You’re already bringing in supporters.
So why aren’t more of them donating again?
This Spring, I’m working with a small number of Heads of Marketing and Fundraising to improve how their email programme supports supporter retention and donations.
The focus is simple:
To help you get more value from the supporters you’re already bringing in — by improving how they’re engaged over time.
We’ll look at what’s happening now, identify where engagement is dropping off, and test changes in your live emails within the first few weeks.
No complex journeys, or a big overhaul
Just a small number of focused changes, built and tested together.
This is a 4-month piece of work, with the first changes live within 3 weeks.
But first, let me guess…You’re investing in acquisition.
People are signing petitions, joining your list, or taking an initial action because they care.
So on paper, things are working.
But a few weeks or months later?
Those same people are harder to reach. They’re less likely to click and even less likely to respond.
And when the next appeal lands, it underperforms, even though you’ve already paid to acquire those supporters.
Which means you’re not just losing engagement, you’re losing potential income from people who’ve already shown interest.
This isn’t because they don’t care…
It’s what happens after someone signs up
In most teams, there’s some good early follow-up.
Then things settle into the usual email rhythm: A mix of newsletter, campaign sends and whatever needs to go out that week.
Over time, those supporters end up receiving the same emails as everyone else.
So that initial intent gets diluted, and engagement starts to drop.
Why this matters right now:
Most teams are heading into a period focused on acquisition.
Spring and summer campaigns with lists growing ahead of autumn and end-of-year appeals.
But the context has changed.
Supporters are more cautious about giving.
Acquisition costs are rising (hello Meta’s new 2% location fee), and for many organisations, a larger share of income is now expected to come from end-of-year campaigns.
Which means the value of each supporter matters more than ever.
If what happens after sign-up doesn’t change, those new supporters will follow the same pattern:
Initial interest
A few emails
Then a drop-off in engagement
By the time you reach your end-of-year appeal, you’re relying on people who haven’t heard anything meaningful from you in months.
And that puts a lot of pressure on a single email campaign to perform.
What results can you expect
I’ve used this approach with just over 100 purpose-driven organisations since 2020 across causes ranging from health charities, membership organisations to youth organisations.
Theirworld saw 51% open rates and 300+ direct replies after their first test
Vegetarian Society achieved 65% open rates and 7.5% CTR
City of Trees have a 12% increase in organic subscribers through improved sign-up journeys
How it works
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We start with a focused audit of your email programme, looking at:
recent campaigns and performance
existing journeys and automations
how your email content is currently planned
The goal is to understand where engagement is dropping off, and how supporters are actually experiencing your emails over time.
From there, we run a workshop to reshape your approach — mapping a clearer post-signup journey and identifying where changes will have the most impact.
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We co-create 1–2 clear hypotheses based on what we’ve seen in the audit.
These are then applied to your live email programme — for example:
testing changes in structure, messaging, or timing
refining how different emails work together
introducing simple segmentation where it adds value
You’re not waiting months to see results — we get something live quickly and start learning from real behaviour.
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From there, we build on what’s working.
We review results, refine your hypotheses, and run further tests — helping you develop:
a more structured approach to email content
a clearer understanding of what drives engagement
and a more consistent way of planning and creating emails
So by the end of the process, you’re not just sending better emails —
you’re running a more intentional, repeatable email programme.
How we work together
You’ll work directly with me throughout the 4 months.
I lead the workshop, shape the strategy, and work with you to develop and review the tests so you’re not left trying to figure it out alone.
I’ll review what you’re sending as part of the testing process, so changes are happening in your live emails — not just in theory.
This might change how often you’re sending emails.
For some teams, that means moving beyond a single monthly send.
But because there’s a clearer structure behind what you’re sending (and why), it tends to reduce the back-and-forth, last-minute decisions, and overthinking.
So while the output might increase, the effort usually doesn’t.
Who this is for
This tends to work best if:
You’re actively acquiring new supporters
You have an email list of 5k+
You’ve seen engagement drop off over time
Your team doesn’t have capacity for complex journeys or heavy automation
Is There A Guarantee?
We’re applying this directly to your live emails, not building something in isolation.
So you’ll start to see how supporters respond within the first few weeks.
If we don’t see measurable improvements in engagement within the first 4 months, I will continue working with you for a further 60 days at no additional cost.
Sounds great Alex. How can I make sure we’re the right fit?
The best next step is a short call to look at your current email programme and whether this would work for your team.