Email is still the workhorse of school fundraising - it is where the detailed ask, the reminder, and the thank-you all happen. These templates cover the whole arc.
This page is part of our guide to online school fundraising. Swap the bracketed fields for your details and send. Read-A-Thon includes pre-written parent emails, so you may not need to write any of these yourself.
How to use these templates
Quick answer: Replace the bracketed fields, keep each email short and skimmable, and send about five across a two-week campaign - kickoff, ask, reminder, last call, and thank-you. This page is part of our guide to online school fundraising.
- Replace the brackets. Fill in [School Name], [Goal], [Link], and [Date].
- Keep it short. Families skim on phones - lead with the ask.
- Send about five. Kickoff, ask, reminder, last call, and thank-you.
- Time them well. Spread across a two-week campaign for steady momentum.
6 ready-to-send fundraiser emails
Swap the bracketed fields for your details and send. Read-A-Thon includes pre-written parent emails, so you may not need to write any of these yourself.
1 - Kickoff announcement
Subject: Our [School Name] Read-A-Thon starts [Date]!
Hi [Parent Name],
We are excited to kick off the [School Name] Read-A-Thon on [Date]! For two weeks, students will read books they love and earn donations from family and friends - with no products to buy or sell.
Our goal is to raise [Goal] to fund [What the money supports].
Here is how to get started: [Link]
Thank you for supporting our readers,
[Your Name]
2 - Parent ask / get set up
Subject: [Student]'s reading adventure needs you
Hi [Parent Name],
Setting up your child takes about two minutes: [Link]. Once you are set up, you can share [Student]'s page with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends - anyone who would love to sponsor their reading.
Every share helps us get closer to our [Goal] goal. Thank you for being part of it!
[Your Name]
3 - Midway reminder
Subject: We are halfway to [Goal] - keep going!
Hi [Parent Name],
We are halfway through the [School Name] Read-A-Thon and already at [Amount Raised]!
If you have not shared [Student]'s page yet, there is still plenty of time: [Link]. A quick text to two or three relatives makes a big difference.
Thank you for cheering on our readers,
[Your Name]
4 - Last call
Subject: 48 hours left - help us reach our goal
Hi [Parent Name],
The [School Name] Read-A-Thon ends [Date] - just 48 hours away! We are so close to [Goal] and every donation counts.
Share [Student]'s page one more time or add a sponsor here: [Link].
Thank you for an amazing two weeks of reading,
[Your Name]
5 - Thank-you with results
Subject: We did it - thank you, [School Name] families!
Hi [Parent Name],
Thanks to you, our students read [Minutes] minutes and raised [Total Raised] for [What the money supports]!
Every minute read and every dollar given makes a real difference for our school. We are so grateful for this community.
With appreciation,
[Your Name]
6 - Donor thank-you
Subject: Thank you for supporting [Student]'s reading
Hi [Donor Name],
Thank you so much for sponsoring [Student] in the [School Name] Read-A-Thon! Your gift supports both [Student]'s love of reading and our school [What the money supports].
With gratitude,
[Your Name] and the [School Name] team
Subject lines that get opened
- Lead with stakes or urgency. "48 hours left" and "We are halfway there" beat generic subjects.
- Personalize when you can. A student name lifts opens.
- Keep it under about 7 words. Long subjects get cut off on phones.
- Save the celebration. "We did it!" makes the thank-you email a joy to open.
When to send each email
Great templates still need good timing. For a two-week campaign, this cadence keeps families engaged without overwhelming them:
Day 1 - kickoff announcement. Day 2-3 - parent ask / get set up. Day 7 - midway reminder with progress. Day 12-13 - last call with a deadline. Day 15 - thank-you with results, plus individual donor thank-yous as gifts come in.
Send in the morning or early evening when parents check email, and avoid stacking two sends in the same day. If you are running a Read-A-Thon, the platform can schedule and send these for you, so the cadence runs on autopilot.
Make every email mobile-friendly
Most parents will open your email on a phone, so write for a small screen. Keep subject lines under about seven words, front-load the ask in the first line, and make your giving link a big, obvious button rather than a buried text link.
Short paragraphs, one clear call to action, and a friendly sign-off beat a long, formal letter every time. If a parent can understand the ask and tap to give within a few seconds of opening, your email is doing its job.