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.

Show. Don’t tell.

Your reader trusts their own mind way more than they trust yours. No offense but it’s true. Knowing this, try to avoid

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

This is what happens when you address your reader as a ‘group’

SPOILER: it’s not good. Sure—you know you’re writing an email to 5,000 people. But your task is to make your reader feel like

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

New to SEO? Here’s what works in 2025. If the currency of the Internet is web traffic, then search engine referrals are money

One email. ONE ASK.

Sometimes, the purpose of an email can be simply to inform. But often, we’re trying to get someone somewhere. An action page. A

What’s the perfect subject line length?

In 2025, more emails are being viewed on iPhones than any other device. The average iPhone affords us a measly 41 characters

Avoid being an unknown sender

Most of us have a hard time keeping on top of emails from people we do know, to let alone give a second

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

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

Don’t be a hero (make your supporter the hero!)

I’m not saying don’t do heroic things. Keep that up! But when you’re telling your supporters a story of injustice, there’s only

How ‘why’ is the most important question you need to answer

What draws people to your cause? What motivated your supporters to take their first action? What did they feel when they first donated?

3 design cues that prime supporters for action

It can feel intuitive to place your action form elements at the end of your page—after your theory of change. However, your supporter

How NOT to use bold type...

Bolding the odd word or phrase can help skim readers catch key ideas you don’t want them to miss. It’s also great for

7 traits of a clear writing style

The education system taught many of us that long words and complex sentence structures are signs of sophistication. Un-learn this as fast

The TWO objectives you need to meet in every email

Every time you email your supporter, you’re doing much more than delivering a message. You’re cultivating a relationship. If

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!