Why Email Databases Are Valuable for Organizations

Your nonprofit's biggest asset isn't your endowment. It's your email list. Most organizations treat their email list like a newsletter distribution channel Smart organizations treat it like their most valuable asset. Your email list isn't just names and addresses. It's direct access to people who care about your mission. The organizations that grow aren't just building bigger lists. They're building better relationships with the lists they have. They segment their communications based on donor interests. They personalize content based on giving history. They track engagement, not just open rates. They treat every email as relationship building, not just information sharing. Pull up your last all-list email. If it's a one-size-fits-all message that could have been sent to anyone, you're wasting your most valuable asset. Your email list is worth $10-15 per subscriber annually if you use it well. Most organizations get less than $1 per subscriber because they use it poorly. Start treating your email list like the multi-million dollar asset it is. Because in a world of increasing acquisition costs, direct access to people who already care about your mission is priceless.

You wouldn't believe how many companies I've spoken to in the last year that have said they simply send emails without utilizing any historical engagement metrics from previous sends. 🤯 📨 This is a massive missed opportunity, as Email, SMS, and Push engagement data are extremely crucial to drive future engagement and ultimately create a meaningful impact using these channels. Leveraging Salesforce Data Cloud can transform how businesses utilize this valuable engagement data to not only enhance future campaigns but also to maintain a strong IP reputation, which is critical for successful email delivery. With Data Cloud, organizations can tap into historical engagement metrics—like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes—allowing them to tailor content, optimize send times, and avoid fatigue by sending to only the most engaged audiences. Neglecting these metrics risks damaging your IP reputation, as repeatedly sending emails to disengaged recipients can trigger spam filters and hinder deliverability. Data Cloud enables brands to make data-driven decisions, identifying inactive users for suppression to protect deliverability while ensuring that highly engaged users receive personalized, timely messages. #datacloud #email #deliverabilty #ipreputation

Nonprofits, stop neglecting your email list! Social media algorithms are fickle, but email is where real engagement happens. Nonprofits have an average email open rate of 53.21% - higher than any other industry benchmark. That’s compared to e-commerce at 31.08% and education at 35.23%. Click rates are also strong, averaging 9.17% - meaning almost 1 in 10 people actually take action. Yet, too many nonprofits rely on social media as their primary communication channel, despite organic reach being as low as 5%. Worse, platforms can change overnight (remember when Facebook wiped nonprofit fundraising tools in some countries or when TikTok was shut down in the US?). An engaged email list means: ✅ Direct access to your audience: no algorithm interference ✅ Higher conversion rates: donors and volunteers respond better to email than social posts ✅ Better long-term relationships: emails build trust over time If your nonprofit isn’t actively growing its email list, you’re missing out on your best digital fundraising and engagement tool. Prioritise it. Nurture it. Use it well. What’s worked best for you in building and engaging your email list? P.S If you want to learn more about how to build your email database I have a free online course. Link in the comments. *Statistics sourced from MailerLite's 2025 Email Marketing Benchmarks & Stats