Award-winning
Innovation
in
Online
Fundraising:
COVID-19
and
Email
Deliverability
To effectively share John Hickenlooper’s unique story with a broad audience, we recognized the need to build a strong database of supporters. To achieve this, our team employed an aggressive acquisition strategy that leveraged Facebook advertising, Google search ads, and bulk buys to generate nearly 3 million new email addresses, raising John’s profile nationwide.
Maintaining a clean and effective email list was critical to our email deliverability success. We prioritized list hygiene by cutting inactive names, running deliverability tests multiple times per week, and carefully segmenting our list to improve inbox placement rates. Rather than keeping new names on the list for an extended period, we quickly cut unengaged subscribers to maintain list quality.
As the election approached and competition for inbox space intensified, we adjusted our audiences to prioritize recent openers and sent only our best-performing emails to a wider audience. We also segmented users who were important to the campaign and email addresses from Colorado to ensure appropriate and optimal email cadence across all segments.
Our digital marketing plan and fundraising program’s foundation was built on genuine relationships with supporters, reflecting John’s personality. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, we integrated empathetic, compassionate messaging into our program seamlessly. We were the first major email program in politics to ask recipients if they wanted to pause our emails during the pandemic, while still creating space for those who could donate.
By cultivating authentic relationships early on, our list trusted us — making them more receptive to our messaging, even during the pandemic. Additionally, we initiated a recurring thank you email (featuring a classic gif of John cheers-ing) to every donor who contributed via email, which was well-received by both low and high-dollar donors. The thank you email helped to strengthen relationships with our supporters, increasing their likelihood of donating again in the future..
