You might already have a few automated email journeys running — a welcome series here, a thank-you journey there — and they’re probably pulling their weight. But they could be doing a whole lot more.
Strategic, segmented, automated email journeys aren’t just digital niceties — they’re behind-the-scenes powerhouses driving donations, engagement, and action 24/7. They allow your team to focus on your big campaigns – not to mention the day-to-day work of running an organization that is doing good in the world.
And here’s the good news: Automations don’t need to be long, complex, or resource-heavy to make an impact. The most effective ones are often simple – designed to connect with the right people, at the right moment, with just the right message.
At Blue State, we’ve seen personalized, targeted email series outperform one-size-fits-all blasts to full lists – sometimes by a significant amount.
So here are 14 ideas to let you set it and forget it by taking your automations and journeys to the next level:
Engagement-focused automations
What: Prospect conversion journey
Who: Your prospects — whether that’s 6 months or 12 months or more — who have not yet taken an action with you (donated, engaged).
Why: Top-performing evergreen actions — especially lower-barrier actions like signing a card or taking a short survey — can keep engagement going during or outside of big news moments.
What: Welcome back series for reactivated supporters
Who: Anyone who comes back from a lapsed status
Why: This is a chance to remind supporters of who you are and why they should pay attention to you. Share recent wins, current challenges, and a warm welcome back – a quick reminder of why they joined your mission in the first place.
What: Pre-lapse reactivation for activists
Who: Anyone reaching your org’s definition of lapsed for activists
Why: Keep your activists activated. Provide an evergreen low-barrier action to remind them of why they care. Or provide a short questionnaire to see what they are interested in.
What: Daily engagement automation
Who: Small subset of the list
Why: The news cycle isn’t always built for action. Give your community a chance to engage. This could be a survey, a one-click questionnaire, a true-or-false quiz — make it easy and quick for supporters to get back into the fold.
What: Issue-specific automation
Who: Anyone who has not engaged with an issue
Why: Some important issues can get lost in the noise. It doesn’t mean your organization isn’t working on it, but it might not fit into a regular email cadence. Through automation, you can find new supporters who care about or are affected by a specific issue. Again, low-barrier actions tend to work best.
What: Thematic welcome series
Who: People who donate to a specific issue or emergency
Why: Yes, a fully built-out and optimized welcome journey for every single issue you work with sounds amazing, but we know time and resources are often stretched. If this isn’t realistic, at least ensure the first email and any follow-up donation asks in the series are aligned to the issue they originally gave to.
Fundraising-focused automations
What: Sustainer reactivation journey
Who: Any sustainer who manually canceled a gift 6+ months ago
Why: Finances change. Give supporters a chance to come back. This could be a straight ask or it could be a survey to gather their thoughts on your organization – with a post- survey sustainer ask
What: Sustainer lapse prevention
Who: Any sustainer whose gift fails to process because of card number or expiration
Why: Default processor messages can feel cold or get missed. Make your message personal and heartfelt to keep sustainers from churning.
What: Sustainer upgrade automation
Who: Any sustainer giving for 1+ years
Why: A one-year anniversary is a great moment to express appreciation and ask them to increase their gift — especially with rising program costs. Celebrate them and show the difference they’ve made.
What: Sustainer retention journey
Who: Sustainers who are nearing your organization’s median length of gift retention
Why: Many organizations hold sustainers out of emails to prevent overloading them with information. But sustainers are invested in the work. Treat them like partners. Provide sneak peeks, exclusive updates, small thank-you gifts, or ways to provide feedback.
What: Recurring ask
Who: First-time donors who gave 15-30 days ago
Why: You’re still on these supporters’ minds. Share an update on what their money could have done or supported since it was sent your way. Then ask for that support every month.
What: Multi-gift acknowledgement
Who: People who have given multiple gifts within two years
Why: These are your most engaged and valuable donors. People who are giving multiple gifts within two years deserve a special acknowledgement. An automated journey that thanks them at the point of each additional donation can help to nurture and illustrate the difference a monthly gift can make.
What: Abandoned shopping cart
Who: Anyone who lands on a donation form but doesn’t make a gift
Why: People get distracted! Follow up and see if they want to make a gift. This is a nice way to bring in some additional revenue in the background.
What: Birthday or donor anniversary automation
Who: People with something to celebrate
Why: Who doesn’t love a reason to celebrate? If you have data on your donors’ birthdays, or the month of their birthday on file, set up an automated journey that celebrates them. You could even find a beneficiary who has a birthday in the same month to help make a connection between the donor and your cause. Encourage them to set up a Facebook fundraiser for their friends to contribute to. No birthday data? No problem! Celebrate the day they first gave to you and all you’ve achieved together in the year.
Want some help making these automations come to life? Get in touch with us!