Unlocking Engagement: Email strategies for charities

In a landscape where inboxes are increasingly crowded, retaining audience engagement through email marketing is more important than ever for charities and Not-for-Profit (NFP) organisations.

During the DMA (Data & Marketing Association) UK Email Benchmarking Report launch event, the question of how charities could maintain this engagement and encourage further action beyond the first touchpoint was raised. Sparking a valuable conversation around the role email plays in achieving this goal.

Overview: The DMA Email Benchmark Report 2024

The DMA’s Email Benchmarking Report 2024 highlights the continuing importance of email as a channel, with a record 381 billion emails sent in 2023 which is a 14% year-on-year growth. For charities, email remains a crucial tool for direct communication with supporters, especially when budgets are constrained. However, this growth in email volume has led to increased competition for attention, with inbox saturation becoming a real challenge.

The report found that the Not for Profit (NFP) sector outperformed benchmarks in several key metrics (see yellow line below) such as a click-to-open rate of 5.7%, compared to the overall average of 4.1%. This shows that while open rates may be slightly below the benchmark (32.8% for NFP vs. 33.5% overall), those who do engage with charity emails are highly motivated to take action.

^{Charity benchmark performance overview}

This highlights the opportunity for charities to build on these strong engagements and guide their supporters toward a second action, whether it's donating again, volunteering, or advocating for change.

So, how can charities and NFPs retain audience engagement and drive those additional actions? Let’s explore some strategic approaches grounded in both benchmark data and real-world examples.

1. Broadening the Definition of Success

While donations are often critical, they are not the only way for charities to measure success. Supporters can contribute in various ways, such as volunteering their time, sharing information on social media, or advocating for policy changes by writing to their MPs.

Diversifying the types of actions you ask for in your email campaigns can help keep your messaging relevant and engaging. It highlights the multiple ways that a supporter can become involved as well as signposting the next best action to take.

Recommendation: Create varied email calls-to-action (CTAs). Vary campaigns not only asking for money, but also encouraging other forms of involvement, such as attending an event, signing a petition, or sharing content online. This diversification ensures that you are meeting supporters where they are most willing to help.

2. Rethinking Lifetime Value (LTV)

Lifetime value (LTV) is often viewed in financial terms. How much an individual donor contributes over their lifetime. For charities, this view should be expanded to include non-monetary actions, such as volunteer hours or advocacy efforts. By measuring both financial and non-financial contributions, you get a more accurate picture of a supporter’s overall value and engagement with your organisation.

A great example of this was The Royal British Legion and their “The Nation Says Thankyou” campaign. A DMA Awards bronze winner.

The campaign aimed not only to raise funds but also to engage a wide and diverse audience across generations and cultures. By broadening its focus beyond financial contributions, The Royal British Legion was able to build a much more holistic view of the value that supporters brought to the campaign.

Engaging Beyond Donations: The Legion didn’t just ask for donations. It encouraged the nation to get involved in creative ways of saying “thank you” to the generation that lived through World War One. This included actions like sharing stories, attending events, and interacting with educational programmes.

Multi-Channel Approach: By leveraging multiple channels including email, social media, experiential events, education, and fundraising, the campaign invited engagement across a wide spectrum of activities.

Valuing Non-Financial Contributions: With 620,000 unique visits to the charity's website and 55 million chances to see, it's clear that many of the campaign’s participants contributed by sharing content, attending events, or simply being part of the national conversation.

In this example, LTV is redefined to include both monetary and non-monetary contributions. By engaging younger and more diverse communities, The Royal British Legion broadened the scope of how it measured success. Every website visit, shared story, or event attendance contributed to the overall impact of the campaign, building a lasting relationship with the charity

Recommendation: Redefine LTV for your charity to include all forms of support, not just financial donations. Regularly analyse this data to better understand the full value of your supporter base and use these insights to tailor your email campaigns.

3. Defining the ‘Next Best Action’

To keep your supporters engaged over the long term, it’s crucial to anticipate what their ‘next best action’ might be, based on their previous interactions with your charity.

This requires a combination of data analytics and behavioural insights to segment your audience and craft emails that are relevant to where they are in their journey with you.

This great case study for JustGiving (best use of Email award winner) provides a strong example of how data and email marketing can be used to define the 'next best action' for supporters.

JustGiving's campaign centred around social notification emails that helped fundraisers reach more people, inspire action, and raise more money. These emails were carefully designed to guide users through their next logical step based on where they were in their fundraising journey.

Data-Driven Personalisation: JustGiving used technology to analyse millions of relationships and interactions across its platform, identifying the most relevant connections for each fundraiser. This allowed the campaign to recommend who the fundraiser should contact next, keeping the supporter journey personal and relevant.

Triggered Emails Based on Behaviour: The email strategy included automated messages triggered at key moments in the fundraiser's journey, such as:

1. Page Creation – notifying the fundraiser's network that a fundraising page had been created.
2. Milestone Reached – when the fundraiser reached 80% of their target or fully completed their goal.
3. Upcoming Events – notifying the network before the fundraiser’s event or updates on their blog posts.

Each email was tailored to the specific stage of the fundraising process, guiding supporters to take the next best action based on their previous engagement. This could be viewing the fundraising page, sharing it on social media, or offering a donation.

The results:

• 42% unique click-to-open rate showed that the emails were engaging and resonated with recipients.
• A 52% increase in donations compared to a control group that did not receive the notifications.

Recommendation: You can adopt a similar approach by using behavioural data to trigger personalised emails that guide supporters through their next logical step. Whether it’s donating, sharing a cause, or attending an event. This keeps the supporter journey flowing, leading to higher engagement and action.

4. Tailoring Messaging to Different Supporter Groups

Not all supporters are motivated by the same factors. Some may respond better to financial asks, while others are more driven by opportunities to advocate or volunteer. Tailoring your messaging to different segments of your audience ensures that your emails resonate with each group’s specific motivations.

There is a clear connection here between message, content and CTA.

Recommendation: Tailor your email content based on supporter demographics and past behaviour. Younger supporters may prefer shorter, action-oriented emails, while older donors may appreciate more detailed updates on how their contributions are making a difference. Segmenting your audience by these factors ensures your messaging remains relevant and engaging.

5. Standing Out in a Crowded Inbox

With inbox saturation becoming a real issue, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your emails stand out. According to the DMA Benchmark report, 78% of consumers are likely to engage with personalised emails that are relevant to their interests, and brands that treat consumers as individuals see higher engagement. This is especially true for charities, where the emotional connection to the cause can make or break a campaign’s success.

Recommendation: Ensure your emails stand out by using creative subject lines, high-quality imagery, and compelling storytelling. Test different formats and content types to see what resonates best with your audience, and don’t be afraid to experiment with personalisation to make your emails feel more tailored to the recipient.

Conclusion

Charities and NFPs face unique challenges when it comes to retaining audience engagement and encouraging second actions. However, as highlighted by the DMA benchmarks, charities are well-positioned to stand out through smart, personalised email strategies.

By broadening the definition of success, rethinking lifetime value, using data to guide supporters through their journey, and tailoring messages to specific groups, you can create email campaigns that not only engage but also inspire deeper, more meaningful interactions.

With inboxes becoming more crowded, it’s crucial to apply these strategies to cut through the noise. Charities that invest in personalisation, relevance, and data-driven actions will be able to foster long-term supporter relationships, ensuring sustained engagement and long-lasting contributions to their cause through a mix of donations, volunteering and advocacy.

Find the full 2024 Benchmark report here.

By Nick Crawford, member of the Email Council & Owner of Twist Consultancy