The worst events can bring out the best in people.
You see it all over online:
Stories of people running into burning buildings to save children…
People crowdfunding an elderly Walmart employee’s retirement (a real story I saw the other day)…
The list goes on.
Businesses do the same thing, although it sometimes flies under the radar.
For example, when Hurricane Ian wrecked Florida’s west coast, a Tampa-based clothing company called Bearbottom decided to send some of its profits toward the relief effort.
And they used email to rev up the sales.
The interesting thing is the email was short. No heart-wrenching stories or lines upon lines of persuasion.
Just an announcement about the new charitable initiative and a CTA to buy.
Let’s take a look…
About Bearbottom
Bearbottom Clothing, or Bearbottom, is a Tampa, Florida-based online clothing store focusing on charity. Robert, the founder, first had the idea for Bearbottom after seeing poverty in Bangladesh and India on a business trip with his father.
Robert wanted to provide job opportunities and clothing in these countries, inspiring him to found Bearbottom.
Today, Bearbottom donates 1 school meal to a child in India for every order. At the time of writing, they’ve donated over 700,000 meals.
Prior to the meal charity drive, Bearbottom used to donate 1 pair of shorts for each order placed — and those shorts went to people in the communities from which Bearbottom hired. It’s unclear if they still do this, but they have donated 100,000+ pairs to date.
They got some good clothes. I have 3 (or maybe 4) pairs of shorts at the time of writing.
The Email: Short But Sweet Charity Email
This one’s a short one, but I think it’s worth looking at. It’s a good example of a brand using its copy for good — Hurricane Ian relief.
As I write this, Florida is still recovering from this monster of a hurricane. Being based in the Tampa Bay area, Bearbottom narrowly dodged the hurricane.
It’s only natural they’d use their knack for charity to help with the cleanup and aid efforts.
I think we can draw a few lessons from the copy, despite the length (or lack thereof).
Let’s take a look:
The Send Name: “Robert From Bearbottom”
Bearbottom’s sender name is usually “Bearbottom”. So this definitely catches the eye:
It preframes the reader for a more personal email, too. They know they aren’t getting a product announcement or a holiday sale email.
The Subject Line: A Note from the Founder
The subject line continues the personal-ness that the send name started:
This adds some curiosity, too, because it doesn’t allude to what the email will be about.
But when the founder weighs in, it’s probably important. That should clinch the open for many subscribers.
The Body Copy
The founder starts off by sincerely thanking the customer. And not just in a “y’all” sense, but he personally addresses me:
So the personal connection is established. But the founder doesn’t linger too long on the niceties.
Into the meat of the email:
Charity stands on its own as a reason to support a company.
But Bearbottom adds personality and emotional connection by reminding the reader that the affected areas are the company’s actual community. Plus, they reassure the reader that their regular charitable work will not stop.
What this implies is the company is directly cutting into profits to help. They can’t allocate money away from the other program, so profits or savings are the only places the new charity will come from.
That’s powerful. That shows they truly care. Who doesn’t want to support such a company?
That brings us to the last piece, the CTA:
They could have said, “consider supporting us by buying some clothes,” and done well, but I like the specificity.
This was sent in the Fall, so it only makes sense to suggest their colder-weather clothing.
Tie the email off with one more thanks and a signature, and you’ve got a short but sweet charity fundraiser.
Takeaways
Emails announcing this type of charitable drive don’t have to be too long. Bearbottom’s simply donating some profits of regular sales to hurricane relief.
The assumption here is that Bearbottom has an engaged list of buyers, giving them yet another reason to come back and purchase again. The customers know Bearbottom’s charitable initiatives and trust that the money will go to the right place.
So all they have to do is say, “hey, we’re sending some of your dollars to our fellow Floridians who need it.”
From a broad and purely business perspective, this obviously cuts into profits. But you can’t put a price tag on helping your community.
Well, I suppose you can — your customers will only grow more loyal to you.
What to Do Next
- Get on my email list using the signup form below.
- Reach out to me if you want help writing emails like this one.
- Check out Bearbottom if you want great clothing and love supporting charitable causes!