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Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways for nonprofits to reach donors, engage volunteers, and build lasting relationships with supporters. But with tight budgets and limited staff, choosing the right platform matters more than ever — you need something affordable, easy to use, and ideally available with a nonprofit discount.
In this guide I’ll cover the best email marketing platforms for nonprofits and charities in 2026 — comparing free plans, nonprofit discounts, features, and ease of use so you can reach more people for less.
What Nonprofits Need from Email Marketing
- Affordable or free plans — most nonprofits operate on tight budgets and need maximum value at minimum cost
- Nonprofit discounts — several major platforms offer significant discounts for registered charities
- Donor segmentation — send different messages to one-time donors, regular givers, lapsed donors, and volunteers
- Automation — welcome sequences, thank-you emails after donations, and re-engagement campaigns
- Easy to use — accessible to non-technical volunteers and small teams
- GDPR compliance — essential for UK and European nonprofits
Best Email Marketing Tools for Nonprofits at a Glance
| Platform | Free Plan | Nonprofit Discount | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | ✅ Unlimited contacts | ❌ | Best free plan for small nonprofits |
| Moosend | ⚠️ 30-day trial | ✅ 25% | Best automation for growing nonprofits |
| AWeber | ✅ 500 subscribers | ❌ | Best for simplicity and reliability |
| MailerLite | ✅ 1,000 subscribers | ✅ 30% | Best value nonprofit discount |
| Mailchimp | ✅ 500 contacts | ✅ 15% | Best known brand with nonprofit pricing |
| Constant Contact | ⚠️ 60-day trial | ✅ 20-30% | Best for phone support and events |
1. Brevo — Best Free Plan for Small Nonprofits
For small nonprofits just starting with email marketing, Brevo offers the most generous permanent free plan available — unlimited contacts with 300 emails per day. This means a charity can grow its supporter database to thousands without ever being forced to upgrade, and send a weekly newsletter to their entire list comfortably within the daily limit.
While Brevo doesn’t offer a specific nonprofit discount, the free plan is so generous that most small charities won’t need to pay anything at all. Beyond email, Brevo includes SMS marketing, live chat, basic automation, and a CRM — making it one of the most complete free tools available for any organisation.
Why nonprofits choose Brevo:
- No contact limit on the free plan — grow your supporter database without hitting a paywall
- 300 emails per day free — sufficient for weekly newsletters to thousands of supporters
- SMS marketing included — send donation appeals and event reminders via text
- Basic CRM — track donor conversations and supporter history
- GDPR compliant — built-in tools for managing consent and data requests
- Outstanding deliverability — ensures donation appeals reach the inbox
👉 Try Brevo for free: https://get.brevo.com/943m12izdnt9
2. Moosend — Best Automation for Growing Nonprofits
Moosend is the strongest choice for nonprofits that want to automate their donor communications properly. Now part of the Constant Contact family, it offers a 25% nonprofit discount on all paid plans — bringing the entry price down to approximately $6.75/month, making it one of the most affordable automation platforms available for charities.
For nonprofits, Moosend’s automation depth is particularly valuable. You can build multi-step donor journeys that respond to supporter behaviour — sending different follow-up emails based on donation amounts, volunteer sign-ups, or event attendance. This kind of personalised communication dramatically improves donor retention.
Why nonprofits choose Moosend:
- 25% nonprofit discount — making already affordable plans even more accessible
- Powerful automation — build donor welcome sequences, thank-you flows, and re-engagement campaigns
- Lead scoring — identify your most engaged supporters
- Heatmap reporting — see which parts of your emails get the most engagement
- Unlimited email sends on all paid plans
- GDPR compliant
👉 Try Moosend free for 30 days: https://trymoo.moosend.com/parekekwi2ha
3. AWeber — Best for Simplicity and Reliability
AWeber is an excellent choice for smaller nonprofits that want reliable, straightforward email marketing without a steep learning curve. Its free plan allows 500 subscribers with unlimited email sends — meaning a small charity can email its entire supporter base as often as needed without worrying about monthly send limits.
The Smart Designer feature is particularly useful for nonprofits with limited design resources — paste your charity’s website URL and AWeber automatically creates a branded email template in seconds. The 600+ template library means professional-looking newsletters are achievable without a design team.
Why nonprofits choose AWeber:
- Unlimited email sends on the free plan
- 600+ email templates — professional results without a design team
- Smart Designer — automatically creates branded templates from your website
- Outstanding deliverability — 99%+ inbox placement
- Live chat support on the free plan
- Free migration service from another platform
👉 Try AWeber free: https://www.aweber.com/easy-email.htm?id=561741
4. MailerLite — Best Value Nonprofit Discount
MailerLite offers one of the most generous nonprofit discounts available — 30% off all paid plans — combined with a generous free plan (1,000 subscribers with 12,000 emails per month and automation included). For nonprofits that outgrow the free tier, the discounted paid plans represent exceptional value.
