is within the donor cultivation cycle, continually gather feedback on their experiences with your organisation, suggestions for improvement, or opinions on potential new initiatives.
 

How many of these campaigns are you currently running?

 
By utilising email automation, nonprofit and charity marketers can create personalised and segmented campaigns easily.
 
Marketing automation campaigns are perfect for nurturing relationships with donors and supporters, and ultimately building a deeper connection that will lead to a long-term fruitful partnership.
 
Last but not least, marketing automation benefits you. Used right this software gives you hours of time back to refocus your energy on wider campaign management and other tasks.
 
Want to discuss how you can start implementing these campaigns and the wider benefits of using marketing automation software?
 
Get in touch with us
 
 

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