If you subscribe to multiple email newsletters from non-profit organisations, you will notice that most of them still use simple text emails, sent either through mail-merge or by adding all recipients to BCC.
This is partly because they do not know about email marketing tools, and also because most of these tools are very expensive. It can cost several hundred dollars just to send simple email newsletters. For NGOs, who usually have a small marketing budget, this can be a big expense.
In this blog, we’ll look into the solution and find email marketing tools that are both easy to use and affordable.
Things to look for
Before we go ahead and directly look into the tools – it’s important to understand that what features are a must-have when picking up an email marketing tool for a non-profit.
Easy of use
Whether you are a small or a large non-profit organisation, your choice of email marketing tool should be easy to use. In an NGO setup, the user can be anybody, an intern or even an accountant playing the role of an email marketer.
Having an easy-to-use tool ensures that anybody can use it and send newsletters without the need for external help.
Affordable pricing at high volumes
Finally, there’s the cost of the tool when your usage increases. While most tools start at an affordable price, it can increase significantly as your list size grows. Check the table below for a better understanding.
| List Size | EmailOctopus | Mailchimp | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $12 | $29.48 | $15 |
| 5,000 | $28 | $65.76 | $79 |
| 10,000 | $40 | $86.17 | $149 |
As you can see from the above table, some tools like ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp have relatively low entry pricing, but it grows exponentially as the list size increases. On the other hand, tools like EmailOctopus have a linear price increase, which ensures there aren’t any surprises as the list size grows.
Helpful customer support
Sometimes, email marketing tools can get complex, especially in scenarios where technology is involved, such as domain DNS verification. NGOs generally don’t have a full-time email marketer; it’s usually handled by an intern or someone from another department. Because of this, there are many chances for things to go wrong.
This is where good customer support is useful. That’s why it’s important to check for helpful customer support before choosing an email marketing tool.
Best email marketing tool for non-profits
There are many email marketing tools available, and choosing one can be hard. So, we’ll share some popular email marketing tools that work well for non-profits.
EmailOctopus
EmailOctopus is an easy-to-use and affordable email marketing tool that has been used by multiple non-profit organisations.
Its primary benefits are ease of use, a generous free tier, and affordable paid plans. Even while remaining affordable, it still retains all essential features such as a drag-and-drop email builder, segmentation, automation, and much more.
Features:
- Drag and drop email editor
- Email automation
- Landing page builder
- Subscription forms
- Integrations with multiple apps
- Generous free tier
- Helpful customer support
Pricing:
EmailOctopus comes with a free plan, allowing you to send 10,000 emails to 2,500 subscribers at no cost. If you need more advanced features, the Pro plan starts at $9/mo.
Substack
Substack is a platform that combines blogging with email newsletters. It’s free to use, but takes a share of the money you make from paid newsletters, which may or may not be relevant for non-profits.
However, Substack has some downsides. You have little control over your newsletter, and it doesn’t offer basic features like email designing, automation or Zapier integration.
Features:
- Email editor
- Forms (basic)
- Podcast hosting
Pricing:
Completely free to use but takes a revenue share of 10%. Also if you need a custom domain for your Substack form and publication then there’s a one-time $50 fees.
MailerLite
MailerLite is a popular email marketing platform, known for providing good tools at an affordable price. Despite a price increase in 2023, it’s still a great option if you need extra features like a comprehensive landing page builder.
Features:
- Easy to use drag and drop email builder
- List segmentation
- No-code signup and popup forms
- Extensive landing pages builder
- Email automation
- Zapier and Make integrations
MailerLite offers many additional features, like a native payment gateway and locked content. However, these extras can sometimes distract from the core service of email marketing. If you need these extra features and don’t mind paying a bit more, MailerLite could be a good choice.
Pricing:
A generous free plan exists, and paid plans start at $10/mo.
Sendy
Sendy is a self-hosted email marketing tool that you can host and run on your own server. It uses Amazon SES to send emails affordably. With Sendy, you can manage email lists, set up automatic replies, and view reports on your campaigns.
Even though Sendy is one of the most affordable ways to send marketing emails, it requires technical knowledge that many people don’t have. Also, getting approval from Amazon (AWS) to use SES can be tricky.
Features:
- Drag and drop email editor
- Email automations
- Third-party integrations using Zapier
Pricing:
Sendy comes with a simple one-time fees of $69 however you will have to pay AWS for your emails.
Brevo
Brevo (previously called Sendinblue) is a CRM Suite that started as an email marketing service. Later, it added new features like CRM, transactional emails, and a live chat tool similar to Intercom.
It comes with an easy-to-use interface with all the features that you’d need, like email builder, list segmentation and others. The only downside of Brevo is that it’s expensive compared to other options like EmailOctopus.
Features:
- Drag and drop email editor
- Email automations
- Unlimited contacts
- Transactional emails
- Inbuilt CRM
- Live chat tool
- Third-party integrations
Pricing:
Brevo only charges for email sends and has no contact limits. Their free plan allows you to send up to 300 emails/day, while the paid plan has no such limits. It starts at $9 per month for 5,000 email sends but comes with certain limitations, such as Brevo branding, which costs an additional $12 per month to remove.
Which one to pick
Here’s a quick table to help you decide which tool suits you best:
| Tool | Reason to pick |
|---|---|
| EmailOctopus | Affordable solution with all the necessary features |
| Substack | Free to use but has many limitations |
| MailerLite | Easy to use and features a comprehensive landing page builder |
| Sendy | Cheapest option but requires technical knowledge |
| Brevo | In-built CRM |
Everyone has different needs, but the choice here is rather simple. If you want an easy-to-use email marketing tool with a great free plan and affordable pricing, choose EmailOctopus. Plus, charities and non-profits get a lifetime 20% discount.
Conclusion
Choosing the right email marketing tool helps your non-profit connect with supporters. If you haven’t picked one yet, sign up for a free account with all of the above tools and try them out. Pick the one that is easy to use and fits your budget.
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