Email Still Reigns: It’s Still the #1 Way Donors Want to Hear From You
New research from Just giving confirms what all non-profit leaders need to hear: 88% of supporters say email is their number one preferred contact channel.
If you’ve been wondering whether email is still worth your time in 2025, this data is definitive. Email isn’t just surviving – it’s thriving as the dominant way donors and supporters want to connect with the causes they care about.
What the Research Shows
JustGiving surveyed over 1,000 fundraisers and supporters participating in the London Marathon 2025, revealing crystal-clear preferences about how people want to hear from nonprofits:
Top 3 Communication Preferences:
- Email: 88% – The undisputed champion
- WhatsApp direct messages: 22%
- WhatsApp groups: 20%
Phone calls still matter for building personal relationships with major donors and dedicated volunteers, but the data shows younger supporters (18-34) overwhelmingly prefer text-based communication over calls.
The takeaway? Your donors are checking their inboxes and want to hear from you there!
The Problem: Nonprofits Aren’t Matching Preferences
Here’s where it gets interesting. While supporters clearly want email first, many nonprofits are spreading their efforts across phone calls, direct mail, and other channels that donors rank lower in preference.
The mismatch? Organisations are underusing email’s potential while overinvesting in methods their supporters find less convenient or appealing.
Why This Matters for Your Donor Communication Strategy
If 88% of your supporters prefer email, your email game needs to be excellent—not just acceptable. Every donor email you send should:
- Clearly connect donations to impact
- Tell compelling stories about the people you’ve helped
- Make donors feel valued and appreciated
- Feel personal and timely, not generic or mass-produced
- Include clear, specific calls-to-action
But here’s the challenge most nonprofit leaders face: crafting high-performing donor emails takes time you don’t have.
The Case for Ready-to-Send Email Templates
When email is your donors’ preferred channel, you can’t afford to send mediocre messages. But you also can’t spend hours crafting every appeal, thank-you note, or impact update.
This is exactly why proven email templates make sense for nonprofits serious about donor engagement:
You need consistent, high-quality email communication because that’s where your donors want to hear from you. Templates ensure every message leverages donor psychology, proven structures, and compelling copy – without requiring you to be a professional copywriter.
You need speed because fundraising opportunities don’t wait. With fill-in-the-blank templates, you can customize and send a powerful donor appeal in 10-15 minutes instead of spending an afternoon staring at a blank screen.
You need variety because donors need different messages throughout their journey: welcome sequences, thank-you notes, impact updates, year-end appeals, monthly giving invitations, and re-engagement campaigns for lapsed supporters.
Other Key Findings Worth Noting
The JustGiving research revealed several other insights that support a strong email strategy:
More contact is better: Only 2% of supporters felt they received too much communication. Among the most engaged supporters who raised the most money, exactly zero said there was too much contact. Translation? Don’t be afraid to email your donors regularly – they actually want to hear from you.
Supporters want specific impact information: Your donors want to know exactly how their gifts help. Your emails should clearly tie donations to tangible outcomes with stories and data.
Recognition matters: Acknowledgment, milestone celebrations, and genuine appreciation motivate continued support – and email is the perfect channel to deliver these messages personally and consistently.
Which Template Option Is Right for You?
If you’re communicating with donors via email regularly (and the research says you should be), you have two options:
Join a monthly membership if you’re running ongoing campaigns and need fresh, proven templates delivered weekly.
For £15/month, you’ll get 52+ proven email templates per year, plus access to our complete library. It’s perfect for nonprofits that need consistent donor email content without the constant time investment.
Buy individual templates if you’re planning specific campaigns (like year-end giving, thank-you sequences, or lapsed donor re-engagement) and want to purchase exactly what you need, when you need it. Templates start from £17 each – less than hiring a copywriter for a single email.
The Bottom Line
Email isn’t dead. It’s not even declining. For donors and supporters in 2025, it’s the clear winner for how they want nonprofits to communicate with them.
The question isn’t whether you should prioritize email – it’s whether your emails are good enough to match that preference.
If you’re spending hours writing donor appeals from scratch, sending generic messages that don’t convert, or avoiding email campaigns because writing feels overwhelming, it’s time to work smarter.
Proven templates give you the structure, psychology, and copy that inspire giving – so you can focus on your mission instead of staring at a blinking cursor.
Ready to match your donors’ communication preferences with emails that actually work?
Browse our template library or join our membership to get weekly proven templates delivered straight to your inbox – so you’re always ready to connect with supporters in the way they prefer most.
Research data sourced from JustGiving’s 2025 Fundraiser Communication Survey of 1,000+ fundraisers and 100+ charities – September 16th, 2025