Its clean, modern interface is particularly well suited to nonprofits with volunteer teams — the intuitive email builder means non-technical staff can create professional newsletters quickly without training.
5. Mailchimp — Most Recognised with Nonprofit Pricing
Mailchimp is the most recognised email marketing platform in the world and many nonprofits start with it simply because of its name recognition. Its 15% nonprofit discount is available through TechSoup — a technology donation and discount programme for charities.
While Mailchimp’s free plan is the most limited on this list, its brand recognition means there’s no shortage of tutorials, community support, and volunteer expertise available — valuable for nonprofits relying on volunteers for their communications.
6. Constant Contact — Best for Events and Phone Support
Constant Contact is particularly well suited to nonprofits for two reasons: phone support on all paid plans (rare and valuable for organisations without a dedicated tech team), and built-in event management — allowing charities to create event pages, sell tickets, manage registrations, and send automated reminders all from within the platform.
Its 20-30% nonprofit discount and 60-day free trial — the longest available — give nonprofits ample time to test the platform before committing.
Nonprofit Email Marketing Features Compared
| Feature | Brevo | Moosend | AWeber | MailerLite | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free contacts | Unlimited | Trial only | 500 | 1,000 | 500 |
| Nonprofit discount | ❌ | ✅ 25% | ❌ | ✅ 30% | ✅ 15% |
| Automation depth | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Event management | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| SMS marketing | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Phone support | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Paid | ❌ | ❌ |
| GDPR tools | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
The Email Campaigns Every Nonprofit Should Send
1. New supporter welcome sequence
The moment someone joins your list, an automatic 3-email welcome series should introduce your cause, share your impact, and make a soft ask for further engagement. Welcome emails have the highest open rates of any email type and set the tone for the entire supporter relationship.
2. Donation thank-you and impact update
Every donation should trigger an automatic thank-you email within minutes. Follow this 30 days later with an impact update showing what their donation helped achieve. Donors who receive impact updates are significantly more likely to give again.
3. Lapsed donor re-engagement
For supporters who haven’t engaged or donated in 6-12 months, a 2-3 email re-engagement sequence sharing a compelling impact story and a gentle ask can revive dormant relationships — and it’s far cheaper than acquiring new donors.
4. Regular newsletter
A consistent monthly or quarterly newsletter keeps your cause front of mind — sharing stories, updates, volunteer spotlights, and upcoming events. Nonprofits that email consistently retain significantly more supporters than those that only email during fundraising appeals.
5. Fundraising campaign sequence
For major campaigns — end-of-year giving, matched donation drives — a multi-email sequence over 5-10 days typically outperforms a single campaign email significantly. A typical structure: launch email, impact story, urgency reminder, final push.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do email marketing platforms offer discounts for nonprofits?
Yes — several major platforms offer nonprofit discounts. MailerLite offers 30%, Moosend 25%, Constant Contact 20-30%, and Mailchimp 15% via TechSoup. Brevo and AWeber don’t offer nonprofit-specific discounts, but both have free plans generous enough that most small charities won’t need to pay anything.
What is the best free email marketing tool for nonprofits?
Brevo offers the most generous free plan — unlimited contacts, 300 emails per day, no time limit and no credit card required. MailerLite is the best free option for up to 1,000 subscribers with automation included. AWeber offers unlimited sends for up to 500 supporters.
Is email marketing GDPR compliant for UK nonprofits?
All the platforms on this list include GDPR compliance tools — consent management, unsubscribe handling, and data processing agreements. UK nonprofits must ensure they have explicit consent before sending marketing emails, include an unsubscribe link in every email, and honour opt-out requests promptly. All major email marketing platforms handle the technical compliance requirements automatically.
Can I use Brevo for a nonprofit for free?
Yes — Brevo’s free plan is genuinely suitable for most small nonprofits. Unlimited contacts, 300 emails per day, basic automation, and landing pages are all included at no cost with no time limit.
What should nonprofits include in their emails?
The most effective nonprofit emails share specific impact stories, feature real beneficiaries or volunteers, keep asks clear and simple, and always show gratitude before making a request. A personal message from a staff member or beneficiary consistently outperforms a polished institutional newsletter in both open rates and donation conversion.
Final Verdict
For most nonprofits, the best starting point in 2026 is Brevo — its unlimited contact free plan means you can grow your supporter database without cost constraints. If you want a nonprofit discount and powerful automation for complex donor journeys, Moosend’s 25% discount makes it the strongest paid option. For the best-value nonprofit discount with a generous free tier, MailerLite’s 30% discount is hard to beat.
👉 Try Brevo for free: https://get.brevo.com/943m12izdnt9
👉 Try Moosend free for 30 days: https://trymoo.moosend.com/parekekwi2ha
👉 Try AWeber free: https://www.aweber.com/easy-email.htm?id=561741
Last updated: August 2026
Disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a commission. This doesn’t affect my recommendations — I only feature tools I genuinely believe are worth using.