TL;DR
Despite the rise of social media and messaging apps, email remains a powerful tool for engaging church members and driving donations. Studies show that 33% of online donors prefer email for giving appeals, and 57% prefer to be thanked via email.
To make your church emails more effective:
- Share compelling stories that show the impact of giving.
- Use attention-grabbing subject lines to boost open rates.
- Keep emails short, readable, and skimmable.
- Include multiple giving links for easy access.
- Send your emails! Don’t be afraid to ask for support.
At OnlineGiving.org, we provide tools to help churches increase email engagement and boost giving. Let's improve your church’s email strategy!
Remember when experts predicted email’s demise? Despite the explosion of social media, messaging apps, and texting, email remains a powerhouse, connecting over 4.5 billion users worldwide—and growing by 3% annually. 1.
Email remains effective because it facilitates communication across multiple platforms, including online shopping, social media access, and service subscriptions like Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, and Twitch. This widespread reliance on email means that it is still one of the most effective ways for churches to engage members and motivate people to give toward your ministry’s life-changing work.
The Data: Why Email Still Works for Giving
A study by Nonprofit Tech for Good, The Communication & Giving Preferences of 641 Online Donors,2. found that when it comes to inspiring donations:
- 33% of online donors say that email is the communication method most likely to inspire them to give.
- 29% say social media influences them most.
- 17% prefer websites.
- 9% respond to print mail.
- 6% prefer text messaging.
- 2% are influenced by phone calls, TV ads, radio ads, or billboards.
When it comes to how donors want to be thanked for their online gifts:
- 57% prefer to receive a thank-you via email.
- 18% prefer a print letter.
- 10% prefer a postcard.
- 6% prefer text messages.
- 5% prefer a social media message.
- 4% prefer a phone call.
The above statistics should make it clear: email is alive and well. In fact, it’s estimated that over 361 billion emails were sent in 2024.3. However, because inboxes are flooded with messages daily, your church’s emails need to be strategic, engaging, and action-oriented to stand out.
How to Make Church Emails More Effective
To ensure your emails inspire generosity, follow these best practices:
- Start with a compelling story – People give to life change, not just budgets. Share real stories of how donations impact lives.
- Write a subject line that grabs attention – “Help us feed the homeless” is far more compelling than “Help us make the budget.”
- Keep emails short and easy to skim – Use brief paragraphs, bullet points, and bolded key phrases to keep your audience engaged.
- Include multiple giving links – Make giving as easy as possible by embedding at least three donation links and a text-to-give option in your email.
- Send your email! – Too many churches hesitate to send giving appeals. Don’t be afraid to ask! Your members already receive requests from other charities—so tell your church’s story and inspire generosity.
Does Your Church Have an Effective Email Strategy?
If you’re not fully utilizing email to engage your members and increase giving, it’s time to rethink your approach. Does your online giving provider give you the tools to make email a powerful engagement tool?
At OnlineGiving.org, we see ourselves as an engagement company that processes giving. We provide one of the most robust communication platforms in the industry, helping churches easily craft and send emails and text messages that inspire generosity.
- Boost email engagement – Our platform helps partners see an 80% open rate on emails.
- Track email effectiveness – See real-time donor engagement with your emails.
- Increase giving through better communication – Link emails directly to your giving pages and create multiple call-to-action options.
For a practical way to increase your email impact, check out this article: Don’t Just Send Receipts—Tell a Story.
Want to learn how our platform can help your church engage members and increase generosity? Call us at (615) 206-4000 or email support@onlinegiving.org to schedule a free demonstration!
Email isn’t dead—it’s a giving powerhouse! 33% of donors prefer email for donation appeals, and 57% want to be thanked via email. Is your church using email effectively? Learn how to boost engagement & giving!https://t.co/9jmRyTpvbt pic.twitter.com/TSGTAAkXzy
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) March 13, 2025
1. https://financesonline.com/number-of-email-users/
2. https://www.nptechforgood.com/2025/02/15/the-communication-giving-preferences-of-641-online-donors/?utm_campaign=Roundup&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter
3. https://financesonline.com/number-of-email-users/
