How to Write an Email That Lands Your First Prospect Meeting

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Whether you’re requesting meetings off-site or inviting a prospect to visit your nonprofit for a special activity or tour, email is most fundraising professionals’ go-to for communication.

Though email is a ubiquitous outreach tool, creating an email that actually earns a response requires time and commitment. Here are seven tips for drafting messages that secure meetings with your most valuable donor prospects.

Tip 1: Plan ahead.

Rarely will an email requesting a meeting be immediately read and result in a planned meeting the next day. Donors have their own schedules, coordinating meetings takes time, and travel always needs to be planned out in advance. This means that when sending an email, be thoughtful about the timeline and consider:

When the recipient will read and respond. Your donors are busy people, and even interested prospects may not respond when they first see your email. When sending an email, set a reminder on your calendar to follow up in one week if you don’t receive a response.
Overlap with notable events. If you plan to schedule a visit with a donor during a specific event, send your initial outreach at least two weeks in advance. This will give the prospect time to consider the invitation and reach out to set up an exact time and meeting place.
Travel obligations. As you are likely coordinating meetings with multiple major giving prospects, consider how various travel obligations may impact one another. For example, if two donors live in the same area, you may try to arrange back-to-back meetings with them.

Additionally, when planning donor meetings, stay conscious of your other responsibilities. Use a calendar to track your travel plans, set reminders for when to follow up with donors, and block out dates when you are unavailable due to other commitments.

Tip 2: Use AI strategically.

Generative AI has changed how nonprofits conduct outreach. In particular, AI tools have the ability to draft emails to specific donors at scale. However, improper use of AI can cause your messages to come across as generic or inauthentic.

If you intend to use AI as part of your email prospect outreach, try applying these strategies:

Use specific prompts. The more information you can provide about a donor, why you are reaching out to them, and what writing style you would like to use, the better the AI results will be. When sharing donor information with any AI tool, from generative AI to predictive analytics platforms, ensure all details are as up-to-date as possible and use secure solutions that will not use your data for training purposes. Incorrect information entered into an AI tool will result in incorrect outputs.

Outline, not draft. Relationships with major giving prospects are highly individualized, and each message should reflect that. Use AI as a tool for getting the basic components of your message down. Then, fill in the specific, human details yourself.
Avoid AI default responses. Some email platforms, such as Gmail, provide users with the option to respond to any email they receive with an AI-generated response. Be cautious about using this feature, as AI responses aren’t aware of your specific relationship with each donor. For example, an AI response might agree to a meeting time you can’t make or not respond to an important detail in the donor’s message.

Additionally, agentic AI can handle various administrative processes for you. For example, after sending an email, AI might generate an automatic follow-up reminder on your calendar, or it might summarize the content of an email exchange and add it to a donor’s profile for future reference.

Tip 3: Include critical details in the subject line.

Think about how you check your inbox. Do you scan subject lines for content? Check to see if you recognize the sender? Prioritize by deadline? When drafting your prospect meeting emails, consider what details are likely to grab a potential donor’s attention.

Compare these two example subject lines:

Example A: “Would you like to meet up?”

Example B: “[Organization Name] Visiting Austin – October 12 & 13”

Example A is vague, requires the recipient to dig to find the information they need, and may even be mistaken for spam. In contrast, example B provides all the details upfront, letting prospects decide whether they’re interested immediately.

Tip 4: Keep it short and to the point.

While you likely have a lot to say about your organization to make your case for support, a meeting email is not the place to do so. Instead, keep your message brief and provide a concise explanation of when, where, and why you want to meet.

Example:

Dear [Donor name],

I hope this message finds you well. Next month, on October 12th and 13th, I will be in Austin meeting with [organization] [constituency]. Are you available for lunch or coffee while I am in town? I would be pleased to share [update on project relevant to donor] and to thank you for your loyal support.

Thank you,

[Your name]

While messages should be brief, ensure they are still personalized. If a donor you plan to meet with recently supported your organization, such as contributing to a capital campaign, acknowledge their gift and make a note to share an update.

Tip 5: Use formatting to highlight critical points.

Both the subject line and body of your email should include critical details, such as your organization’s name, that you would like to coordinate a meeting, and when you are available to meet.

Additionally, make it possible for recipients to gather the most important information at a glance by using formatting tools, including bold text, italics, and underlining. This makes it easy for prospects to immediately understand what you are asking and reference it in a second when referring back to your email.

However, a word of caution: use formatting sparingly. Too much formatting will distract your reader from the detail you are trying to emphasize. For instance, when deciding between bold, italics, and underlines, use one consistent formatting choice instead of switching between them.

Compare these examples:

Example A:

Dear [Donor name],

I hope this message finds you well. Next month, on October 12th and 13th, I will be in Austin meeting with [organization] [constituency]. Are you available for lunch or coffee while I am in town? I would be pleased to share [update on project relevant to donor] and to thank you for your loyal support.

Thank you,

[Your name]

Example B:

Dear [Donor name],

I hope this message finds you well. Next month, on October 12th and 13th, I will be in Austin meeting with [organization] [constituency]. Are you available for lunch or coffee while I am in town? I would be pleased to share [update on project relevant to donor] and to thank you for your loyal support.

Thank you,

[Your name]

While both examples highlight valuable information, example B is more strategic about the details it draws attention to and presents them in a consistent format, creating a more professional tone.

Tip 6: Triple-check the variables.

Often, especially when planning introductory meetings in another state, you will need to send 30 or 40 emails to secure an average of three meetings per day. As you draft these emails, do not become complacent with the details. Before sending each message, triple-check the personalized components of your note:

Name
Dates
Location
Constituency
Availability
Giving history

Consider creating a template with blanks for all of these details so you can quickly reference them. Here’s an example:

Example:

Dear [Donor name],

Thank you,

[Your name]

You’ve worked hard to grab your reader’s attention. The last thing you want to do at this critical stage is communicate conflicting information or upset them by mixing up donor details.

Tip 7: Follow up.

If it’s been a week, and there’s no response, it’s time to follow up. Reply to your initial email to ensure it is clear that you are following up on your original correspondence.

Keep your follow-up message short and to the point:

Example:

RE: [Organization Name] Visiting Austin – October 12 & 13

Dear [Donor name],

I wanted to follow up regarding my upcoming trip to Austin. I still have some availability on Tuesday afternoon, October 12, if you would like to connect.

Thank you again for your support of [organization]. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

[Your name]

If you don’t receive a response at this stage, move on to focusing on other prospects. The next time you are available for a visit, consider reaching out again, but avoid overemailing uninterested prospects to save both your time and theirs.

Additional Prospect Communication Resources

Face-to-face meetings are key to building relationships with major donors, and an outreach email is often the first step to getting to know your prospects one-on-one. Improve your email outreach by being strategic, respecting your donors’ time, and staying organized.

For more prospect communication resources, check out these top guides:

Grateful Patient Fundraising Essentials: Gratitude to Impact. Setting up meetings with grateful patients and their families is essential for qualifying leads and earning meaningful gifts for your hospital. Discover how to reach out to these prospects.
9 Key Types of Planned Gifts, How They Work, and Examples. Along with major giving prospects, you should also arrange meetings with planned donors. Refresh yourself on how to discuss this unique type of giving.
Donor Motivations: Questions to Ask and Assumptions to Avoid. Understanding your prospects’ motivations is vital for forming relationships. Learn what questions to ask and how to avoid making assumptions.