412+ Donation Email Subject Lines (That Work!)

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Updated: May 13th, 2021

If you're looking to boost your email open rates and increase sales, your email subject line is the first (and most important) step in achieving those goals.

Did you know that 33% of email recipients open emails because of an engaging subject line?

That's why it's critical to craft a catchy email subject line that will get you the traffic and conversions you deserve.

We've put together a list of 412+ donation email subject lines (that work!).

Some are proven examples from other successful campaigns, and some are creative ideas to inspire you.

Creative Email Subject Line Ideas

Relying on you
Be a part of our special night!
_____ hаs а Gift fоr Yоu
one last thing
Happy New Year’s from the Charleston Symphony
When journalism is a crime
_____: An Excellent Choice
What’s your resolution?
This Holiday, Remember the Trees
Can you help X?
Eugene was ready to give up
Steve, A Great Way to End 2021
Last Day for Free Shipping
_____ December News
Your last tax-deductible day
Steve, there’s still time to take action on mega-dairies
Fwd: simply put
Re: Serena Williams’ story
DEADLINE: Just 1 more day to order custom-printed cards
How Sherlock Changed the World
Your tax-deductible gift to MoMA
Before midnight
Your Gift Matched Dollar for Dollar
So many ways to say THANK YOU, we couldn’t pick just one.
You were there for me
It’s Not Too Late to Help!
’tis the season for sea turtles
Kona’s Happy Ending
Today is the last day of the _____ Challenge: Thanks for your support!
Steve: Make a difference before 2021 ends
Your new title
Help. My name is TODAY.
A gentle but urgent nudge – please give today!
Five Days Left to Make a Tax-Deductible Donation
Grateful to be alive
Beyond the 2017 headlines
At this very moment
Exclusive Gift Offer Enclosed
simply put
[MATCH] From New York to Nicaragua
Last-minute holiday ideas
On this #GivingTuesday and EVERY DAY
Spread hope this holiday season
A sleepless vigil
Thank you! We met our goal.
Think out of the box this holiday season
Take one last action in 2021
Newtown, we are with you.
Less than 24 hours to double your gift
Give _____ your support on #GivingTuesday
Give Today. Win the Challenge.
Your donation will change lives
Merry Christmas from Breezy and all the Animals at the _____
last minute
See? We couldn’t have done it without you
An unprecedented year
_____’s Campaign Update: Still $3,000 from our matching gift goal
Deadline: Midnight Tomorrow!
Gifts that wow and change lives – inside
Give a Little Kindness Before Midnight Tonight
Don’t let 2021 end without being a part of this
Cyber Monday ONLY: All Unwrapped gifts matched!
You still have a few hours to make a 2021 gift to _____’s animals
Final opportunity to double your impact!
Happy Christmas from Team _____
Call the Midwife Holiday Special
Deadline: Only hours left
URGENT: year-end deadline
What Will You Do Before Midnight?
How will you change the world today?
Jane Goodall wants you to find your role to play…
Make change possible
Still Time to Save $800 on Your Taxes
Important Deadline Reminder
$1 Becomes $2 and Changes More Lives
Last Chance
He risked everything. Show him it was worth it.
Five reasons why you should support _____
Giving thanks this #GivingTuesday
There is still time to make your 2021 donation!
Jeremy, Join Us for the Celebration!
Friend, please donate before midnight!
Still looking for gift ideas for your family?
Hurry! It’s Not Too Late
An early Christmas gift
Save the Date- Girls’ Night Out!
Great gift ideas + free shipping!
All I want is some truth
Be a Fan with Publix and P&G
Tax Deadline Just Days Away
Act Now: Nature Needs You in South Carolina
When soldiers rape, where do you turn?
Change isn’t easy – but that doesn’t stop you
Get in the Holiday Spirit, Little Macy, Very Special Music
Act Now: Nature in South Carolina Needs You
A few last minute ideas…
You will want to support this. But you have less than 48 hours to do so
Be the light
What hunger feels like
Abused For a Cruel Sport – Blossom’s Story
Maximize your tax credit by the December 31 deadline
EXPIRING: Your tax deduction & triple gift
Help us improve more lives in 2014.
full potential
TODAY ONLY: Your gift is doubled & rewarded!
It’s not too late to make a 2021 gift!
What’s Your New Years Resolution?
Reminder – _____ Online Event – Disaster Ignored – December 4th
Donate today and your name could appear on KDKA-TV!
Support Children’s Hospital on #GivingTuesday!
With your help, we can reach thousands of families
Give hope to grieving families on #GivingTuesday
You Can Invest in Opportunity Today
Giving Tuesday: Good deeds and good deals
Early Investments Give Kids a Shot
_____ Celebrates the Holidays
Commit to lasting solutions. (Monthly match ending)
Help birds!
Steve, will you help Baby Yolee?
Still Looking for the Perfect Gift?
You make #GivingTuesday possible
I know you’re not thinking of ignoring this message
Last Chance: Stand Up for Forests Today
3x Match: We need your response, Jeremy.
48 hours left: Be the light
