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A ‘hero’ image is one that carries the most visual weight in your layout. Usually accompanying your headline, this is the image
Does this sound familiar? Back up your position with facts; the more reasons you can offer, the more persuasive your argument. Right?
Of all the ‘rules’ out there for writing page headlines, this is the most transformative. If your headline sits on a petition
Your reader trusts their own mind way more than they trust yours. No offense but it’s true. Knowing this, try to avoid
(Not in that way). Do you ever find yourself staring at your screen, wishing the thing you are trying to write was done
Who are your supporters? And what do they need from you to reach their potential as star advocates or loyal donors? You might
Imagine you’re at a party. There are plenty of new people you could meet and talk to. There’s a guy talking himself up.
It’s not hard to preach to the choir. Or to mount an argument so agreeable that it won’t offend or challenge anyone.
Call it what you will. It’s the idea that when we work together, we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. If achieving
What’s the magic number of emails you need to send to maximize supporter engagement and minimize fatigue?The answer is “five”. Kidding. It would
There’s more than one way to build an email list. The various types of digital assets you can use to attract people to
When you hear of organizations that have amassed millions of online supporters, the first question that often comes to mind is: where
In 2026, more emails are being viewed on iPhones than any other device. The average iPhone affords us a measly 41 characters
I know what you’re thinking. “Subject lines”. And you’d be right. Subject lines are hailed as the ‘be all and
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
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.
What 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.
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Free eBookAccept 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.
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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!
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