< Back to Results Personalization lifted email revenue in a big way The Challenge The Idaho Foodbank had a strong data team and a clean donor file, but their email engagement and revenue had been stagnant since the post-COVID dip. Their email platform didn’t offer an easy way to add recipient first names into emails. Without that basic personalization, all donor communications began with “Dear Friend.” This detail seemed minor but was likely affecting engagement. The Idaho Foodbank needed a low-lift way to improve email performance without completely overhauling their system. Our Role Data Management Digital The Solution RKD’s team collaborated with them to implement a simple but powerful personalization upgrade: first-name merge fields. Using internal expertise and AI research, the team discovered a workaround within their existing platform. Here’s how they made it work: Segment Setup: RKD’s team created a custom email segment using first-name data pulled from the client’s database. Accuracy Verification: Idaho’s team confirmed high data quality for accurate first names. First Deployment: The personalized format—“Dear [First Name]”—was first used in June 2025. Ongoing Monitoring: RKD continued monitoring deliverability to ensure performance remained strong and bounced any inaccurate records. The change required no A/B testing or large-scale creative revamp, just clean data and smart segmentation. The Results 14% lift in total online revenue from email in just the first two months 19% increase in fiscal year’s online revenue from just June alone With this small adjustment, the early results were tremendous: Email revenue rose to 14% of total online revenue in just the first two months of the new fiscal year, compared to 3% for the entirety of the previous fiscal year. June alone accounted for 19% of the organization’s total online revenue for the new fiscal year, a massive leap from the prior year. Minimal donor complaints: Only a handful of recipients requested updates to their name, improving data hygiene. Small changes can yield big results, especially when backed by strong data and a willingness to innovate. For nonprofits hesitant to invest in new platforms, The Idaho Foodbank’s success shows that even incremental tech improvements can lead to major impact. Feel free to reach out to us for our tech stack recommendations or review our guide on how to build a modern, adaptable fundraising tech stack. Click or drag to explore More Results View allView all Decade-long partnership leads to dramatic omnichannel growthRead more > Growing mid and major donors through direct mailRead more > Securing sustainable major giving with a match fund program Read more > Direct mail program overhaul drives net revenue, renews hopeRead more >
