A nonprofit email signature should name the person, say in one line what the organisation does, point to one donate or get-involved page, and carry the registration wording your charity regulator asks for. The last part differs by country, so this page shows what two registers say and leaves the rest to you.
The sources we opened in October 2026 are section 39 of the Charities Act 2011 on legislation.gov.uk (England and Wales), the Charities References in Documents (Scotland) Regulations 2007 on the same site, and GOV.UK’s page on signs, stationery and promotional material for limited companies. This is general information, not legal advice. The charities and people in the examples are made up.
Nonprofit email signature: five lines to check
- Person: name and role, as the organisation uses them.
- Mission line: one short sentence, no slogan you cannot back up.
- One action: a single donate or get-involved page.
- Registration wording: the register’s own words, in the footer.
- Company details: only if the charity is also a registered company.
What the registers say about a nonprofit email signature
A nonprofit email signature is not exempt from the rules that apply to any other letterhead. Two charity registers we read say different things, and a third source covers charities that are companies.
| Place | Source | What it says | What it does not say |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Charities Act 2011, s.39 | A registered charity whose gross income in its last financial year exceeded £10,000 must state, in legible characters, that it is registered. It applies to notices, advertisements and other documents soliciting money or property, and to bills, invoices and receipts. | It does not require the registered number. The text we read does not mention electronic documents. |
| Scotland | Charities References in Documents (Scotland) Regulations 2007 | A charity on the Scottish Charity Register must state its registered number, its registered name, any other name it is commonly known by, and that it is a charity if the name lacks that word. The list of documents includes “business letters and e-mails”. | We opened the regulations as made in 2007. Later amendments may exist, so confirm with the Scottish charity regulator, OSCR. |
| UK limited companies | GOV.UK stationery page | Business letters, order forms and websites must show the company’s registered number, registered office address, where it is registered and its limited status. | The page does not mention charities or email. |
Read the table together. Scotland names email outright. England and Wales speaks of “documents”, and the page we opened marks the section as applying to England and Wales only. If your charity is also a limited company, the company rules apply to the company side. Our article on UK business email legal requirements goes through what those rules do and do not say about email.
Nonprofit email signature template 1: a charity in England and Wales
Section 39 asks for a statement that the charity is registered, and says nothing about a number. Most charities add the number anyway, so people can look it up. That is our habit-based suggestion, not something the Act requires. The donate link sits in the website line.
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Template 1: aligned layout with a mission line, a donate page and a registered-charity footer. The charity, number and person are made up.
Notes on the template:
- Mission line: the tagline holds one plain sentence. “Hot meals for neighbours in need” says who and what in six words.
- Donate link: the website line points to the donate page, not the home page, so a supporter lands where they can act. A signature has room for one link, so choose between donate and home.
- Footer: “registered charity” is the statement section 39 describes. The Act ties it to an income above £10,000, so if you are below that, ask the Charity Commission what it advises.
- Number: use the one on the register, and copy it, do not retype it.
Nonprofit email signature template 2: a charity in Scotland
The Scottish regulations ask for more: the number allocated by OSCR, the name as entered on the register, and, where the name does not include “charity” or “charitable”, a statement that the body is a charity. The regulations name business letters and emails in their list of documents. The footer is therefore not optional decoration for a Scottish charity.
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Template 2: executive layout with the name, number and charity statement in the footer. The charity and number are made up. Use OSCR’s wording, not ours.
What to copy: the full registered name in the footer, matching the register. What to check: the exact words the regulations specify for the “is a charity” statement. We did not read those terms in full, so take them from OSCR.
A minimal banner variant for a nonprofit email signature
Some nonprofits want a banner. A wide image costs more than it gives: it can be blocked, it can go out of date, and it pushes the signature down the screen. A middle path is a wide logo tile above the text, which behaves like a small banner and still leaves the words readable. Our email signature banner guide covers sizes, hosting and alt text if you want a real campaign banner.
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Template 3: centred layout with a wide logo tile above the text and default social icons. The organisation and person are made up.
Why it works: the tile is one picture, the text carries the meaning and the link goes to a give page. What to watch: the default social icons add three more pictures, so remove the ones you do not use.
Who gets which nonprofit email signature
A charity email signature on the CEO’s account is not the same job as one on a volunteer’s. This table is our rule of thumb, based on what each reader needs.
| Sender | Name and role | Registration footer | Donate link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trustees | Yes, with “Trustee” | Yes | Optional |
| Volunteers | Yes, with “Volunteer” | Yes, if they write for the charity | Optional |
| Shared mailbox such as info@ | Team name | Yes | Yes |
The point of the footer column is simple: if you decide a nonprofit email signature carries the registration wording, make it identical for everyone who writes on the charity’s behalf, so it is not left to individuals to type. That is where a shared design helps, because nobody edits the footer.
Beyond England, Wales and Scotland
We found no regulator page of the same kind for other countries in this research, so we say nothing about them. If you run an NGO email signature template for another country, search your regulator’s site for words like “charity name”, “documents” and “registered number”. Look also at the company registry, because many NGOs are incorporated bodies. For company registration details by country, see our article on the company registration number in an email signature.
Rolling out the nonprofit email signature
In emailfooter the admin sets the layout, the mission line, the donate link and one legal footer. Each person edits their own name, role and phone. Everyone installs it by following the steps shown, since emailfooter does not push signatures into mailboxes, and the tool is English-only for now. For a small team, our simple email signature guide shows how little you need. If you want a house style to enforce, see how to write email signature brand guidelines.
A good nonprofit email signature is quiet. It names the person, says what you do, gives one way to help and shows the registration wording your regulator expects. Check that last line against the register itself, not against a template, including this one.
Frequently asked questions
What should a nonprofit email signature include?
The person’s name and role, a one-line mission, one donate or get-involved link, and the registration wording your regulator asks for. Add company details only if the charity is also a registered company.
Does a charity email signature need the registered charity number?
It depends on the register. The England and Wales section we read asks for a statement that the charity is registered and does not require the number. The Scottish regulations we read require the registered number on listed documents, which include emails.
Should an NGO email signature have a donate button?
A plain link works better than a button image, because pictures can be blocked. Use one link to the donate page and keep the text readable without any picture.
Can volunteers use the nonprofit email signature?
Yes, if they write on the charity’s behalf. Give them the same footer, and a title such as “Volunteer”, so it is clear who they are.
Where does the charity registration wording go in a charity email signature?
Put it in the footer below the contact lines, in small type. Copy the words from your regulator’s guidance rather than from another charity’s email.
Keep reading
- Email signature banner: sizes, hosting, alt text and when to retire it: An email signature banner done right: Google’s size limits, hosting options, an alt text pattern, a clutter-risk table and a rule for when to remove it.
- Company registration number in your email signature: where it is required: Company registration number in email signature: what UK, South African, Mauritian, OHADA and Nigerian sources say, which name email, and where we found none.
- Simple email signature: 10 minimal examples that still look professional: A simple email signature is read before it is noticed. Ten minimal examples from two lines to six, as plain text you can paste, and three drawn in rich text.
- Email signature brand guidelines: a one-page template you can adopt: Email signature brand guidelines you can copy: a fill-in table for fields, fonts, colours, logo, links and banners, with a worked example and a review routine.
Make every signature in your company match
emailfooter is a free WordPress plugin. You design the signature once, and each person adds their own details and installs it in their mail app. Prefer not to run a website? emailfooter Managed is the same software, hosted for you.