CustomersHope for the Future
How this charity grew their list by 14% and beat two donation targets, after switching from Mailchimp
About the customer
Hope for the Future bridges people and politicians to collaborate on positive change for communities and the climate.
Hope for the Future equip citizens with the skills, knowledge and confidence to work with politicians on the issues that matter most.
Enabling people to have a say in environmental decision-making, they are the UK’s only charity dedicated to training and supporting people to engage in effective and constructive conversations with their local politicians on climate and nature.
We’d been using Mailchimp for years, so moving felt like a leap. EcoSend's team walked us through it and within a few weeks we were running campaigns that performed better than anything we'd done before. The switch paid for itself in our first donation drive. We're a small team and don't have hours to wrestle with software. EcoSend is intuitive enough that I can plan, build and send a campaign in an afternoon, and when I do need help, the support team actually responds.
Jessica Parish
Interim CEO
The challenge
Hope for the Future previously used Mailchimp to send out newsletter and donation campaigns, but were increasingly frustrated by pricing complexity, and lack of support.
In addition, the team were drawn to EcoSend’s sustainability ethos and work with other non-profit organisations. They felt a deliberate act of choosing a climate-conscious email platform would better reflect their mission and values, whilst also resonating with their audience.
Between 2025 and 2026, the team had ambitions to significantly grow their newsletter audience, not to mention the launch of two major donation campaigns; ‘The Big Give’ and ‘Earth Raise’. The campaigns targeted donation totals of £10,800 and £10,000 respectively.
Hope for the Future chose to switch from Mailchimp and partner with EcoSend in 2025, in order to help them hit their ambitious targets while addressing the frustrations they had experienced with their previous email provider.
We were at 35% with 48 hours to go on our ‘Earth Raise’ campaign. I sent one direct appeal through EcoSend and within a day we'd jumped to 63%. Knowing the platform would deliver that message into inboxes at the moment it mattered most is the kind of thing you only really appreciate under pressure.
Jessica Parish
Interim CEO
Results
The key to successful donation campaigns began with Hope for the Future's data capture and segmentation.
Via a sign-up form, embedded into their website with EcoSend’s assistance, they channeled interested website visitors to provide their email address, and agree to receiving communications about future campaigns.
Through this entry-point to their marketing funnel, Hope for the Future have grown their audience by just over 14% so far.
With assistance from the EcoSend team, they were guided through the remainder of the migration process. This included transferring their data and mailing lists from Mailchimp, assistance with building new email templates, as well as configuring a verified domain with SPF and DKIM authentication.
Thanks to the dedicated onboarding, the team were quickly primed to use EcoSend well in advance of their Christmas donation campaign.
Delivering on donations
Following their sustained increase in audience reach, Hope for the Future launched their Christmas donation drive, The Big Give, in November 2025, committing to match all donations received between 2–9 December.
The Big Give: target reached
The campaign was delivered through a phased email strategy designed to build momentum, re-engage supporters, and drive conversions at key stages throughout the week.
Beginning with a "Save the Date" announcement on 18 November, the team used a series of targeted communications to maintain engagement ahead of launch, including a 24-hour reminder before donations opened and tailored messaging to previous supporters once the campaign was live.
The approach generated strong early traction, with the campaign reaching 50% of its fundraising target by 4 December. They continued to optimise performance through follow-up communications to non-openers and urgency-led messaging in the final 48 hours of the drive.
By 8 December, the campaign had secured 89% of its target, leaving just £615 remaining.
A final countdown email delivered a 9.4% click-through rate, helping drive donations through the closing stages of the campaign.
The campaign ultimately raised £10,941, exceeding the £10,800 target. The final success announcement achieved a 38% open rate, reflecting strong supporter engagement and a positive audience response to the outcome.
Earth Raise: target smashed
Following the success of The Big Give, the team launched its Earth Raise campaign in April 2026, using a carefully planned email strategy to build momentum and encourage donations throughout the campaign.
Building on the techniques that provably worked before, the campaign again began with a "Save the Date" announcement a month ahead of launch, followed by reminder emails in the lead-up to Earth Day 2026.
This steady build-up helped keep the campaign front of mind and created strong early engagement from supporters.
Once the donation drive opened on 22 April, a targeted message to previous supporters helped generate immediate traction, with 13% of the fundraising target reached within the first 24 hours.
When progress began to taper off in the final days of the campaign, the team responded with a more direct and personal appeal from interim CEO Jess Parish.
The concise email, focused around a single call to action, successfully re-engaged supporters at a crucial moment in the fundraising drive.
The impact was immediate. Within 24 hours, the campaign jumped from 35% to 63% of its target, creating renewed momentum going into the final day.
By 30 April, Earth Raise had not only reached its target but surpassed it, raising £11,147 from 77 individual donors; a strong result that highlights the value of clear messaging, well-timed communications, and an engaged supporter community.
Could your charity be driving more success from email?
If you'd like to learn more about how EcoSend can help your charity succeed through email, get in touch and we'll be delighted to share more ideas and practical advice.