5 Email Design Mistakes Costing Nonprofits Donations (And How to Fix Them)
Your nonprofit's email list is your most valuable digital asset. Email delivers a 28.5% ROI, far better than social media or direct mail. But only if people can actually read your emails and take action.
I've audited several nonprofit email campaigns, and I see the same design mistakes over and over. The good news? They're all fixable. Here are the five most common issues I see and exactly how to fix them.
Mistake #1: Not Designing for Mobile First
The Problem: Over 60% of nonprofit emails are opened on mobile devices, yet most are still designed on desktop first and "adapted" for mobile as an afterthought. This results in tiny text, broken layouts, and CTAs that are impossible to tap.
Why It Matters: If your email is hard to read on a phone, supporters won't read it. They'll delete it, and you've lost that opportunity.
How to Fix It:
1. Design for phones first: Start with a single-column layout that's 600px wide maximum
2. Font size matters: Use minimum 14px for body text, 20-24px for headlines
3. Make buttons fingertip-friendly: CTAs should be at least 44x44 pixels (big enough to tap easily)
4. Test on your phone: Send yourself test emails and view on both iPhone and Android before sending
5. Use responsive templates: Most modern email platforms offer mobile-responsive templates—use them!
Quick Win: Log into your email platform right now and switch to a mobile-responsive template. Your next campaign will immediately perform better.
Mistake #2: Weak or Buried Call-to-Action
The Problem: I see nonprofit emails with donate buttons in tiny text at the bottom, "click here" links buried in paragraphs, or multiple competing CTAs that confuse supporters about what action to take.
Why It Matters: If people can't easily see what you want them to do, they won't do it. Every email should have one primary action, and it should be impossible to miss.
How to Fix It:
1. One primary CTA: Decide on the main action (donate, register, volunteer) and make that the star
2. Button over text link: Buttons convert 32% better than text links
3. Repeat it: Your CTA should appear 2-3 times in the email—above the fold, mid-content, and at the end
4. Use action words: "Donate Now" beats "Click Here" every time. Be specific about what happens when they click
5. High contrast colors: Your CTA button should stand out from your brand colors. Test what pops most on your phone
Quick Win: Open your last donation appeal. Can you see the donate button within 3 seconds without scrolling?
If not, redesign that email template today.
Mistake #3: Too Much Text, Not Enough White Space
The Problem: Nonprofits have important stories to tell, but emails that look like walls of text overwhelm readers. People scan emails—they don't read every word.
Why It Matters: Research shows the best-performing nonprofit emails are between 50-200 words. Anything longer and engagement drops dramatically.
How to Fix It:
1. Embrace brevity: Get to the point quickly. Save the full story for your website
2. Short paragraphs: 2-3 sentences maximum per paragraph
3. Use white space: Space between elements helps guide the eye and feels less overwhelming
4. Bullet points: Great for listing benefits or impact metrics
5. Visual hierarchy: Use headlines, subheads, and font sizes to create clear sections
Quick Win: Take your next email draft and cut 30% of the words. You'll be forced to keep only what matters most.
Mistake #4: Generic Stock Photos or No Images
The Problem: Either emails have no images at all (boring!), or they use generic stock photos of people in conference rooms that have nothing to do with their mission.
Why It Matters: Images trigger emotional responses. Authentic photos of your actual work make your mission real and relatable. Generic stock photos do the opposite.
How to Fix It:
1. Use real photos: Pictures of actual beneficiaries, staff, volunteers, or your work in action
2. Show impact: Before/after photos, program in action, community engagement
3. Get permission: Always get written permission to use photos of people, especially children
4. Optimize file size: Compress images to under 200KB so emails load quickly
5. Add alt text: Describe images for accessibility and for when images don't load
Quick Win: Start a "photo bank" folder. Take or request 20-30 authentic photos from your programs. You'll have content ready for months.
Mistake #5: Ignoring Accessibility
The Problem: Many nonprofit emails fail basic accessibility standards—low contrast text, no alt text on images, confusing structure for screen readers. This excludes people with disabilities from engaging with your mission.
Why It Matters: About 15% of the global population has some form of disability. If your emails aren't accessible, you're excluding potential supporters and donors. Plus, it's the right thing to do.
How to Fix It:
1. Color contrast: Text must have at least 4.5:1 contrast ratio with background. Use a contrast checker tool
2. Alt text on all images: Describe what's in the photo for people using screen readers
3. Logical heading structure: Use proper HTML heading tags (H1, H2, H3) for screen readers
4. Avoid image-only emails: Always include text content, not just images with embedded text
5. Test with a screen reader: Use free tools like NVDA or the built-in screen reader on your phone Quick Win: Install a free browser contrast checker extension and audit your email template today.
Bonus Mistake: Not Testing Before Sending
The Problem: I can't tell you how many times nonprofits have told me "We sent an email and the links were broken" or "It looked great on desktop but was a mess on phones."
How to Fix It:
1. Send test emails: To yourself and at least 2 team members on different devices
2. Click every link: Make sure all CTAs go to the right place
3. Check mobile display: View on iPhone and Android
4. Review on different email clients: Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail all display differently
5. Use email testing tools: Litmus or Email on Acid (paid tools) show how your email looks everywhere
Quick Win: Create a pre-send checklist and stick it on your wall. Don't send until every item is checked.
Your Action Plan Here's what to do today:
Within 10 minutes:
Switch to a mobile-responsive template in your email platform
Make your CTA button bigger and more prominent
Add alt text to all images in your next email
Within 1 hour:
Audit your last 3 email campaigns for these 5 mistakes
Cut 30% of the words from your next email draft
Set up a pre-send testing checklist
Need Help?
If auditing and fixing your email design sounds overwhelming, I'm here to help. I specialize in creating mobile-first, conversion-focused email templates specifically for nonprofits.
