Our pilot, USA for UNHCR explored whether monthly reminders could enhance donor engagement and boost recurring giving. Overall, we found that frequent touch points could trigger a dopamine response, motivating donors to give more consistently. Monthly donors often receive less content after their initial gift since donations process automatically. We wanted to test whether personalized reminders could keep donors feeling connected and “good” about their impact.

The initial test in January 2024 targeted lapsed monthly donors and those giving <$40 annually. This group, however, showed no response, resulting in $0 across test and control groups. A refined test targeted non-monthly donors giving <$1,000 annually, incorporating both SMS and email communication. The test was well-structured with a clear timeline, using both control and test groups. Robust robust demographic and behavioral data were captured, enabling a detailed analysis of donor profiles. The test group gave slightly higher average gift amounts, indicating some value in the reminder strategy. There were no meaningful differences between test and control groups in open rates, click-throughs, or donation volume.

Key Statistics

• Our total audience reach was 29,000 (22,000 through email) and (7,000 through SMS)
• The average gift size was notably higher for test group donors ($78.53), compared to the control group ($70.73), but this was statistically insignificant. This ROI was modest, but was comparable to the early stages of other test-and-learn fundraising programmes.
• The average donor had been on file for 8.5 years, showing that this approach can still activate long- standing supporters in many new ways.

What we would have done differently

1. We would have tailored our channel strategy more effectively to match audience behaviour. Since the majority of our donors were aged between 65 and 84, we should have used email, while SMS could be reserved for testing with younger, more mobile- engaged segments.
2. We would also refine the messaging. Somo donors made monthly gifts even when directed to one-time asks, suggesting that the language was not clear enough. Clearer distinctions between options would reduce confusion.
3. Enhance the SMS opt-in offer. With only 0.1% opting in, the value proposition was not strong enough. Thus, providing a more compelling reason to sign up, such as exclusive updates or recognition, could help improve engagement.

Long term fundraising and navigating a changing landscape

When looking at our organisation’s long term fundraising strategy, the pilot highlighted the importance of tailoring channel use to donor preferences and testing new forms of engagement like opt-in SMS reminders. While the immediate results weren’t statistically significant, the pilot validated the potential of lightweight, recurring prompts to maintain donor engagement and increase average gift size. This pilot didn’t result in implementing it on a wider scale. 

Due to the increasing demands of humanitarian programmes, we are facing a tougher fundraising environment. As a result, if we were to carry out this pilot again it is important that it is sustainable and has cost-effective donor engagement strategies. We would do the following things differently:

• Priorise long term donors who showed some ongoing engagement, rather than deeply lapsed or low-dollar segments that yielded little return.
• Email would remain the core channel for older audiences, while SMS would be used more strategically, possibly only during emergencies, when urgency is high and attention is easier to capture.

Advice for Reimagining Fundraising Members

Keeping peer learning at the heart of Reimagining Fundraising we would advise other members to tailor their approach to their actual audiences (rather than the ideal one). We learned that channel preference and messaging clarity can make or break results, especially with older or less digitally active donors. Also, don’t wait for perfect conditions – just start testing as even small experiments can generate valuable insights.