Get a free digital strategy tip of the week:
Unsubscribe any time. We respect your data. View the privacy policy.
Here’s how the internal dialog usually goes: “We’re torn. We see other organizations sending from individual people but how do we know if
It doesn’t matter if you’re writing an email, a blog post, or a tweet—the full gamut of attention-seeking and attention-keeping tactics apply. Social
Whatever you do—don’t just imagine your headline on your page itself. Consider how your headline performs without the rest of your page to
In 2025, more emails are being viewed on iPhones than any other device. The average iPhone affords us a measly 41 characters
The General Data Protection Regulation (commonly, GDPR) came into effect in May 2018. It impacts all businesses and organizations, everywhere in the world,
These folks are some of the most innovative and transformative communicators in (and beyond) our movement. And they’re on a mission to help
Who are your supporters? And what do they need from you to reach their potential as star advocates or loyal donors? You might
Well-designed email templates are greeeat. But even the best layouts can lull readers into complacency over time. Consider mixing up your formatting occasionally
Don’t undercut a great email by hiding it behind a poor subject line. These few words have the power to make or
Is email dead? Here’s what the data says... Some people question the relevance of emails in 2025. They ask, “Can’t we just rely
Don’t wait for supporter fatigue to set in before creating a plan to mitigate it. Nice idea, right? Most of us only recognize
It might seem too obvious to mention. But it’s critical that you’ve defined the objective of your email. Often, it’s to lead your
Let’s be honest, this stuff is hard. Never in human history has there been a communication medium more competitive than the Internet.
Think of digital pipelines as pathways that lead your supporters down progressively deeper levels of engagement. Without designing your pipelines intentionally, your supporters
Your organization and its communication style is unique. Defining it will consolidate expertise, build confidence, and help you and your co-communicators hone an
Don’t wait for supporter fatigue to set in before creating a plan to mitigate it. Nice idea, right? Most of us only recognize the threat of supporter fatigue after it’s infected our list. By that time, campaign, outreach, and fundraising potential has already taken a hit...
Shift to a proactive mindset. It should be possible to give your supporters a good experience from day one and build a rewarding, sustainable pattern of engagement. Having a solid retention strategy isn’t only good for you, it’s good for all of us. Most supporters subscribe to multiple lists—and fatigue is contagious. Poor engagement in one organization can harm the whole movement. Let’s fix this!
Why are supporters tuning out?
Your digital strategy shouldn’t only be designed to meet your needs; it needs to meet your supporters’ needs, too. If your supporters are switching off, that could be a sign that their needs are not being met. This symptom is pointing you to an underlying problem:
- Misalignment of asks to supporters’ interests
- Over-asking or under-asking
- Imbalance of action and reward
- Losing sight of what inspired them to join
- Lack of connection to the organization or to the movement
- A sense of hopelessness or poor visibility to impact or progress
The content you send, and the frequency you send it, will either mitigate or exacerbate these problems.
Unlock more digital strategy secrets.
Free eBookWhat it takes to fix (or prevent) an engagement problem
Engagement patterns—good or bad—take time to establish. Trying to course-correct them can feel a bit like steering a cruise ship with a kayak paddle. Be prepared for the need to make shifts in your digital communications strategy from an organization-centric mindset to a supporter-centric mindset. Less ‘take, more ‘give’. You’ll need to embed a near-obsessive level of empathy for your supporters’ experience into every digital touchpoint. A fatigued audience can be revived—but results will require consistency and a bucketload of patience.
Okay, now that I’ve sufficiently dampened your enthusiasm and calibrated your expectations, let’s get to work. Here are 14 time-tested strategies that will boost long-term engagement.
Accept that you will lose some people
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how incredible your retention strategy is, some people are just going to outgrow you. That’s okay. If all attempts to bring them back fail, let them go.
Put thought into your unsubscribe journey. Make it simple, but gracious (the quality of this interaction can increase chances that your supporter will re-join in future). Seek optional feedback from exiting subscribers to calibrate your assumptions. Pro-actively purge the ‘dead’ parts of your list to cut digital waste, safeguard deliverability, and maintain accurate engagement metrics. A solid list-building strategy will more than make up for the loss.
Was this tip useful?
How ‘why’ is the most important question you need to answer 
14 long-term engagement strategies that work 
Show. Don’t tell. 
Hi there! I’m Karen. I’m on a mission to reach my former self. Had I known 10 years ago what I know today, I could have achieved more good, made fewer mistakes, and had more weekends. Every time we share what works, we win faster. Let’s create digital experiences that move people — that grow our base and fuel our movements. Are you with me? Please share this with someone you know who wants to up their digital game!
Like this tip? Share it!
