How to Use Email to Raise More Money for Charity

Fundraising for a charity event takes dedication, planning, and effective communication. While social media often receives the most attention, email remains one of the most powerful and reliable tools available to fundraisers. With billions of people worldwide using email every day, it provides a direct and personal way to connect with potential supporters, share your fundraising story, and encourage donations. Whether you're training for a marathon, taking part in a sponsored walk, or supporting a cause close to your heart, email can help you reach more people, build stronger relationships with donors, and maximise your fundraising efforts. In this guide, we'll explore how many people use email, the unique benefits it offers fundraisers, and practical ways to use it successfully throughout your fundraising journey.

How Many People Use Email?

Email remains one of the most widely used forms of digital communication in the world. Despite the growth of messaging apps, social media platforms, and other online communication tools, email continues to play an important role in everyday life. It is still one of the main ways people communicate for personal, professional, and business reasons.

In 2025, an estimated 295 million people in the United States actively use email, with more than 90% of internet users having at least one email account. In the United Kingdom, email usage is also extremely high, with around 50 to 55 million people regularly using email. With smartphones making email accessible at any time, it remains one of the easiest ways for charities, businesses, and individuals to stay connected. For charity runners, this creates a valuable fundraising opportunity. Social media is useful for sharing updates, but posts can easily be missed as people scroll through busy feeds. Email allows runners to communicate directly with friends, family, colleagues, and supporters, giving them the chance to share their story and encourage donations.

What Special Features Does Email Offer To Fundraisers?

For runners raising money for charity, email offers several unique advantages that can help increase awareness and keep supporters involved throughout the fundraising journey. Unlike social media, where you are relying on people seeing your post at the right time, email gives you a direct connection with the people most likely to support your challenge.

One of the biggest advantages of email is the ability to create personalised fundraising appeals. A message to close friends and family can focus on the personal reasons behind your challenge, while an email to colleagues may explain more about the event, your training, and the charity you are supporting. People connect with personal stories, and explaining why you have chosen to take on a challenge can often be more effective than simply asking for donations.

Email also makes sharing donation links simple. By including your fundraising page directly in the message, supporters can read your story and donate within a few clicks. Making the process easy removes barriers and increases the chance that someone will support your fundraising.

Another important benefit is the ability to share progress updates. A charity run is not just about the finish line; it is the journey that leads up to it. Supporters enjoy following training milestones, fundraising achievements, setbacks, and race preparation. Sharing these moments helps people feel involved and reminds them why they chose to support you.

Unlike some social media platforms where messages can be short and quickly forgotten, email gives runners the opportunity to tell their story in more detail. This allows you to explain why you selected your charity, what motivated you to take part, and how the money raised will help make a difference.

Email is also valuable for thanking supporters. A simple thank you message after receiving a donation can make people feel appreciated and helps build stronger relationships. Many fundraising journeys create a community of supporters who continue to follow and encourage the runner long after the event has finished.

The Power Of The Signature

Adding a fundraising message and donation link to your email signature is one of the simplest ways to increase awareness of your challenge. Every email you send becomes another opportunity for someone to discover your fundraising journey. Whether you are emailing colleagues, customers, suppliers, or friends, your message can reach people who may not have seen your social media updates. Sometimes people need to see a fundraising challenge more than once before deciding to donate, and your email signature keeps your story visible every time you communicate.

Long-Term Relationship Building

Email is not only useful before race day. After completing your event, it provides an opportunity to share your results, race photos, fundraising total, and the difference supporters have helped create. Keeping supporters updated after the event shows appreciation and can help build a community of people who may support future fundraising challenges.

How To Use Email For Charity Fundraising

If you are using email to raise money for a charity run, the aim is to take supporters on a journey from announcing your challenge to celebrating the finish line. The most successful fundraising emails do more than ask for money; they help people understand why the challenge matters and make them feel part of the experience. Your first email should introduce your challenge and explain why you are taking part. Share the event you are running, the charity you have chosen, your fundraising target, and why the cause is important to you. Including a personal photo can also help supporters connect with your story. For example: "I'm running 26.2 miles for Alzheimer's Society because my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia last year. My goal is to raise £1,000, and every donation will help support this important cause."

Segment Your Contacts

Different groups of people may respond to different messages. Family and close friends may connect with the personal reason behind your challenge, while colleagues may be interested in your training progress and fundraising achievements. Taking time to personalise your emails can make supporters feel more involved and increase the chance that they will engage with your campaign.

Tell Stories, Not Just Ask For Money

People donate to people, and storytelling is one of the most powerful parts of fundraising. Sharing your training successes, difficult moments, and reasons for choosing your charity helps supporters understand the journey you are taking. Instead of simply saying "Please donate", explain what the challenge means to you. For example: "I completed my longest training run this weekend. My legs are tired, but every mile reminds me why this challenge matters." A story gives people a reason to support you and helps turn a donation request into something more meaningful.

Create Milestone Updates

Keeping supporters updated throughout your fundraising journey gives them multiple opportunities to get involved. Sharing milestones such as reaching 25% of your target, getting halfway there, one month until race day, or making a final fundraising push helps maintain interest and keeps your challenge in people's minds.

Make Donating Easy

Always make sure your fundraising link is easy to find and explain exactly what supporters are helping you achieve. The fewer steps involved, the easier it is for people to donate.

A clear message, simple donation process, and reminder of why the charity matters can make a big difference.

Use A Countdown Strategy

As race day approaches, your emails can help build excitement. Four weeks out, share a training update and fundraising progress. Two weeks out, remind supporters about your challenge and explain more about the charity. One week out, make a final fundraising appeal.

On race day, sharing a quick update or photo allows supporters to experience the moment with you.

After The Event

Once the challenge is complete, make sure you thank everyone who supported you.

Share your final fundraising total, race photos, favourite moments from the day, and explain the impact their donations will have. Supporters enjoy seeing the result of the journey they helped make possible.

Be prepared to use some humour when you select photos to feature in your emails. Well done to Simon Webb for sharing this finish line photo. He raised £2500 running the Manchester Marathon for Scoliosis Support & Research

Ask For More Than Donations

Supporters can help in many ways beyond donating. They can share your fundraising page, forward your email, tell others about your challenge, or help spread awareness of the charity.

Sometimes a shared post or conversation can introduce your fundraising campaign to new supporters.

An Email Fundraising Template

A practical campaign for a charity runner could look like this:

Email 1: Announce the challenge

Email 2: Training update

Email 3: 50% fundraising milestone

Email 4: One-week countdown

Email 5: Race-day update

Email 6: Thank-you and results

This approach keeps supporters engaged without overwhelming them and creates several opportunities for people to support your fundraising journey.

Summary

Despite the growth of social media and other digital communication channels, email remains one of the most effective fundraising tools available to charity runners. Its ability to reach supporters directly, share personal stories, provide updates, and build long-term relationships makes it an important part of any fundraising strategy. A successful charity challenge is not just about completing the miles. It is about bringing people along with you, and email remains one of the best ways to share that journey.