Friend, multiply your impact
2 days left to give
Just hours left to join our Year-End Drive
Last-minute gift
Our world’s one and only hope
39 hours
LAST DAY: We need you
Free shipping ends Monday
NestWatch eNewsletter: An intimate look at nesting roadrunners, and why some birds go all out
Give 100%
Giving Tuesday
Make Your Tax-Deductible Gift to Nature
Join ______ for #GivingTuesday and have your gift doubled
A very special video for you from the animals at the _____
‘Tis the season!
You Make an Incredible Difference in South Carolina
Great Places: A Message of Thanks
Steven – Review Your 2021 Donations
News from _____ – December 2021
We’ve got the good news you need from Feb…
Giving Tuesday: Make a Difference for Animals
Give the gift of the ocean
Bring warmth to a family in more ways than one – gift a coat or blanket today!
Last day to triple your impact! Make your year-end gift today.
There’s still time
Stellaaaaaaaaaa
DEADLINE: don’t miss this chance to become a Champion
NEEDED: Warm Hearts, Warm Homes
Huge
Last Chance: Up to 40% off _____-Inspired Gifts
Help us reach out!
FREE 2-day shipping – ends at midnight.
Re: 11:59 PM
Today is the last day
Free Holiday Shipping until December 16
fwd: Protect them from the cold (GIFT MATCH)
What’s Happening at _____!
“FW: URGENT: Just hours remain”
Free shipping. Plus, a free personalized greeting card.
8 Incredible Things You’ve Done This Year
Race Ricky Bobby
Let’s go!
Make the holidays brighter for sick children — every gift doubled!
Happy Holidays from _____
Find the Perfect Gift on Cyber Monday
3 important facts
Claim Your Calendar Before December 31st
Give Hope from the Heart
How can you help on Giving Tuesday?
Three days only: All donations matched 2 to 1!
Thank you and Happy New Year!
Be a Hero Like Albert!
Last Chance: Holiday Shipping Deadline
Just $25 can save a life. And your gift doubles!
Jeremy, make sure your gift is counted in 2017!
Unacceptable
DEADLINE: Make your tax-deductible gift by midnight
Adopt-a-Bat for your Valentine TODAY (to get it by February 14)!
Enter to win
Your support can change lives
FWD: We can’t do it WITHOUT YOU!
Reminder: Go behind the scenes at _____
Help cancer survivors like me
A New Lease on Life
Only 72 hours left to change baby George’s life…
Hours left: but still short of our goal
Consider your holiday shopping finished.
Why I’m writing to you on a Saturday
Holiday greetings from the sea
Invest in One Family
This Holiday, Deliver Safe Birth to Women
Today is #GivingTuesday!
You make our discoveries possible
A simple, monthly act that changes lives
Last chance to give the best. gift. ever.
Midnight tonight
Last chance!
Shop meaningful gifts no one will want to return
How are you celebrating the holidays?
Last Chance to Give a Little Kindness
LAST chance to triple your impact
Help your local homeless shelter, arts programs, and animal rescue–all at the same time
DEADLINE: One day left to double your 2017 year-end gift!
We can’t do it WITHOUT YOU!
Re: Take one last action in 2021
Yes!
Last chance: DOUBLE your dollars!
Urgent: Ministry Partners Needed
This is it
Can we talk about X?
New Ways to Give and DOUBLE your Donation
No Justice for Braveheart After Kitten’s Killer to Serve No Jail Time
Very Last Chance to Make a 2021 Tax-Deductible Gift
Steve, the ocean needs our help
With 48 Hours to go, stakes just got higher
[tax deadline] 2x the hope for 2018
Frankie Muniz has a Message for You!
Double your impact and help save lives
The first to respond
Too many moms dying in your state
FW: Help us improve more lives in 2014
Sharing Our Husky Holiday Spirit
Last Chance: Give by Midnight Tonight
Happy Holidays!
We were ready
Six Days Left to Make a Tax-Deductible Donation
Think outside the (gift) box
Share a world of discovery
Vote For Your #1 Nature Photo by Midnight
They came back
ACT QUICK: Homeless kids need this match
Your tax-deductible donation
Every hour counts
An update on 2021 at _____
Give Strength
Make your gifts count in 2021
Looking Ahead to 2018 and the Future of Immunotherapy
next year
Last Member Shopping Days Of The Year STARTS TODAY
Jeremy, last chance to make your year-end gift!
Urgent: What if _____ disappeared?
Impress your Valentine with a gift that lasts longer than flowers AND changes lives!
Give the Gift of Typhoon relief: Your chance to double your impact ends Monday
Great holiday gifts from only $10
Time is running out
Puppy Left to Suffer with Broken Legs
This week, help protect the ocean
Still Time to Claim Your Tax Credit
Two more days
Invest in families on #GivingTuesday
Member Previews Start Tomorrow
Steve, your December newsletter: help _____ stop bear baiting for good
In memory of his five-year-old sister…
Imagine 2014
Only hours left to give in 2021
Our gift to you this holiday season
Save the rainforest. Save tigers.
Receive Monthly Developments Magazine
GIFTS TRIPLED: A baby named Jeremy born in your community
Thank you!
Urgent! Final deadline
Year-End Drive starts today — don’t miss out
I have a great role for you
It’s December 24 — is your shopping done?
[TRIPLE MATCH]: Babies are counting on you
