📧 MailerLite for Nonprofits
Drowning in email marketing costs while sending to just a few thousand donors? MailerLite delivers the best overall value in nonprofit email marketing—unlimited emails, AI-powered personalization, and intuitive automation at a fraction of competitors' prices. With 30% nonprofit discount and a genuinely generous free tier, your small team can send professional campaigns that convert without breaking the budget.
What It Does
Paying $60/month for email marketing when your budget is stretched thin? Spending hours manually timing campaign sends only to see 15% open rates? Watching donors unsubscribe because your emails arrive at inconvenient times?
MailerLite solves the nonprofit email marketing value equation: professional features at prices that make sense for mission-driven organizations. Send unlimited emails to your growing donor list without worrying about usage caps. Let AI determine when each supporter is most likely to open your emails. Create automated welcome sequences and stewardship journeys that run on autopilot. Build beautiful campaigns with drag-and-drop simplicity—no designer or developer required.
Unlike expensive enterprise platforms or limited free tools, MailerLite gives small nonprofits the power of sophisticated email marketing without the prohibitive cost. Your 2-person team gets AI writing assistance, behavior-based automation, and detailed analytics—all for less than the price of a monthly donor lunch.
Best For
Organization Size
Small to mid-sized nonprofits (500-10,000 subscribers) seeking full-featured email marketing on a budget. Perfect for teams of 1-10 where email marketing isn't anyone's full-time job but is critical for donor engagement.
Best Use Cases
- Monthly donor newsletters with impact stories and program updates
- Volunteer recruitment and coordination campaigns
- Year-end giving appeals with automated follow-up sequences
- Event promotion with RSVP tracking and reminders
- Digital product sales (cookbooks, guides, educational resources)
- Donor stewardship journeys with automated thank-you sequences
Ideal For
Development Directors, Communications Managers, Executive Directors wearing the marketing hat, Volunteer Coordinators, and small nonprofit teams needing email marketing that "just works" without requiring a dedicated email specialist.
Key Features for Nonprofits
AI Writing Assistant
GPT-powered content generation
Generate compelling email copy, subject lines, and CTAs in seconds. Choose from 4 tone options (Natural, Catchy, Professional, Persuasive) to match your campaign. Transform rough ideas into polished fundraising appeals or volunteer invitations without staring at a blank screen.
Saves 30-60 minutes per campaign on drafting and editing.
Smart Sending
AI-optimized delivery timing
AI analyzes each subscriber's behavior—opens, clicks, sign-up times—and automatically sends emails when they're most likely to engage. No more guessing whether Tuesday 10am or Thursday 2pm is better. Each donor gets personalized timing.
Typical 10-15% increase in open rates without any extra effort.
Unlimited Emails
No send limits on paid plans
Send as many emails as you need without worrying about overage charges. Unlike competitors that cap sends at 10x your subscriber count, MailerLite lets you communicate freely. Perfect for nonprofits running frequent campaigns, event updates, and donor touchpoints.
Free tier includes 12,000 emails/month for up to 500 subscribers.
Visual Automation Builder
Drag-and-drop workflow creation
Create automated donor journeys without code. New donor? Send a welcome series. Clicked a specific link? Trigger a follow-up. Didn't open year-end appeal? Send a reminder. Build sophisticated nurture sequences that run 24/7 without manual intervention.
Available on free tier (rare among competitors).
Detailed Analytics
Track what works for your donors
Monitor open rates, click rates, unsubscribes, and conversions. See which subject lines resonate, what content drives donations, and how your list grows over time. Heat maps show where subscribers click most in your emails. Export reports for board presentations.
Real-time data refreshes every few minutes during active campaigns.
Built-in E-commerce
Sell digital products directly
Sell digital cookbooks, educational guides, webinar recordings, or membership subscriptions directly through email campaigns. Integrated payment processing via Stripe. No need for separate e-commerce platform. Perfect for nonprofits diversifying revenue streams.
Available on Growing Business plan and above.
