How to sell to Heads of Marketing at Nonprofits companies
Heads of Marketing at nonprofits are primarily measured on donor retention rates. They respond positively when they see that you understand the complexities of fundraising campaigns and can offer solutions that streamline donor engagement. Demonstrating knowledge of their specific challenges, like managing limited budgets while maximizing outreach, will make them more likely to engage with you.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 572 nonprofits company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- limited marketing budgets
- low donor engagement
- high donor churn
- ineffective campaign tracking
The playbook
- 01
Identify nonprofits with recent fundraising events
Use platforms like Eventbrite or local charity listings to find nonprofits that have recently hosted fundraising events. Focus on those that have shared their results publicly, as this indicates an openness to discussing their strategies and outcomes.
- 02
Find contact details for marketing leads
Utilize LinkedIn Sales Navigator to filter for Heads of Marketing in identified nonprofits. Look for profiles that highlight successful campaigns or innovative strategies in their experience, as these individuals are more likely to be open to new ideas.
- 03
Highlight challenges in donor engagement
Craft your outreach to address common pain points such as low donor engagement rates or difficulties in tracking donor preferences. Mention specific strategies you've seen work in similar organizations, which can pique their interest and demonstrate your understanding of their needs.
- 04
Mention recent trends in nonprofit marketing
In your communication, reference current trends such as the rise of digital fundraising or the importance of storytelling in campaigns. This shows that you are informed and can provide insights that align with their goals, making it easier for them to consider a conversation.
- 05
Propose a quick strategy session
Invite them to a brief 20-minute call to discuss innovative approaches to improve donor retention. Emphasize that this session will focus on actionable strategies tailored to their recent fundraising efforts, making it clear that the time spent will be valuable.
Can nonprofits companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 572 nonprofits companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 11.5% of 1–10-person companies against 75% of the largest — 64 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Boost donor retention rates
- Innovative fundraising strategies
- Engage your donors effectively
Questions
- Why do Heads of Marketing at nonprofits ignore outreach about new tools?
- Many Heads of Marketing are overwhelmed with existing responsibilities and may view new tools as additional complexity. If your outreach doesn't clearly articulate how your solution simplifies their workload or enhances their current efforts, it may be disregarded.
- What messaging resonates with nonprofit marketing leaders?
- Messaging that emphasizes cost-effectiveness, real-world success stories, and alignment with mission-driven goals tends to resonate. Nonprofits often prioritize outcomes that directly impact their cause, so be sure to connect your solution to their mission.
- How can I demonstrate value to nonprofit marketing heads?
- Demonstrating value requires showcasing how your solution can lead to tangible improvements in donor engagement or campaign efficiency. Use examples from similar nonprofits that achieved measurable success after implementing your strategies.
- What timing works best for outreach to nonprofit marketing heads?
- Timing your outreach around key fundraising cycles or after major events can be effective. Many nonprofits plan their marketing strategies in advance of these periods, making them more receptive to new ideas and tools that can support their initiatives.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
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