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Do you know why you’re building an email list?

Serious question. Success is more than a number. It’s an outcome. An increase in list size isn’t an end-goal; 1,000

A beginner’s guide to email analytics

Most email broadcast systems come packed with standard analytics. Just to be clear, here’s what we care about: Recipient volume This is the

How much data do you really need to make segmentation work?

Imagine you’ve been asked to have an important conversation with ... ‘someone’. Chances are, you’ll be much happier to have that conversation if

Segmenting for ‘behavior’ vs ‘intention’

When it comes to targeting the best supporters for specific activities, many of us are using (or have used) the sub-list model.

Can you name your headline’s ‘value proposition’?

Okay, back up—what’s a ‘value proposition’? Think of your value proposition as the reason your reader should care about investing

How to write statistics for impact

A well-placed stat will add weight to your writing—particularly when it’s referenced with a credible source. When working with numbers, all care must

Here’s why you should be a rule breaker

Technology moves at light-speed. Every day, smart people are pushing the boundaries of digital design, user experience, and communication. If we hope

3 common segmentation mistakes

Segmentation gives digital communicators the power to reach the right people with the right message. The shift from a broadcast communication model to

This little trick will increase your conversion rates

Whether your call to action (CTA) is a button or a link, don’t get too clever. Speak directly to your supporter and tell

Buttons vs links: which converts more clicks?

If your action email has one job—to get your supporter to click through to a destination—then what’s the quickest way to get

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

Please, abandon your action lists

As changemakers, it’s our job to dream up all the ways our supporters can get involved to help our cause or win

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

Give your headline ‘consequence’

Of all the ‘rules’ out there for writing page headlines, this is the most transformative. If your headline sits on a petition

Has social media dethroned email?

Is email dead? Here’s what the data says... Some people question the relevance of emails in 2026. They ask, “Can’t we just rely

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!

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