A change in law could help you build a supporter base faster than ever.
You’ll probably have heard that upcoming changes to Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (or PECR) will allow charities to use the “soft opt-in” rule for email and SMS – something commercial organisations have relied on for years.
Right now, charities can only talk to people who explicitly tick a box and consent to be contacted. In our experience, that’s only 50% of people who take an action (and your organisation could be seeing even lower opt-in rates). Under the new rules, charities will be able to contact anyone who takes an action with them, unless they opt out.
That means there’s a huge opportunity to boost your reach, grow your supporter base faster, and ultimately increase your impact. And we’re excited about the fundraising potential too; soft opt-ins means more supporters in your email list, and for every 1,000 fundraising emails delivered, non-profits raise an additional £58.
Done right, using soft opt-in will help you inspire more people to take action. Done poorly, it could risk damaging your reputation and your relationship with supporters. We’re here to unpack what this means and how to turn this opportunity into real impact and income.
But first: what is the soft opt-in?
The soft opt-in is a way to keep your supporters connected to the causes they care about, even if they haven’t ticked a specific marketing consent box. It means you can send marketing communications, provided:
- You’re a registered charity
- Your messages directly support your charitable mission
- You collected their contact details during an interaction that showed their interest – for example, when they donated, took an action, or asked for support
- You offer a clear and simple way to opt out – both when you first collect their details and in every message you send
This approach helps charities stay in touch with people who already care about their work, while always respecting their choice to step back if they wish.
Why getting it right matters
Handled well, soft opt-in could mean:
- More ways to talk to your supporters – meaning more donations and actions
- Deeper engagement
- Stronger supporter relationships
But without care, it could backfire.
Here’s why it matters to tread carefully:
- Supporter trust is fragile – and hard to win back if someone feels spammed
- Poor list quality = deliverability issues, higher unsubscribe rates, and low engagement
- GDPR still applies – so transparency, data handling, and opt-outs must be rock solid
- Your CRM needs to keep up – unclear tagging or consent confusion could create chaos
- Journeys must adapt – or you won’t realise the full benefit of the change
Your soft opt-in readiness checklist
We’ve put together a simple, step-by-step checklist to help you get ready. It covers what to do now and how to prepare for launch, so you can hit the ground running and keep supporter trust front of mind. Download the free checklist here.
We’re here to help
We know you’ve already got a full to-do list, with stretched teams and tight budgets. That’s where we can help.
We’re offering a limited number of low-cost Soft Opt-In Starter Packs, designed to give charities the tools and confidence to make the most of the new rules. You’ll get:
- 1-hour Soft Opt-In strategy consultation to tell us your pain points and figure out the best approach to solve them together
- Opt-in and data capture audit, where our team will go through your existing tech to make sure it’s ready for soft opt-ins
- A bespoke action plan to set you up for success, ready for when the new law comes into place
As always, the friendly Forward Action team will be on-hand to help you every step of the way, and to answer any questions as you go.
Ready to prepare for soft opt-ins?
Get in touch with Stella, our Partnerships Director, for a no-pressure chat about how we can help, on hello@forwardaction.uk.