Increase Impact and Engagement with Data-Driven Supporter Journeys
As fundraisers we know that understanding your supporters is the key to building lasting relationships and driving long-term value. But how do you truly get to know your donors, and how can data help you craft data-driven supporter journeys that engage, delight, and retain? At Woods Valldata’s expert panel webinar looking at Supporter Journeys and Thanking, leading fundraisers from Guide Dogs, Shelter and Sequoia Insights shared their experiences and practical tips for using data to power supporter journeys.
Main take-outs:
- Collect and use supporter data to help personalise your stewardship communications
- Include questions and surveys as part of building a relationship
- Think about supporter journeys from the supporter-perspective, not by department
- Test and refine
- Measure impact to help drive better decision making now and in the future
Data Creates Understanding
According to the Fundraising Bulletin from Third Sector, UK charities are seeing dramatic shifts in donor behaviour, with digital channels and data-driven approaches becoming central to growth. Charities that invest in understanding their supporters—who they are, what motivates them, and how they prefer to engage—are better equipped to deliver relevant, timely communications that build loyalty.
Because, although the bottom line is about raising income to fund the great cause you represent, fundraising isn’t just about asking for donations—it’s about building trust, nurturing relationships, and showing supporters the impact of their generosity.
Data is the foundation of this process. As Jessica Hosseiny, Head of Retention and Development at Shelter, explained, “Looking at what data you’ve got within your CRM is going to be key. Understanding donor motivations, giving frequency, and preferred channels is the foundation for building effective journeys.”
By collecting and analysing data on supporter behaviour as part of your charity response handling processes, you can tailor your communications, personalise your journeys, and ensure every interaction feels relevant and meaningful.
First Party Data: The Gold Standard
The panel emphasised the importance of first-party data—information collected directly from supporters. This includes details such as donation history, communication preferences, and causes of interest. “[You should ask] what causes are supporters interested in? What channels do they like to hear from us? You won’t get huge responses, but you’ll start to get some over time, and that can guide how you build out your journeys and what content you prioritise,” Jessica shared.
By asking the right questions at the right time—such as during a welcome journey or after a key interaction—charities can build a richer picture of their supporters and use this insight to drive engagement.
Andrew Sargent from Sequoia Insights explained, “segmenting supporters based on how they joined, their interests, and their engagement history allows us to deliver timely, relevant messages that really resonate. It’s about moving beyond one-size-fits-all communications and making every supporter feel valued.”
Personalisation: Making Every Supporter Feel Valued
Personalisation of your supporter communications is a proven strategy for increasing donor loyalty and retention. The panel discussed how data enables charities to move beyond one-size-fits-all communications.
By segmenting supporters based on how they joined, their interests, and their engagement history, charities can deliver timely, relevant messages that resonate.
This starts with thanking. Chris Allum, Head of Fundraising Products at Guide Dogs explained: “There’s a stat I found which says that four out of five people who give say that a beautifully crafted acknowledgement letter is all it takes to want to give again. So, with that in mind, I think as fundraisers we need to work a bit harder on thanking and go just as much into that as we do on the on the appeal, because I think it's so vital and sometimes overlooked.”
Testing, Learning & Optimising
Charities that continually test and refine their supporter journeys—using open rates, opt-outs, and cross-sell rates—are able to demonstrate the impact of their retention strategies and make smarter decisions about where to invest.
Testing helps charities find the sweet spot between individualisation and scalability. By analysing open rates, opt-outs, cross-sell rates, and other engagement metrics, fundraisers can continually refine their journeys and ensure they’re delivering maximum value.
Chris shared the process at Guide Dogs: “We look at historic lifetime value over the last five years, tracking donors we brought in and their ongoing donations, cross-sell, up-sell, breakeven and ROI at five-years. This helps us understand what is valuable for us from a lifetime value metric perspective and guides our decisions on where to invest.”
Overcoming Challenges: Silos and Resources
Mapping data-driven supporter journeys across teams and products can be complex, especially in larger organisations. The panel acknowledged the challenge of avoiding silos and ensuring consistency. “Everyone is excited about talking to as many supporters as possible, but that means supporters are getting a lot of messages and mixed messages. We want clarity over what is the right message, time, and channel,” Jessica noted.
Collaborative planning and centralised journey mapping help charities avoid duplication and ensure every supporter receives a seamless experience.
Measuring Success: Lifetime Value and Engagement
Data-driven supporter journeys will help retain your supporters. But you will need to demonstrate the impact of your activity – something which isn’t always easy when it comes to retention!
The panel uses tools to track historic lifetime value, break-even points, and ROI over five years. “If our donor retention is good and our average gift is good, it gives us more licence to push acquisition marketing harder,” Chris went on to say.
Engagement metrics—open rates, opt-outs, cross-sell rates—are also vital indicators of journey effectiveness. By tracking these metrics over time, charities can demonstrate the impact of their retention strategies and make data-driven decisions about where to invest.
Data as a Driver for Change
Using data in supporter journeys isn’t just about numbers—it’s about understanding people. The charities that thrive are those that put supporters first, embrace data and automation, and never stop learning. As the Supporter Journey and Thanking webinar panel demonstrated, the right data, used in the right way, can transform fundraising programmes and deliver lasting impact.
Whether you’re just starting out or refining a mature programme, remember: data is your ally. Listen to your supporters, collect insight at every opportunity, and use what you learn to build journeys that engage, delight, and retain—one well-timed, well-crafted message at a time.
Ready to Turn Insight into Impact? Partner up.
Establishing excellent data-driven supporter journeys is easier with the right partner. Woods Valldata’s Response Handling Services support large-scale fundraising programmes with data capture and fulfilment which is fast and accurate. For smaller and medium-sized charities, ResponseGo offers a simple, scalable, and affordable solution—making professional response handling accessible to all.
When it comes to thanking, SmartThank takes the complexity out of personalised thanking. With hundreds of variable text options, SmartThank ensures every supporter feels valued, driving loyalty and repeat giving.
And for the wider journey? Why not reach out to a specialist like Sequoia Insights who will help you develop a supporter journey that works for you and your supporters.
Contact Woods Valldata today to learn more about our Response Handling, ResponseGo, and SmartThank solutions. And don’t forget to watch our Supporter Journeys & Thanking webinar on demand for even more expert insights!