How This Tool Uses AI
MailerLite integrates AI where it genuinely improves results—content generation, send-time optimization, and subject line testing. Here's what's actually AI-powered versus standard features:
What's Actually AI-Powered
🤖 AI Writing Assistant (OpenAI GPT)
Type of AI: Generative language model (GPT-powered)
What it does: Generates email content, subject lines, titles, CTAs, and detailed paragraphs based on your prompts. Choose tone (Natural, Catchy, Professional, Persuasive) to match campaign intent. Up to 3 regeneration attempts per piece.
How it learns: Uses OpenAI's pre-trained GPT model; does NOT train on your organization's specific emails (privacy-safe).
Practical impact: Turns "We need an appeal for our youth program fundraiser" into a 300-word compelling email in 30 seconds. Human editing still recommended for brand voice and fact-checking.
🤖 Smart Sending (Behavior-Based AI)
Type of AI: Machine learning algorithm analyzing subscriber engagement patterns
What it does: Examines each contact's historical email behavior—when they open, click, and signed up—and predicts optimal delivery time for that individual. Instead of sending all emails at 10am Tuesday, AI might send to some on Tuesday 10am, others on Wednesday 6pm, based on their patterns.
How it learns: Continuously refines predictions as it gathers more engagement data per subscriber. Works better after 3-6 months of data collection.
Practical impact: Typical 10-15% improvement in open rates without changing content. Passive optimization that requires no manual work once enabled.
🤖 AI Subject Line Generator
Type of AI: Generative model for short-form creative text
What it does: Creates 5 different subject line options for any email based on your campaign goal. Designed to boost open rates through varied phrasing, emotional hooks, and curiosity gaps.
How it learns: Pre-trained on high-performing subject line patterns (not trained on your specific data).
Practical impact: Gives you 5 ready-to-test options instantly instead of spending 20 minutes brainstorming variations. Combine with A/B testing to find winners.
🤖 Model Context Protocol (MCP) Integration (Beta)
Type of AI: Cutting-edge feature connecting ChatGPT or Claude directly to MailerLite
What it does: Enables AI assistants (ChatGPT, Claude) to craft campaigns, create groups, analyze performance, and manage your MailerLite account through natural conversation. No coding or API keys required.
How it learns: Connects AI models you choose with MailerLite's API in real-time.
Practical impact: Future-forward feature for those comfortable with AI assistants. Example: "Create a 3-email welcome sequence for new donors and schedule it to start tomorrow." Still in beta.
What's NOT AI (But Still Useful)
- Email Templates: Pre-designed by human designers, not AI-generated
- Basic Automation: "Send email 3 days after signup" is rule-based, not AI
- Standard Analytics: Open rates, click rates, and basic metrics are traditional tracking
- Segmentation: Grouping subscribers by tags or behavior is manual logic, not AI
AI Transparency & Limitations
⚠️ Data Requirements
Smart Sending works best after 3-6 months of engagement data per subscriber. With less history, it uses industry benchmarks (less personalized). New subscribers need time to establish patterns.
⚠️ Human Oversight Still Required
AI-generated content should be reviewed for accuracy, brand voice, and cultural sensitivity. The AI doesn't know your donors personally or understand your specific program nuances. Always fact-check outputs.
⚠️ Known Limitations
AI Writing Assistant sometimes generates generic or overly formal language. Requires editing for authentic nonprofit voice. Smart Sending may not account for time-sensitive campaigns (e.g., disaster relief appeals need immediate sends, not optimized timing).
🔒 Data Privacy
Your email content and subscriber data are NOT used to train AI models for other customers. All AI processing follows MailerLite's GDPR-compliant privacy policies. SOC 2 Type II certified with data encrypted in transit and at rest.
When AI Adds Real Value vs. When It's Marketing Hype
✅ Genuinely Useful AI
- • Generating 5 subject line variants in 10 seconds (saves 15 minutes)
- • Optimizing send times for 2,000+ contacts (impossible manually)
- • Drafting email body content from rough ideas (beats staring at blank screen)
⚠️ AI That's Nice But Not Essential
- • AI-suggested templates (human-designed templates work fine)
- • MCP integration (cool for AI enthusiasts, overkill for most)
Bottom Line:
MailerLite uses AI where it genuinely saves time (content generation, send-time optimization) and improves results (subject line testing). It's not using AI for every feature, which is actually a good sign—they're focused on AI applications that matter for email marketers, not just slapping "AI" on basic features for marketing purposes.
