How to re-engage lapsed donors with email mapping campaigns

In modern marketing platforms, there are a lot of tools for reaching people you’ve never met. But there’s also a time and place to reach out to people you know all too well.

How does your nonprofit re-engage lapsed donors? Through emails? Have you ever tried display ads?

Email mapping campaigns serve display ads (the type of banner ads you see when you’re reading the news or checking on the weather) to an email list that you upload to the platform.

If you’re the type of nonprofit that knows precisely who you want to reach with your messaging — like lapsed donors — email mapping campaigns are about the most direct way (short of sending an email) for getting your message right in front of them.

What’s so special about email mapping?

You may be asking yourself: “Why would I want to serve display ads to people I can already send an email to?” That’s a great question, but there are a few opportunities where this type of campaign really shines.

Maybe you have people who’ve unsubscribed from your emails. You still have their email address, but sending an email would likely be frowned upon. This is an excellent place for email mapping campaigns. 

They likely unsubscribed because they needed to free up the inbox a little bit (we’ve all been there!) — not because they don’t want to partner with your nonprofit anymore. So serving them an ad about your work as they’re browsing the web may be the most strategic way to get these people back in the fold.

But email mapping campaigns don’t only have to be to unsubscribers. 

You may kick off a new campaign with an email, but all of us often need a few nudges before we take a leap. And think about those crazy people who have an inbox of 12,586 unopened emails (or am I the crazy one with 0?). You may want to try a different tack with that group.

By reinforcing your email marketing with nonprofit digital advertising, you’re able to double down on your messaging and connect it all to your visual branding. On LinkedIn, some people are arguing that today it requires 28.87 touchpoints before someone buys from a brand (or in your case, think donation!).

And think about how lapsed donor campaigns can get a boost with email mapping. They’re sure to see that email in their inbox (that is, unless they have 15,342 other unopened emails), but how can you remind them with a bit more flair? Oh yeah, a display ad!

How to email map

Now that every single one of us is on the same page about how great email mapping is, let’s run through how easy it is to set up a top-notch email mapping campaign.

1. Segmentation: An email mapping campaign is only going to be as effective as the email list that it targets. If you have a clean list of recent givers or lapsed donors or volunteers, you’re ready to go. If you don’t, do the spring cleaning today so your campaign is a whole lot more effective.
2. Upload: Plug that email list into a platform that allows you to run CRM retargeting for nonprofits (or as we call it, email mapping).
3. Get creative: Now add that flair! Drop in some of your best ad creatives, showcasing what your nonprofit does! And because you know exactly who’s going to see these ads, make sure you cater the ad and its copy to the unique audience you’re talking to. This is going to make the ads really pop!

So much of the power of display advertising is the opportunity to get your visual branding in front of your audience. It’s essential that these small ads pack a big punch. 

They need to capture attention immediately and communicate the importance of the work you do, and people who see your ads need to know what their next step is. So make sure the call to action is crystal clear (think: “donate today” or “register now”).

If you want even more ideas for building out those creatives, check out this article on building irresistibly clickable digital ads.

In Feathr, we see a lot of clever nonprofits using email mapping campaigns to increase visibility for their upcoming events or donation drives, and here are just a few great examples besides lapsed donors:

• Annual campaign reminders for GivingTuesday or near year-end.
• Event follow ups saying thank you or making a direct ask.
• Member retention campaigns around the time of renewal (or after they’ve lapsed)

And did we mention that you can do these same types of ads in Meta? So instead of hoping that Meta will find your audience for you, you can tell them exactly who you want to serve ads to.

Advertising isn’t magic

It really does feel like magic when an ad follows you around the web for something you really want. Or when an ad reminds you that you’ve waited over a year to give a donation to that organization that you’re really invested in.

But even though it feels like magic, it really isn’t. It’s all about setting up smart and well-built advertising campaigns, and leveraging the newest technologies when you do so.

If you don’t have access to CRM retargeting for nonprofits or email mapping campaigns, we would love to talk about how Feathr can help you reach out to well-known or new audiences today. Schedule a demo and learn more today!