Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) is a nonprofit land trust working to protect open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. With more than 87,000 acres protected since its founding, POST preserves natural landscapes and expands public access to the outdoors through thoughtful land stewardship and advocacy. During the COVID-19 pandemic and California’s devastating wildfire seasons, POST saw growing interest in outdoor spaces—and increasing urgency to fund their protection.
The Challenge
POST’s Annual Giving team needed to deepen supporter engagement and rapidly scale their digital fundraising efforts. With a lean email list and an ambitious goal to meet rising demand for land conservation and public access, they turned to Fresh Eyes Digital to bring strategic and creative capacity to their multichannel campaigns.
Our Approach
Fresh Eyes Digital partnered with POST to build a modern, nimble digital fundraising program. Our support included:
- Campaign planning and concept development
- Digital fundraising strategy and implementation
- Copywriting and creative direction
- Email design and deployment
- Reporting and performance analysis
- A/B testing and continuous optimization
The Results
Our collaboration helped POST not only meet but surpass key fundraising and engagement goals—while building a more sustainable monthly giving base. Highlights included:
- Over $1 million raised during 2023 year-end giving season from a focused list of under 100,000 subscribers
- 20% growth in monthly donors from a single 2022 campaign
- 30.8% decrease in unsubscribe rate year-over-year during 2023 EOY, while all other email engagement metrics improved
With the right strategy and ongoing testing, POST proved that a lean list and strong mission can still drive powerful results—especially when paired with smart storytelling and optimization.
Takeaways for Nonprofits
- Monthly giving campaigns can drive major file growth with the right creative and timing.
- You don’t need a massive list to hit million-dollar benchmarks—just smart segmentation and strong messaging.
- Ongoing testing isn’t just about revenue—it can improve retention metrics like unsubscribe rates, too.
Ready to grow your digital fundraising program? Let’s start a conversation.
Creative in Action
