Boost Donor Engagement Before Year-End: This ONE Nurture Email Sparked 268 Replies

We explore the power of nurture campaigns as a critical strategy before launching year-end appeals. Sharing personal stories and gratitude before making asks creates deeper connections with donors and significantly improves engagement metrics. • Previous bonus episodes covered LinkedIn thought leadership, making monthly giving the centerpiece of events, and getting featured in holiday gift guides • Nurture campaigns should share stories and milestones without making asks • Dana"s personal case study of a National Nonprofit Day email generated 268 replies • Simple, heartfelt gratitude emails with small engagement incentives build relationships • Nurture emails boost deliverability metrics – subsequent emails reached 56-60% open rates • Creative incentives can include digital guides, playlists, coffee gift cards, pins, or stickers • Partnerships with local businesses can provide gifts for engagement incentives • Interactive calls-to-action where supporters can choose gifts or share personal stories work particularly well • Try implementing a nurture challenge with plain text, story-driven emails before year-end appeals If you enjoyed this mini-series, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The call for speakers is now open for Monthly Giving Summit on February 25-26: https://www.monthlygivingsummit.com/ This show is brought to you by GivingTuesday! GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement that started in 2012 with a simple idea: a day to do good. This year, on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, join the conversation: share your favorite nonprofit’s campaign, volunteer for a cause you care about, share an act of kindness, or encourage your audience to do the same. Use #GivingTuesday, tag @GivingTuesday, and visit GivingTuesday.org/Participate to get involved and inspire others! Let"s Connect! Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show! My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab a copy here and learn my framework to build, grow, and sustain subscriptions for good. Want to book Dana as a speaker for your event? Click here!