Get a free digital strategy tip of the week:

Name Email
privacy policy.

We respect your data. View the privacy policy.

Unsubscribe any time. We respect your data. View the privacy policy.

Never assume anyone knows what you’re talking about

Imagine you’re seeing a 25% open rate on your emails. That means whenever you send a broadcast, 3 in every 4 recipients will

Articulate your ‘Theory of Change’

You might know definitively that your call-to-action (CTA) is the single-most strategic thing your supporters can do today to help your cause.

Beat the curse of knowledge

The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that leads us to overestimate the knowledge of our audience. If you allow this curse

A beginner’s guide to SEO (search engine optimization)

New to SEO? Here’s what works in 2026. If the currency of the Internet is web traffic, then search engine referrals are money

How (and when) to build a geo-fence

If you’ve ever been annoyed by a website that stopped you from watching a video because you’re in the ‘wrong’ country ... you’re

Why we need to stop thinking about email as a ‘broadcast’ medium

Think of a radio tower. Broadcast signals beaming far and wide. Most people think about email broadcasts this way. Please don’t think

What’s a “Crisitunity”?

We have Homer Simpson to thank for the term that perfectly describes a communication model that turbocharges action requests with urgency. Because

Why you need to stop talking about yourself

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.

When to tell your ‘movement story’

Call it what you will. It’s the idea that when we work together, we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. If achieving

12 proven ways to personalize your broadcast emails

If we want to get the most out of email, we need to make it personal. If every message we send sounds

Segmenting for high and low engagement

The needs of supporters at opposite ends of the engagement spectrum are very different. So are the opportunities. If you are tracking your

Formatting for skim readers: essential tips

Here’s an important piece of digital communication that you’ve probably never read: Few of us pay attention to stuff like

A beginner’s guide to digital pipelines

Think of digital pipelines as pathways that lead your supporters down progressively deeper levels of engagement. Without designing your pipelines intentionally, your supporters

Don’t let these ‘cognitive biases’ hurt your conversion rates

Cognitive biases are powerful mental distortions that affect the way we think and behave. They are so powerful that they can lead

A beginner’s guide to automated supporter journeys

What if you could say the right thing, to the right person, at the right time (while you sleep)? The future of communications

Pro Tips

Email Tokenization: What Is It?

2
Minute read
Email Tokenization: What Is It?

A token is a little snippet of encoded data that identifies a supporter and can be attached to links in your email broadcasts. When someone clicks on a tokenized link from an email to your website, your website can re-discover who that supporter is and continue to deliver a seamless, personalized experience. Your email broadcast system, website, and CRM will need the ability to ‘talk’ to each other to pull this off.

Email tokenization processThe tokenization process

Tokenized links let you do all sorts of neat stuff

  • Pre-fill any form fields using known contact details, enhancing data integrity and completion rates.
  • Personalize landing pages (e.g. address your supporter by their first name).
  • Match the content of an appeal to your supporter’s contribution level (e.g. if your supporter is a monthly donor you can personalize any fundraising asks to reflect their ongoing gift and offer them an upgrade form with tailored dollar handles; a non-donor hitting the same page might see a monthly pledge form and a different ask).
  • Literally anything you know about your supporter can be used to enhance personalization on your website.
Karen Nilsen

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!