Multiply your good – we’ll match your gift until Dec. 31
You still have time to make a 2021 gift to Ottawa’s animals
Your thoughts?
Global update: What we’ve accomplished together in 2021
Gifts that make a difference: double your impact
There’s Still Time!
Deadline extended! Custom-printed cards available until midnight
48 Hours Remain: Make a difference before 2014!
After 1 Year, this Bundle of Joy Is Home
Shop $50 or more, get a free membership!
A special thank you from _____
Steven — our last email
Membership Happenings – December 2021
Start the new year right
Ricky Bobby would have never walked again
No More Time – Help Us Now
Off the Sidelines: Help Us Reach x2 as many athletes!
Reporting: Red Cross Blood Shortage In National News
Today is the day
Driven to drug use in a ‘treatment’ center
Help free another human rights hero
The perfect gift? Search no further.
We need you, more than you need us
2018 Annual Fund campaign: Make a difference
Children flogged in Syrian secret prisons
Dirty. Diseased. Deadly.
Peace and Joy
Make a Difference Before 2017 Ends
Don’t wait: Unwrapped cards are going in the mail at midnight!
Important News
Lives are on the line
We ? snow days
Honor Your Loved Ones This Holiday Season
Home for the Holidays
The secret to our success
for our kids
A Power Couple
We need you to continue the fight
I hear sleighbells…
The minimum wage isn’t cutting it.
Putting clients first in India
Hours left to meet our match deadline
Today is the Day!
Double your gift: help two animals with one donation
The best gift
Last chance to make your tax-deductible gift
Tomorrow is the Big Day!
Tomorrow is the Final Day to Give a Little Kindness
Don’t stand by and let this happen to the ocean
Act now to protect birds and biodiversity
Almost out of time
Happy New Year from the _____
It’s Been an Awesome Year at _____ and _____
[TRIPLE MATCH ALERT] 3 times the impact for wildlife
_____ eNews: Read Our Review of the Top Binoculars of 2021
Make your 2021 Year-End Gift Before MIDNIGHT
Today Only: Free Shipping + 20% Member Savings
Ready?
Five days left – show your support now
Annual _____ Membership Renewal
Urgent: Steve, Just Hours Remain
Celebrate the Holidays with the _____
ONLY 3 Days Left!
The last thing you do this year.
One Day Left to Make a Tax Deductible Donation
It’s a New Year – and we’re grateful for you!
Don’t miss this opportunity!
Drumroll please…
Add your name to our holiday message for sick kids
Jeremy, multiply your impact
GBBC eNews: The 2014 Poster, Tricky Finches, and New Video
Match Made! Year End Giving
Can’t argue with the math
2017 is almost over. Make your gift.
Double your impact
Your search is over!
Will you lift your voice in prayer?
A worthy tradition
There is still time for you to give the gift of love to an animal at the _____
FINAL chance: 2017 is ending
The Greatest Gift
Only a few hours remain
Double your year-end gift.
The best New Year’s resolution you’ll make!
They were in their pajamas
Warm Holiday Wishes From _____
Where did you spend your Thanksgiving?
Today is your chance
? Last chance to buy Name a Roach pins, socks, and chocolates!
re: falling behind
The Look of Love
Jeremy, Still Need a Valentine’s Gift?
A gift that lasts decades? Find out how
Click. Print. Give the perfect last minute gift.
Urgent: Armed militias terrorize civilians in human rights hotspot
Just one day left to make your tax-deductible gift
Make a Gift, Change a Life
Uphill battle
Our Pledge To Serve America’s Military Families
US Plea Bargains | Nelson Mandela
Your kind, compassionate and generous spirit
December e-newsletter: Our New Year’s Resolution!
We couldn’t have done it without you
Clinical Trial Gives Survivor Hope
Truth for yesterday, today and tomorrow
The gift of the season
Surprise! 20% Member Savings + Free Shipping
Philanthropy Matters December 2021
Only 3 days left to give in the year
You have 48 hours to give this gift:
WATCH: 5 Reasons We’re Celebrating
Snow storms, tropical rains, and you
The good news: it only takes a minute to give a student a better future
URGENT: 48 hours left to have your gift matched
Urgent deadline. Match increased – all gifts doubled.
A remarkable year
Celebrate #GivingTuesday!
Last call: Deadline’s just a few hours away
Help _____ Deliver Hope to the Philippines
Hours left: why your support counts
Risk of severe hunger – please read
An ocean of a deal for you!
Steven — please read a personal appeal from _____’s founder
Best Bang for the Buck for Birds
Apollo set the standard. We follow his lead.
URGENT: Just hours remain
FINAL DAY: Triple your gift for moms and babies
_____ Annual Gathering: Violence Prevention
Five minutes can change lives
The Race Is On to DOUBLE Your Gift!
Go behind the scenes at _____
Deadline Approaching
Steve, you could save Jodi.
[UPDATE] Tax bill
Steve, campaign update: Wildlife crime takes centre stage at London’s City Hall
300 Champions – are you one?
Last chance to support nonprofits nationwide with a single gift…
Are you sitting this out?
Celebrating the Season Together as One Family
Be a Hero for Trees
_____ Has A Gift For You
One more name for your gift list

