4 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Nonprofits (With Discounts)

Nonprofit organizations tirelessly work to address pressing social needs and make the world a better place.

But this vital mission relies heavily on rallying supporters to the cause. In the world of nonprofits, creating and maintaining strong connections with supporters is everything.

That’s where email marketing comes in. It enables nonprofits to easily communicate with donors, volunteers, and anyone else who wants to be part of the journey.

The challenge? Nonprofits need an effective email marketing platform to organize contacts and send professional-looking messages.

In this article, we'll explore the top four email marketing platforms specifically designed to meet the unique needs of nonprofits.

What Makes the Best Email Marketing Platform for Nonprofits?

As a nonprofit leader, you might not be a digital marketing expert, but you likely recognize the benefits of email marketing.

But what kind of email marketing software do you need? What should you be looking for? The best email marketing platforms for ecommerce businesses, for example, are not the best platforms for nonprofits.

To help you find the best software for your nonprofit, we identified three key features that matter most to nonprofits:

Price

Many email marketing platforms cater to large corporations with extensive features and premium price tags, but nonprofits typically don't need all those extra bells and whistles.

We have selected the most affordable email marketing software platforms that offer essential functionality nonprofits need. We also included some free email marketing platforms for nonprofits with smaller contact lists.

What's more, many email marketing platforms provide discounts specifically for nonprofits, which we've highlighted to help you understand the true cost of each option.

As your supporter base grows over time, you can always upgrade to higher tiers that accommodate more contacts and emails.

Ease of Use

Most nonprofit employees wear many hats, which often means you don't have a dedicated expert in email marketing on staff. For this reason, we focused on email platforms that simplify the process of sending beautiful, professional emails.

These platforms offer sleek templates, drag-and-drop content blocks, and intuitive editing tools. Some even provide AI-powered features to automatically generate emails or landing pages.

The bottom line? Our top picks streamline email marketing campaigns so you can focus on your mission instead of dealing with complex software.

Customer Support

Nonprofits can't afford delays due to technical problems, confusing features, or platform errors. That's why we tested customer service for responsiveness and expertise. The top nonprofit email platforms provide support through multiple convenient channels, with some even offering 24/7 assistance. This makes sure help is always just a few clicks or a call away when you need it.

Why trust us? We researched over 230 email marketing software providers to bring you the best email marketing software for your nonprofit.

4 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Nonprofits

In this section, we’ll explore the top four nonprofit email marketing platforms that provide great value through discounts, easy-to-use tools, and functionality. As you read through, think about how these platforms could help a nonprofit of your size fulfill its mission and keep supporters engaged.

After all, the right email marketing software can empower your nonprofit to win support, impress your donors, and make a more significant impact.

1. MailerLite

MailerLite tops our list because it offers excellent value for money. Not only is there a free plan, but there's also an extra 30% discount on paid plans for nonprofits. This makes MailerLite very budget-friendly for organizations relying on donations and grants. It's one of the best email marketing platforms for small businesses.

The free plan supports up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month. This allows new organizations to establish their donor base and measure results before upgrading.

When you're ready to upgrade, you can try all the premium features for free for 30 days, with no credit card required.

Another great thing about MailerLite is that it's very easy to use. The intuitive drag-and-drop editor makes creating emails, newsletters, landing pages, and more a breeze, even for beginners. Lots of professionally designed templates help nonprofits quickly build appealing emails that promote their mission.

MailerLite even has an AI writing assistant to help craft better subject lines and content. For resource-strapped nonprofits, this saves valuable time and energy.

Additionally, its robust transactional email feature allows for automated messages that can acknowledge donations, share progress, and more, all included with paid plans.

Lastly, MailerLite offers exceptional customer support options that are crucial for nonprofits without dedicated marketing teams. Support is available 24/7, with a 97% satisfaction rating and average response times of just five minutes via live chat.

2. Brevo

Formerly called SendinBlue, Brevo appeals to larger nonprofits with extensive contact lists. The platform is perfect for organizations with more than 50,000 subscribers that send fewer than eight emails per month per contact. This email volume aligns with how most nonprofits communicate since they promote events/updates less frequently than businesses that nurture leads.

Brevo offers a 15% discount to nonprofits, although this only applies to their custom Enterprise plan. To get a price, you need to contact them directly. For smaller email volumes, the Starter plan is just $9 monthly without daily sending limits. However, this plan only includes 24/7 email support. If you need phone support, you'll need to upgrade to the Business plan, which is $18 per month.

