How to Structure a Donation Email

Donation emails from CORRECTIV always follow the same structure. This can also be applied to other types of campaigns. This means that even if you are not asking for donations, but your campaign is, for example, a crowdfunding campaign, a membership campaign, or a subscription campaign, you can still use this structure as a guide. It also works if it's not about money at all, but about crowd research or a feedback survey, for example.

This is the typical structure:

1. The problem: The first two to three sentences describe a current problem that triggers emotions.

2. The solution: The next few sentences briefly describe why CORRECTIV's work is a solution to the problem.

3. First call to action: A call to action, i.e., a button with a prompt, appears after the first third of the email. Clicking on the button takes the reader to the donation page (or, more generally, to a landing page).

4. The execution: Now the problem and the solution are explained in a little more detail. This paragraph is a particularly good place to emphasize the urgency of the donation, for example by explaining that the problem cannot be solved without donations (or, in the case of crowd research, that the research can only be carried out if as many people as possible participate).

5. Second call to action: After the more detailed explanation, a second button follows. The text should be different from the first button.

6. Short ending and thanks: Here, it is sufficient to say goodbye briefly and thank the reader. It is important that the email is written by a real person. A photo of the email author can also help to build a personal relationship.

7. The PS: A PS is optional. However, it is well known that many people tend to linger there in newsletters, especially if they are just skimming through the email. If you can think of a good twist for a PS, you should definitely include one and be sure to link to the donation page here as well.