Toolkit ยท free, no sign-up
Free, copy-ready templates for the emails a nonprofit sends again and again: volunteer confirmations and reminders, replies to applicants, funder follow-ups, board notes, thank-you notes and polite no's. Pick your kind of nonprofit and the examples change to fit. Copy one, fill in the [brackets] and send.
Each comes with a subject line and a note on when to send it. None runs past 120 words, so they read fine on a phone. Using Gmail? Save them as templates and each one is three clicks away.
Confirm, remind, follow up and say thank you.
When to send it: Right after someone signs up, so they know they're in.
SubjectYou're signed up for [the shift or event]
When to send it: The day before the shift. Keep it short: most people read it on a phone.
SubjectReminder: see you tomorrow at [time]
When to send it: A day or two after someone didn't come. Warm, no guilt, and one easy way back.
SubjectWe missed you on [day]
When to send it: Within two days of the event, while it's still fresh.
SubjectThank you for [day]
For the people who apply to you, or ask for help you can't give.
When to send it: As soon as an application comes in, so nobody wonders if it got lost.
SubjectWe got your application for [program name]
When to send it: Once someone is accepted, or any time the steps ahead aren't obvious.
SubjectYour next steps for [program name]
When to send it: When the request is outside what you offer, or you're full. Point them somewhere real.
SubjectAnother place that can help with [their need]
Reports, follow-ups and introductions.
When to send it: When you send a grant or partner report. Put the number they care about first.
Subject[Organization]'s [period] report for [grant or program name]
When to send it: Two or three weeks after you send a letter of inquiry, if the funder's guidelines allow follow-up.
SubjectFollowing up on [organization]'s letter of inquiry
When to send it: Connecting two people who should know each other. Ask both first, then send one email to both.
SubjectIntroduction: [name] and [name]
Meetings, minutes and job applicants.
When to send it: A week before the meeting, then again the day before.
SubjectBoard meeting [day, date]: agenda and reports
When to send it: Within a week of the meeting, while everyone still remembers it.
SubjectDraft minutes from the [date] board meeting
When to send it: To every applicant you won't interview. Hearing back is kinder than silence.
SubjectYour application for [job title]
For volunteers, partners and speakers. Name what they did.
When to send it: For someone who keeps showing up. Name the thing they do that others notice.
SubjectThank you, [first name]
When to send it: After a partner shares space, supplies, referrals or time.
SubjectThank you for [what they did]
When to send it: The day after a talk, training or panel.
SubjectThank you for speaking at [event name]
Clear, warm ways to say no, so nobody waits on a maybe.
When to send it: Someone asks you to sponsor their event or buy an ad.
SubjectRe: [their subject line]
When to send it: A sales pitch you won't take up. One clear no saves you three follow-ups.
SubjectRe: [their subject line]
When to send it: Someone asks for help or a partnership that isn't what you do.
SubjectRe: [their subject line]
When to send it: You're asked to speak and can't, or shouldn't, this time.
SubjectRe: [event name]
Writing the same email for the tenth time eats minutes you could spend on the work. A template gives them back. It also keeps the facts straight: the address, the time, the link, the sign-off. When three people on your team write to volunteers, all three send the same checked version.
I use templates to save time, and to keep what my team and I send to people outside the organization consistent. I use them for thank-you notes, too.
Brian, Ember's founder
Gmail calls them templates (it used to call them canned responses). Set one up once and it's three clicks to use.
Templates work in Gmail on a computer, not in the phone app.
Steps from Google's Gmail Help page, Create a template in Gmail, read 10 October 2026.
Say what they did and what it made possible. A sentence or two is plenty. Send it within two days, add one detail only you saw, and give them the next date they can come back.
Send it the day before and keep it short. Give the time, the place, what to bring and who will meet them, plus an easy way to cancel so you can find a fill-in. Put the time in the subject line so it shows without opening the email.
Thank them, say no plainly near the top, and give one honest reason, such as a budget that is already set for the year. Wish the event well. You don't owe a long explanation, and a clear no is kinder than silence.
Yes. Copy any template and paste it into a new message in any email program. The steps on this page for saving templates are for Gmail.
No. There's nothing to sign up for, and you don't type anything here. Copy a template, then fill in the brackets in your own email.
In Ember Volunteers, people sign up from one link, and each program emails volunteers a reminder 3 days before their shift. Free if your budget is under $50K a year.
Tested tools and simple ideas that give your team time back for the work that matters.
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