Have an email-related case study or data-backed win you’d like us to feature? Reply to this email and let us know.
Deliverability isn’t just about list hygiene or subject lines.
Your emails ride on an IP address, and whether it’s shared or dedicated can make or break inbox placement.
Here’s how the tradeoffs stack up—and how to choose the setup that fits your program.
Shared IPs: strength in numbers
Most nonprofits start on a shared IP pool, sending alongside other organizations’ email campaigns.
Pros:
Collective volume keeps the IP warm and reputable, even if your send volume is relatively low.
No warm-up or maintenance headaches—your platform handles it.
Included with most services at no extra cost.
Cons:
Your deliverability is tied to other senders.
A bad actor in the pool can drag down inbox placement.
You don’t fully control or monitor the IP’s reputation.
It’s an efficient model for many organizations that don’t have the capacity to manage their own IP.
Dedicated IPs: total control (and total responsibility)
A dedicated IP belongs to your organization alone. No one else’s sends influence your reputation.
Pros:
Full control of your deliverability fate.
Easier to isolate issues when something goes wrong.
Recommended for high-volume programs (think >100k sends/month, often daily).
Cons:
Requires consistent sending volume—sporadic or seasonal mailers struggle to maintain reputation.
Starts “cold” and needs careful warm-up before large sends.
Usually costs extra.
What a dedicated IP “warm-up” really means
Mailbox providers don’t trust brand-new IPs. If you suddenly blast 200,000 emails from a fresh address, Gmail or Yahoo will treat it like spam.
So, what actually works? You have to warm things up, step by step:
Day 1: Send a small batch (often 1–5k) to your most active segment.
For the next several days, gradually increase the number of emails you send. Keep targeting folks who consistently engage, since their positive signals really matter at this stage.
After two to four weeks—once you’re seeing good open and click rates—you can start expanding to the rest of your list.
By then, inbox providers will have seen enough positive engagement to trust your IP.
If you skip the warm-up, you’ll probably hit a wall: throttling, blocks, and reputation issues that are tough to undo.
Case Study: DoSomething.org
When DoSomething.org saw its open rates plummet by 75%, alarm bells began to ring.
They were stuck on a shared IP, and their emails weren’t reaching inboxes. Their current CRM just wasn’t built to match their segmentation needs.
The solution? They migrated to a new CRM and implemented a dedicated IP to refine their segmentation strategy more effectively. The impact was immediate:
Open rates surged
Click-through rates (a more reliable metric!) nearly quadrupled
For organizations that send large volumes of emails, this type of change can mean the difference between landing in spam folders and reviving engagement with your audience.
Choosing the right setup
Ask yourself:
How much are you sending? Under 100k a month → shared IP is almost always better.
How consistent is your cadence? Big peaks only a few times a year → shared IP keeps you warm between bursts.
Do you have monitoring capacity? → Dedicated IPs demand ongoing reputation checks and list hygiene.
Have you maxed out shared performance? → If you’re doing everything right and still struggling, going dedicated may give you control.
The bottom line
A dedicated IP isn’t a silver bullet. For nonprofits sending at scale, it can protect inbox placement.
For everyone else, a strong shared pool is usually the smarter bet. After all, your IP is just the highway—what matters is whether your emails are worth the trip.
Industry events
Free: How to refresh your direct mail strategy for a stronger year-end
Tuesday, September 9 at 12 pm ET
Direct mail still delivers in tandem with your digital program. Learn what’s new for 2025 and see real-world examples of appeals that cut through the clutter, capture attention, and drive bigger gifts this year-end.
Free: DC Nonprofit Club
Thursday, September 11 at 5:30pm EST - Washington, D.C.
Network in-person with peers, swap year-end strategies, and leave with fresh ideas (plus food and drinks!) to fuel your work into 2025.
Free: The 4 automations every recurring donor program needs
Tuesday, September 30 at 12pm EST
Get a behind-the-scenes demo on building a 12-month automated stewardship journey in Bloomerang that saves time and strengthens recurring donor relationships.
Check our events list for more or reply to this email to submit one for consideration.
'Til next time!
Sara