GUIDE: How To Write A Great Subject Line

As we mentioned above, crafting a catchy subject line is critical to the performance of your email campaign.

While just a few words may seem like a small piece of your overall message, this is the first impression your audience will have before they decide whether to open your email.

If your subject line isn't engaging or appealing enough, there's a chance it could get buried in your reader's inbox.

Let's go over the proven tips on how to craft a subject line that boosts engagement:

What makes a great subject line?

First, let's discuss the fundamentals of creating a great subject line:

Spark interest and curiosity
A clear and urgent call to action
An offer/intriguing discount
Personalization (this can be done by sending out different versions of emails to subscribers based on their preferences)
Relevance - make sure your subject line covers the current trends and topics within your industry

5 Tips To Crafting a Great Subject Line

Now, let's dive into the specifics of how to create a great subject line for your next campaign:

1. Use a familiar sender name

Although this may seem obvious, it's a piece many marketers miss the ball on.

Your readers want to feel like your email is coming from a human and not a corporation or automated system.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is by changing the sender's name to YOUR name or someone in the company that is well known.

Here's a great example of this from Marketing Examples

Pro Tip

Avoid the "no-reply" sender name at all costs. This makes your email feel unfamiliar, unapproachable, and less personable.

2. Keep your subject short and to the point

If your subject line is too long, it will get cut off, which could impact your reader's chances of opening your email.

The rule of thumb (for both mobile and desktop) is to keep your subject line under 50 characters.

3. Add personal touches to your subject line

If you have access to information about your subscriber (ie. name, location, etc), you can use this to benefit your subject line and catch your readers attention.

It's important not to go overboard here, but adding even the simplest touch such as their name can build trust and rapport.

Here's a great example of a personalized email + offer I received from BarkBox with my dog's name in the subject line:

4. Avoid making any false promises

Your subject line makes a commitment to your reader, so it's important you don't stretch the truth just to simply get more opens and clicks.

In the grand scheme of things, making false promises will end up hurting your open rate as your readers will lose trust in you.

5. Give them a sneak peek of what's inside

Telling your subscriber what is inside helps with open and clicks.

For example, if you're providing your reader with a free guide or e-book, consider making your subject line something along the lines of:

"Your FREE marketing e-book awaits!"

Conclusion

If you want your email campaign to perform well, it all starts with your subject line.

Think about the emails you receive in your inbox and what makes you click vs what gets buried - odds are, the same habits go for your customer.

We hope you enjoyed our guide + list of 412+ donation email subject lines (that work!).

meet the author

Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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