The problem
Updates sent by BCC from a volunteer's Gmail take time, land in spam and make unsubscribes easy to lose. Building the list from paper sign-up sheets and sending in batches takes about 3 hours a month for 250 supporters. The Fundraising Regulator's code and PECR also expect a charity to email supporters only with their consent and to stop when they ask.
What the AI does
Brevo is an email marketing platform with a drag-and-drop editor, sign-up forms, contact segments and an AI tool for drafting email copy. Add a sign-up form to your website and events, so new supporters join the list themselves, and import only those who have already agreed to hear from you. Build one template with your logo, then each month write the update (or ask the AI tool for a first draft and rewrite it in your own words) and send it to everyone at once. Keep a note of when and how each person opted in.
A worked example
A small animal rescue charity in Lincoln has 250 supporters who have agreed to receive email updates. A volunteer sends one update a month with news, a rehoming story and an appeal.
Before
About 3 hours a month typing addresses, sending in BCC batches and handling replies
After
About 1 hour a month writing and sending one update from a template
What it's worth
About $40£30€36A$58C$56 a month in volunteer time saved, at no cost. 2 hours a month saved (3 minus 1), valued at an assumed $20£15€18A$29C$28 an hour: this is volunteer time freed rather than cash. Brevo's free plan sends up to 300 emails a day once Brevo approves the account, enough for 250 supporters in one send.
How to set it up
- Gather only supporters who have agreed to email updates, with the date and source of each consent.
- Sign up for Brevo's free plan and wait for the account approval Brevo's FAQ describes.
- Import the list, add a sign-up form to your website and use the same form on a tablet at events.
- Build one template with your logo, charity number and a short footer saying how to stop receiving emails.
- Write each update yourself or from an AI first draft you rewrite, check every fact and figure, then send.
What goes wrong
- Free emails carry Brevo's logo, and the free plan's limit is 300 emails a day. Past that, Starter is $8£6€7A$12C$11 a month, and logo removal is extra.
- Don't import old donor lists without consent records. The Fundraising Regulator's code and PECR apply to charity emails as much as to shops.
- AI drafts can invent outcomes or numbers. Every claim in an appeal must be true, so check it against your own records.
- Remove anyone who unsubscribes or asks to stop by reply, everywhere you keep their details.