The role of personalised communication in retaining donors
Speak with any of our fundraising technology specialists, and they will all tell you that when it comes to personalised fundraising campaigns, 2025 is a BIG year.
Why? Because the fundraising technology required to deliver personalised communication has never been so good. Additionally, the level of interactivity facilitated by this new and emerging technology means that the quality of engagement charities can generate is like nothing the charity space has seen before.
But before we look at some of the personal fundraising tools available to UK charities, let’s explore why personalised communication is so effective when it comes to retaining donors.
Making donors feel special
Personalised communication builds deeper, longer lasting and loyal connections with donors. After all, who doesn’t want to be seen, valued, and heard at an individual level?
As a fundraising technology company that has been helping charities with their fundraising strategies since 2009, Cymba perpetually witnesses technology change. However, one thing that remains consistent is that when it comes to donor retention, a personal touch goes a very long way.
If you can demonstrate to a donor that you know what makes them tick, acknowledge the donations they’ve made in the past, and you can explain how their donation was used, you will build trust and loyalty. If you can do that, then you’re closer to the holy grail of fundraising: repeat donations.
Secondly, given how the cost of acquiring a new donor can be up to five times more expensive than keeping an existing one, the economic argument for delivering personalised communication, over and above simply securing more donations, is very compelling.
A Gen Z thing
Everyone prefers to be treated as a person rather than a data point, of course. But Gen Z is a particularly personal generation.
In fact, this cohort values authenticity, is digitally fluent, and places a high importance on personalisation and individualism. This is supported by a Statista report, which revealed that 21 per cent of respondents aged 18 – 24 liked mass communication that addressed them by name.
Looking at this in context with a Charity Times story, which covered a survey that revealed how one in three Gen Z donors have increased the amount they give to charities over the past two years compared to just one in six across all age groups, then Gen Z is not only the generation to acquire, but also the generation to retain.
Now we understand the value of personalisation, and know that Gen Z is a donor group worth securing, let’s look at some of the technologies addressing both aspects.
Fundraising technologies in 2025
There’s no question that when it comes to personal fundraising, SMS has been a stalwart for many years. Its continued success also means that it’s likely to stay in a fundraiser’s toolbox for many years to come, too.
However, Rich Communication Services (RCS) – an evolution of SMS – is already making an impact amongst the charity fundraising community for its ability to integrate imagery and videos, and enable donors to interact, in real time, with a charity.
With this multimedia format, the opportunities for personalisation are almost endless. For example, sending videos on topics you already know will resonate with individual recipients not only builds trust and loyalty as previously covered, but it also improves the donor experience.
WhatsApp is a great example of how RCS technology can be harnessed, not least for the fact that it has two billion users in 180 countries and has a conversion rate of 45 – 60 per cent compared to 2 – 5 per cent for emails and SMS.
Another relatively new technology is carousels, which also sits under the RCS umbrella. Here, a carousel containing up to 10 ‘cards’, all of which can contain a combination of images, videos, and buttons, can be personalised to each individual and issued at scale.
So, if you know that a donor of your animal charity has a particular soft spot for dogs, then you can not only use the carousel to deliver dog-based success stories, but also show them how their past contributions have helped.
Looking ahead
We’d argue that people always preferred the personal touch. However, the technology required to deliver it wasn’t available. Similarly, the data required to underpin this approach was never accessible.
Things have changed. Not only that, but Gen Z – the generation that is becoming an increasingly important donor demographic – has grown up in a digital world, so they not only prefer a personal approach, but expect it.
Personalised communication is undoubtedly essential in retaining donors. The trick now is understanding how the fundraising technology and tools available today can help you achieve that.
RCS success
Discover the impact of Rich Communications Services (RCS) by joining Cymba and its sister company, FirstClass, on 11 September for a webinar in partnership with the Institute of Legacy Management. We’ll explore how this emerging technology is transforming engagement around legacy giving.