Real-World Nonprofit Use Case
Scenario: A community food bank with 3,500 active email subscribers was using Mailchimp's free tier but hitting the send limit every month and considering the $60/month upgrade. Their 2-person development team sent monthly newsletters, volunteer recruitment emails, and seasonal giving campaigns but couldn't afford time for sophisticated segmentation or personalization.
After switching to MailerLite (Advanced plan at $20/month with 30% nonprofit discount = $14/month):
- Used Smart Sending for year-end appeal and increased open rates from 22% to 34% without changing content—just optimized timing per donor
- Set up automated welcome sequence for new volunteers that previously required manual follow-up (saved 4 hours/week)
- Used AI Writing Assistant to draft volunteer recruitment emails in 10 minutes instead of 45 minutes—"Professional" tone matched their voice perfectly after minor edits
- Saved $46/month on subscription costs compared to Mailchimp ($60 - $14) = $552/year
- Development Director reported: "It just works. I don't need to be an email expert—I can draft campaigns on my lunch break and know they'll deliver properly."
Result: Lower costs, higher engagement, less time spent on technical email management. The team redirected saved time toward donor cultivation calls and in-person volunteer coordination—the high-value work that actually builds relationships.
Pricing
MailerLite's pricing is based on subscriber count with unlimited email sends on all paid plans—a major advantage over competitors that cap monthly emails. Annual billing saves 10%.
Free
Perfect for testing or very small lists
$0/month
- Up to 500 subscribers
- 12,000 monthly emails
- Email automation (rare for free tier!)
- Drag-and-drop editor
- Forms and landing pages
Best for: Nonprofits just starting email marketing or testing the platform
Growing Business
Most popular for small nonprofits
$10/month
- Starting price (scales with subscribers)
- Unlimited monthly emails
- Everything in Free tier
- Digital product sales
- Remove MailerLite branding
- 24/7 email support
Example: 1,000 subscribers = $10/mo | 2,500 = $25/mo | 5,000 = $50/mo
Advanced (RECOMMENDED)
Best value with AI features
$20/month
- Starting price (scales with subscribers)
- Unlimited monthly emails
- Everything in Growing Business
- ✨ AI Writing Assistant (GPT-powered)
- ✨ Smart Sending (AI send-time optimization)
- ✨ AI Subject Line Generator
- Dynamic content personalization
- Unsubscribe page builder
- Multiple users (up to 3)
- Priority 24/7 support
Example: 1,000 subscribers = $20/mo | 2,500 = $45/mo | 5,000 = $90/mo
💡 This tier provides the best ROI for nonprofits—AI features save hours monthly and boost results.
Enterprise
For large nonprofits (100K+ subscribers)
Custom pricing
- Everything in Advanced tier
- Dedicated success manager
- Custom integrations and onboarding
- Landing page builder
Free Trial: 14 days premium trial on all paid features, no credit card required
Annual Billing: Save 10% by paying yearly
Note: Prices may be outdated or inaccurate.
Nonprofit Discount / Special Offers
30% Nonprofit Discount
All verified 501(c)(3) organizations and international NGOs receive 30% off any paid plan.
How to Access:
- Select "nonprofit" during account registration
- Contact MailerLite support before purchasing a paid plan
- Provide official nonprofit documentation:
- US nonprofits: IRS 501(c)(3) tax exemption certificate
- EU nonprofits: Government-issued nonprofit registration documents
- Other countries: Equivalent official nonprofit status documentation
- Discount applied within 2 business days after verification
Estimated Savings:
- 1,000 subscribers (Growing Business):$36/year saved ($10/mo → $7/mo)
- 2,500 subscribers (Advanced):$162/year saved ($45/mo → $31.50/mo)
- 5,000 subscribers (Advanced):$324/year saved ($90/mo → $63/mo)
Additional Program:
Pay-It-Forward Initiative: MailerLite annually sponsors select nonprofits with 2-year free Advanced accounts. Applications open periodically—check their nonprofit page for current opportunities.
Pro Tip from One Hundred Nights:
Even with the 30% discount, double-check that MailerLite's pricing stays competitive as your list grows. For example, at 10,000 subscribers on Advanced plan, you're paying $140/month (after 30% off). At that scale, compare with Brevo or ActiveCampaign to ensure you're still getting the best value for your specific needs.
