Hey Reader,

A client came to me last month, thinking her email open rate was fine.

Her open rates sat at 19%, a few points less than the industry average, which equals invisible.

While donations trickled in, she continued to send them week after week. But nothing changed.

Then we lined up the subject lines next to the ones her donors were already getting:

• "Give today"
• "It's not too late"
• "Help us reach our goal"

All well-meaning. But, identical to every other appeal.

So we tested something different.

We rewrote three email subject lines using the 3C’s:

• Curiosity: Ask a question donors actually want answered
• Clarity: Hint at the story or value inside
• Connection: Sound like a real person, not a template

Her next send: 41% open rate. Clicks up 30%.

Same list. Same message. Just a better door opener.

Three Formulas You Can Steal

Option 1: Impact + Urgency
​ "[Specific outcome] + [time-sensitive element]"
Example: "3 families housed by Friday—if we hit $5K today"

Option 2: Donor Role + Result
​ "[What donor does] + [what it creates]"
Example: "Your $50 becomes 200 meals this week"

Option 3: Problem + Donor as Solution
​ "[Immediate need] + [how donor fixes it]"
Example: "23 kids need winter coats—you can help 5 more right now"

Keep these strategies handy before you hit send

1. Keep it tight. 40–50 characters max. Mobile cuts off anything longer.
2. Test now, not in December. Run A/B tests this week while you still have time to learn what works.
3. Use numbers and deadlines. Specifics create urgency. "[First name], your $100 gift helps 47 families this month" beats "Your gift matters."
4. Never mislead. If your subject line promises something your email doesn't deliver, you lose trust instantly. And you don't get it back.

Don't Wait

You know that the next 6 weeks move fast, and once it hits, you'll have more emails to send and zero time to test and experiment.

The teams that win year-end aren't sending the most emails—they're the ones who prepared in November. Take an hour this week to share a few emails to test your subject lines. See what gets attention.

Need a second set of eyes? Hit reply! I'll give you feedback on your next email and help you find what clicks with your list before the year-end rush.

Because when inboxes get crowded this year-end, you don't want to be the email that everyone scrolled past.

P.S. — Want the full email strategy framework? Check out the 12 rules I shared a few weeks ago: [previous newsletter]​

Link 💜

Check your subject lines with Co-Schedule, the # 1 email subject line tester for creating click-worthy subject lines.

Record incredible videos with this new software. Tella helps you design videos for real people, not video nerds.

This podcast episode is near and dear to my donor-cycle heart: Brooke Erickson chats with Cathy Mann about Stewardship: How to maximize Donor Reporting.