Brevo's pricing model is also unique and very cost-effective for nonprofits with large contact lists. Rather than charging per subscriber like most email providers, Brevo bills you based on the number of emails you send. You'll get unlimited contacts and only pay for what you use based on email volume.

This flexible, usage-based approach works well for larger nonprofits that must manage large distribution lists while controlling costs.

In terms of features, Brevo is best known for its built-in CRM. A CRM is like a detailed address book that logs each supporter's details and interactions with you over time. It's a game-changer for building donor relationships.

You'll also get customizable signup forms and landing pages to help generate leads. These are useful tools to grow an audience for any important cause. Other free tools include appointment scheduling and live chat widgets for your website. Brevo also enables WhatsApp and SMS messaging to contact supporters.

3. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a household name trusted by more than 150,000 brands in 170+ countries thanks to its robust functionality. Although it's geared more toward businesses, it offers a good deal of features and functionality that ambitious nonprofits might benefit from.

Its most notable feature is the advanced automation builder. This tool uses a visual drag-and-drop interface to help you create complex email sequences without needing to know how to code.

With this builder, you can create personalized journeys for your contacts based on their actions. For example, you can automatically send a thank-you email when someone donates, follow up with an event reminder when someone registers, or reach out to past donors who haven't contributed in six months.

The system can also trigger emails based on specific actions your contacts take, like clicking a link in an email or attending an event.

Powerful segmentation allows you to divide your list based on past interactions, donation amounts, interests, and other criteria so that you can send targeted content tailored to each group.

However, these advanced capabilities come at a cost. Paid plans start at $15 per month and there's no forever-free plan. The good news is that nonprofits can enjoy a 20% discount.

There's also the option to integrate a CRM for complete marketing and donor management abilities. This may be useful for larger organizations that need customization.

Although using ActiveCampaign can involve a bit of a learning curve, the company’s blog, training events, and members-only community will show you how to make the most of every feature.

4. Moosend

Last but not least, we have Moosend, a no-frills platform that comes with all the essential email marketing features.

Its standout feature is its simplicity. You can build great-looking emails using the drag-and-drop editor, no technical skills required. Additionally, you can choose from the mobile-responsive template library and customize it to your heart's content.

Moosend's affordability makes it an excellent choice for small but impactful nonprofits. Paid plans start at just $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, with a special 25% discount for nonprofits. You can try it free for 30 days and send unlimited emails to up to 1,000 subscribers, all without needing a credit card.

If you need assistance, there's a friendly 24/7 support team. All plans include live chat and email support, though priority support is reserved for enterprise members.

While Moosend offers core functionality similar to MailerLite, it lacks more advanced features like website tracking, which allows you to monitor subscriber behaviors beyond email campaign clicks. MailerLite also has additional features such as native Shopify integration, the ability to collect payments, and interactive email functionality (surveys, quizzes, games, etc.).

Choosing the Right Email Marketing Platform for Your Nonprofit

Nonprofits have unique needs and come in all shapes and sizes. So how do you choose the best email marketing platform for your nonprofit?

It all depends on your organization's size and resources.

For new nonprofits with limited resources and just a few subscribers, Moosend is an affordable starting point to get you started with email marketing.

For most established nonprofits, MailerLite offers the best balance of robust features and discounted rates, especially with their 30% nonprofit deal. This makes it budget-friendly for organizations with up to 1,000 subscribers.

Larger nonprofits may prefer Brevo for its built-in CRM and volume-based pricing model that only charges for emails sent, rather than the number of subscribers.

At the enterprise level, ActiveCampaign is better suited for organizations willing to invest in advanced marketing automation and segmentation capabilities to engage supporters like a business.

Compare Your Options

Choosing the right marketing technology involves considering multiple factors. Our platform highlights the best email marketing software options for overall value. Discover how the top contenders rank based on weighted criteria.

With our Comparison Tool, you can also compare email marketing platforms side-by-side. Evaluate how MailerLite, Brevo, ActiveCampaign, Moonsend, and others measure up in categories like cost, ease of use, and features, tailored to what matters most to your nonprofit.

You can also check out our top picks for the best email marketing platforms for small businesses. There's lots of overlap here with the needs of nonprofits!