Learning Curve
MailerLite is consistently rated as one of the easiest email marketing platforms to learn. Winner of G2's "Easiest to Use" award in 2025.
Time to First Value
- Initial setup: 15-30 minutes (create account, import contacts, customize first template)
- First campaign sent: 30-60 minutes total from signup
- Comfortable with basics: 2-3 hours of hands-on practice
- Proficiency with automation: 1-2 weeks of regular use
Technical Requirements
- No coding required
- Comfort with Excel/Google Sheets for contact cleanup
- Basic understanding of email marketing (optional but helpful)
- Drag-and-drop interface—no design skills needed
Support Available
- 24/7 Customer Support: 97% satisfaction rate with 5-minute average response time on live chat
- Video Tutorial Library: Clear step-by-step guides for every feature
- Help Center: Comprehensive knowledge base with searchable articles
- Email Onboarding Sequence: Tips delivered to your inbox after signup
- Active Community: User forums and nonprofit-specific success stories
Why It's Beginner-Friendly:
MailerLite was built with simplicity as a core value (it's literally in the name). The interface is clean and uncluttered, the drag-and-drop editor is intuitive, and common tasks like importing contacts or creating campaigns are streamlined. Unlike platforms that overwhelm new users with dozens of menus and options, MailerLite reveals features progressively as you need them.
Real user quote (G2): "I'm not tech-savvy, but I had my first newsletter sent within an hour of signing up. The tutorials are short and actually helpful—not just feature demos."
Integration & Compatibility
Connects With
CRM / Donor Management
- • Salesforce (via Zapier or native)
- • HubSpot CRM
- • Pipedrive
- • Zoho CRM
Website / CMS
- • WordPress (official plugin)
- • Webflow
- • Wix
- • Squarespace
E-commerce / Payments
- • Stripe
- • Shopify
- • WooCommerce
- • PayPal
Automation & Integration
- • Zapier (5,000+ apps)
- • Make (formerly Integromat)
- • Airtable
- • Google Sheets
Signup Forms
- • Typeform
- • Jotform
- • Google Forms (via Zapier)
- • Built-in MailerLite forms
Analytics
- • Google Analytics
- • Facebook Pixel
- • Built-in MailerLite analytics
Platform Availability
- Web-based: Works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge (no software installation required)
- Mobile apps: iOS (14+) and Android (10+) for campaign monitoring and basic edits on the go
- Desktop: No desktop app (web-based only, which ensures always-latest version)
Data Portability
- ✅ Full CSV export of all subscriber data, custom fields, and segments
- ✅ Campaign performance reports exportable as CSV or PDF
- ✅ REST API access on paid plans for custom integrations and data extraction
- ✅ Email templates can be saved as HTML (some manual reconstruction required)
Migration consideration: Moving to another platform is straightforward—export contacts, recreate forms/templates in new tool. Automation workflows need manual rebuilding.
Integration Reality Check
✅ Easy Integrations (15-30 minutes):
WordPress plugin, Zapier connections, Stripe for payments, Google Analytics tracking
⚠️ Moderate Integrations (1-2 hours):
Salesforce sync (field mapping required), custom form embedding with styling, API setup for developers
Common Limitation:
MailerLite focuses on email marketing—it doesn't have built-in SMS, social media ads management, or CRM functionality like some all-in-one platforms (Brevo, ActiveCampaign). If you need those, you'll integrate via Zapier or use separate tools.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Best overall value: Significantly cheaper than Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or ActiveCampaign at most subscriber counts—especially with 30% nonprofit discount
- Unlimited emails: No monthly send caps on paid plans means you can communicate freely without worrying about overage charges
- Truly beginner-friendly: Easiest platform we've tested for nonprofit teams without dedicated email marketing staff—G2 "Easiest to Use" 2025 award winner
- Automation on free tier: Rare—most competitors lock automation behind paid plans
- AI features that actually help: Smart Sending, AI Writing Assistant, and subject line generation save hours and boost engagement
- Exceptional support: 24/7 availability with 97% satisfaction and 5-minute average response time—rarely seen at this price point
- Clean, modern interface: Not cluttered with features you'll never use—designed for email marketers, not enterprise IT teams
Cons
- Performance issues reported: Some users report slow page loads and laggy interface, especially when managing large campaigns or segments
- Strict account approval process: Can be frustrating for new nonprofits—anti-spam measures mean some legitimate accounts face delays or rejections during verification
- Limited advanced features: No SMS marketing, social media ads management, or built-in CRM—purely focused on email
- Design customization restrictions: Some users report text/image formatting limitations and glitches compared to more flexible platforms
- Fewer integrations than competitors: Solid selection but not as extensive as Mailchimp (300+) or ActiveCampaign (900+)
- May be overkill for micro-nonprofits: If you have under 200 contacts and send only quarterly newsletters, a simpler free tool might suffice
Bottom Line:
MailerLite excels at being the best value email marketing platform for small to mid-sized nonprofits. If you need email-focused marketing with solid automation, AI features, and don't want to break the budget, it's hard to beat. However, if you need an all-in-one marketing suite (SMS, social ads, CRM in one platform), or if you require highly advanced segmentation and multi-channel workflows, consider ActiveCampaign or Brevo instead.
