715. Working Session: The Email Infrastructure Every Nonprofit Needs - Katelyn Baughan

Innovation

Jun 8

Written By Jon McCoy

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Today’s Guest

Katelyn Baughan | Nonprofit Email Consultant, KB Digital

About This Episode

Katelyn Baughan is a nonprofit email infrastructure expert who has worked with UNHCR, Amnesty International, the Trevor Project, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. She specializes in building automated email systems that help nonprofits communicate consistently, convert donors, and build lasting relationships at scale. Katelyn believes email remains the number one driver of online fundraising success, and that most nonprofits are leaving serious money on the table by staying stuck in campaign mode.

What You'll Learn in This Working Session

The difference between email campaigns and email infrastructure, and why the infrastructure piece is what actually builds long-term donor loyalty
The three foundational automations every nonprofit should have running: subscriber welcome series, new donor onboarding flow, and monthly donor welcome series
What deliverability actually means (it's not the same as delivery rate), and how to use Google Postmaster Tools to find out if your emails are landing in spam

Powerful Quotes

"When most people think about email, they think about campaigns. Infrastructure is different. It's a system underneath the campaigns that's automated, always running in the background, responding to donor behavior and doing the relationship building work, even when you're not hitting send." - Katelyn

"Before any ask will land, donors need to feel known, valued, and connected to your mission." - Katelyn

"Think of it like plumbing. Nobody thinks about their plumbing when it's working. It just sort of runs in the background." - Katelyn

"When someone first joins your list, they're at really peak interest. They just raised their hand and said, I care about what you do. I want to learn more." - Katelyn

"Nonprofits are changing the world. People want to hear about it. Stop holding yourself back with the mindset that you don't want to bother people because they actually want to know what you're doing." - Katelyn