Alternatives to Consider
If MailerLite doesn't feel like the right fit, consider these alternatives:
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Best for all-in-one marketing
More comprehensive platform with email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and built-in CRM. Volume-based pricing makes it 50%+ cheaper than Mailchimp for large lists (10,000+ subscribers). 15% nonprofit discount.
Choose Brevo if: You need SMS marketing, want all-in-one platform, or have very large email lists (20,000+ contacts).
Choose MailerLite if: You only need email marketing and want simpler interface with better ease of use.
ActiveCampaign
Best for advanced automation
Sophisticated marketing automation with 25+ AI agents, predictive sending, and complex multi-branch workflows. Steeper learning curve but more powerful for segmentation and personalization. 20% nonprofit discount.
Choose ActiveCampaign if: You have dedicated email marketing staff and need enterprise-level automation, CRM integration, and advanced AI features.
Choose MailerLite if: Your team wears multiple hats and needs something that "just works" without weeks of training.
Mailchimp
Best for brand recognition and integrations
Most well-known email platform with 300+ integrations and extensive templates. However, significantly more expensive than MailerLite (2,500 subscribers = $60/month vs $25/month). Limited automation on free tier.
Choose Mailchimp if: You need specific integrations MailerLite doesn't offer or your team is already trained on Mailchimp.
Choose MailerLite if: Budget is a concern and you want better value with similar core features.
Constant Contact
Best for absolute beginners
Simpler interface with excellent onboarding and nonprofit-specific templates. 50% nonprofit discount through TechSoup. Less sophisticated automation than MailerLite but easier for complete beginners.
Choose Constant Contact if: You're just starting with email marketing and want maximum hand-holding with setup.
Choose MailerLite if: You want beginner-friendly tools but with more growth potential and AI features.
Why you might choose MailerLite instead:
Best value for nonprofits focused on email marketing, more intuitive than ActiveCampaign, more affordable than Mailchimp and Constant Contact, includes AI features competitors charge extra for, and offers unlimited emails (unlike Mailchimp's 10x caps). If email is your primary channel and budget matters, MailerLite hits the sweet spot.
Getting Started
Your first 48 hours with MailerLite—actionable steps to see value fast:
1Sign Up & Clean Your Data
15-30 minutes
Create your free MailerLite account at mailerlite.com and select "nonprofit" during registration. Before importing contacts, spend 15 minutes cleaning your CSV:
- Remove duplicate email addresses (Excel: Data → Remove Duplicates)
- Delete invalid emails (look for "noreply@", missing @, etc.)
- Standardize formatting (consistent date formats, proper capitalization)
💡 Pro tip: Clean data = better AI insights from Smart Sending and segmentation.
2Import Contacts & Apply for Nonprofit Discount
30 minutes
Upload your cleaned CSV (Subscribers → Import subscribers → Choose file). Map your columns to MailerLite fields (email, name, custom fields). Before upgrading to paid plan, contact MailerLite support and request 30% nonprofit discount—have your 501(c)(3) certificate ready.
💡 Pro tip: Start on free tier to test, then upgrade to Advanced plan ($14/month after discount for 1,000 subscribers) to unlock AI features.
3Create Your First Campaign
45 minutes
Click "Create campaign" → Choose a nonprofit-friendly template (try "Charity Newsletter" or "Fundraising Appeal"). Customize with your logo, colors, and mission-focused imagery. Use AI Writing Assistant to draft compelling copy—try "Professional" tone for formal appeals or "Catchy" for volunteer recruitment.
Quick Win Test:
Send the same email to two small segments (50-100 people each): one at your usual send time (e.g., Tuesday 10am), one using Smart Sending (enable in campaign settings). Check open rates after 48 hours to see AI optimization impact.
4Set Up One Automation Workflow
30-60 minutes
Start simple: create a 3-email welcome sequence for new donors or volunteers. Go to Automation → Create workflow → Use "Welcome new subscribers" template. Edit emails, set delays (e.g., Day 1: Welcome, Day 3: Mission story, Day 7: Ways to get involved), and activate.
- Email 1: Welcome and thank you (send immediately)
- Email 2: Share impact story (send 3 days later)
- Email 3: Call to action - donate, volunteer, or share (send 7 days later)
💡 Pro tip: This one automation will save you 2-4 hours monthly on manual follow-ups.
What Success Looks Like After 2 Weeks:
- • Sent 2-3 campaigns with measurably better open rates than your old platform
- • One automation workflow running on autopilot (welcome sequence or post-donation stewardship)
- • Comfortable drafting emails in 30 minutes instead of 2 hours (thanks to AI Writing Assistant)
- • Saved $30-50/month on email marketing costs compared to previous tool
- • Confidence that your emails are reaching inboxes at optimal times (Smart Sending)
Need Implementation Support?
Setting up email marketing can feel overwhelming, especially when you're already stretched thin managing programs, fundraising, and day-to-day operations. If you'd like expert guidance getting started with MailerLite—from data migration to automation setup to campaign strategy—we're here to help.
One Hundred Nights offers implementation support tailored to nonprofits: quick setup assistance, template customization, automation workflow design, and team training.
Contact Us to Learn MoreFrequently Asked Questions
Is MailerLite free for nonprofits?
MailerLite offers a free tier for up to 500 subscribers with 12,000 monthly emails, which works for very small nonprofits. For larger lists, nonprofits get a 30% discount on all paid plans by contacting support and providing proof of nonprofit status (IRS tax exemption certificate or government documents).
How does MailerLite compare to Mailchimp for nonprofits?
MailerLite is significantly more affordable for most nonprofits—2,500 subscribers costs $25/month vs $60/month with Mailchimp. MailerLite offers unlimited emails on all paid plans (Mailchimp caps at 10x your subscriber count), includes automation on the free tier, and has a cleaner, more intuitive interface. Mailchimp has more advanced features and integrations, but MailerLite provides better value for email-focused nonprofits.
What AI features does MailerLite offer?
MailerLite includes an AI Writing Assistant (powered by OpenAI GPT) that generates email content, subject lines, titles, and CTAs with 4 tone options. Smart Sending uses AI to analyze subscriber behavior and automatically determine optimal delivery times for each contact. The AI Subject Line Generator creates 5 different options to boost open rates. These features are available on the Advanced plan and above.
Can MailerLite integrate with our CRM?
MailerLite integrates with popular nonprofit platforms including WordPress, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier (for connecting to 5,000+ apps), Shopify, WooCommerce, and Stripe. It offers a REST API for custom integrations on paid plans. Most integrations take 15-30 minutes to set up using native connectors or Zapier.
How long does it take to set up MailerLite?
Basic setup takes 15-30 minutes: create account, import contacts, customize a template. Your first campaign can be sent within an hour. Full proficiency with automation workflows typically takes 1-2 weeks of regular use. MailerLite is consistently praised as one of the easiest email platforms to learn, winning G2's "Easiest to Use" award in 2025.
Does MailerLite have good deliverability for nonprofit emails?
Yes. MailerLite maintains 89-92.7% deliverability through strict anti-spam measures including DKIM and SPF authentication, rigorous account approval processes, and proactive sender reputation management. They have a 97% customer support satisfaction rate to help with deliverability issues. As with any platform, your deliverability depends on list quality and email content.