VoterVoice users are able to specify targets for their email campaigns. This year, campaigns with federal-level impact had higher action rates than those just at the state level, likely because it was an election year. 

Pro Tip: Strategically Maximize Engagement

We asked VoterVoice clients with the highest levels of engagement in 2024 to share their tactics for success.

“We strive to maximize engagement by crafting compelling subject lines, using ‘urgency’ strategically without overuse, and segmenting our distribution lists whenever possible. Segmentation is key, as it allows us to tailor messages to recipients’ interests, making communications more relevant and concise.”

—Sandy Guenther Director, State Government Affairs, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

The monthly trends demonstrate clear fluctuations, with email volumes peaking in October, followed closely by November and December. This aligns with the election cycle in 2024, a busy time for many advocacy organizations. Informational emails spiked in October, while call-to-action emails were on the rise in November, likely as election results came in. 

Looking closely at the data for each month of 2024, we see that open rates peaked in January at 43.9 percent, gradually declining throughout the year to their lowest point in December at 34.6 percent. This could indicate message fatigue in a busy election year for many audiences.

Action rates, on the other hand, showed notable variation, with the highest engagement in September (9.0 percent) and July (7.6 percent), and the lowest in January and March, both at 6.3 percent. 

In 2024, open rates for informational emails showed strong performance early in the year, with February reaching the highest rate at 44.2 percent, followed closely by January at 44.1 percent. 

After peaking early in the year, open rates experienced a gradual decline throughout the year, settling at 35.4 percent in December. Despite the downward trend, the year’s overall performance reflects sustained audience interest, particularly during the first half of the year. Unsubscribe rates remained low, underscoring steady engagement and continued interest in informational content.

Pro Tip: Engage Your Audience Smartly

We asked VoterVoice clients with the highest levels of engagement in 2024 to share their tactics for success.

“We try to vary our topics and limit broadcasts to those who self-identified for that specific topic. We have committed to creating no more than three new national campaigns per week. We open almost all our alerts with a quote from the pope or bishop to connect the current invitation with authoritative statements from recognized leaders.

“We include lots of background links so folks can explore the topic at hand to their own satisfaction, but our initial paragraph is direct to the ask and includes the link to the campaign. We always provide a button for quick access to the campaign, and we always provide a draft email that allows quick engagement.” 

—Ryan Roberts, Justice Resource Manager, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

Let’s look specifically at call-to-action campaigns in 2024. VoterVoice clients saw the highest open rates in January and maintained strong performance through March. They gradually declined as the year progressed. 

Action rates demonstrated a different trend, with engagement surging mid-year. 

Notably, September saw the highest action rate at 9.0 percent, followed closely by July (7.6 percent) and December (7.5 percent). This pattern suggests that while fewer recipients were opening emails towards the end of the year, those who did were highly engaged.

Most clients sent email campaigns between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in 2024, accounting for nearly 60 percent of total sends, with activity peaking at 11 a.m. This continues the trend of previous years and remains an effective strategy, as engagement rates stayed high during these hours. However, early morning sends around 6 a.m. contributed over 550 campaigns, and evening sends added about 1,500 more, revealing opportunities beyond typical work hours.

Your particular industry, audience demographic, or action request might mean the day and time you send your campaign requires some tweaking, however. Advocacy communications are never one-size-fits-all, but require finesse and careful understanding of your own metrics and audience.

Just like last year, the best open rates in 2024 happened in the afternoon, with a clear peak at 3 p.m. However, this year’s standout for action rates was 7 p.m., when engagement spiked notably. This suggests advocates are most likely to take action later in the day, perhaps when they have more personal time and fewer meetings to contend with. 

Action rates also remained strong at 9 a.m. and during the early afternoon, making these key times for driving meaningful engagement.

Informational emails in 2024 showed slightly higher open rates during the afternoon. The highest open rate for VoterVoice clients’ informational email campaigns — 42.5 percent — was at 3 p.m.

For call-to-action campaigns, open rates in 2024 were strongest in the late afternoon and evening, peaking at 7 p.m. with over 40 percent. Action rates were highest at 7 p.m. as well. Mid-morning (around 9 a.m.) and early afternoon also showed healthy action rates, making them key periods to consider for driving engagement.

Consistent with previous years, Friday remains the busiest day for advocacy campaigns regarding volume, accounting for 21.75 percent of all campaigns. Wednesday sees the highest action rate, at 7.6 percent.

Pro Tip: Appreciate Your Advocates

We asked VoterVoice clients with the highest levels of engagement in 2024 to share their tactics for success.  

“One tactic for increasing action rates on campaigns is to recognize and appreciate your advocates. Let them know their efforts had a direct impact on the outcome with follow-up alerts. We know what our advocates’ needs are and speak directly to them. Make sure your advocates know that you are looking out for their best interests by helping them access their elected officials. Making deep connections with your audience will keep them engaged.” 

—Lauren Schwartz, Senior Communications Strategist, NW Coalition for Energy Choice

Looking at the open and action rates per day and per hour, we saw that in 2024, VoterVoice clients experienced the highest open rate on Saturday at 7 a.m., reaching an impressive 47.3 percent. Interestingly, this early morning spike is paired with a strong action rate of 15.3 percent.

Weekday evenings also reveal key opportunities for engagement, especially between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday, where both open and action rates remain consistently high. Wednesday at 7 p.m. stands out with a 39.1 percent open rate and 10.4 percent action rate, suggesting advocates are active mid-week during evening hours.

Additionally, Thursday mid-morning at 9 a.m. shows a solid combination of a 36.6 percent open rate and an 11.4 percent action rate, indicating that mornings continue to perform well for driving actions.

Overall, the results highlight that while weekends can deliver high open rates, particularly early on Saturdays, weekday evenings and late mornings remain valuable windows for successful advocacy outreach.

Pro Tip: Stay Consistent

We asked VoterVoice clients with the highest levels of engagement in 2024 to share their tactics for success.  

“We are purposeful and consistent when we choose to send our campaign broadcasts out. We choose to send an email and text about the action every other Friday. Never on any other day. This sets the expectation with our constituents.” 

—Shannon Reilly, Programs and Events Manager, Zonta International

The sectors are divided into 17 broad categories comprising multiple industries. 

The labor sector once again leads the way with the highest open rate, reaching 50.1 percent in 2024 — slightly improving over previous years. Clergy and religious organizations saw the highest average action rate at 13.7 percent, closely followed by agribusiness at 10.1 percent and ideological/single-issue campaigns at 9.8 percent, highlighting the strong engagement these sectors generate.

We looked at advocacy campaigns across agribusiness industries including crop producers, dairy farming businesses, food farmers, agricultural and farm services, and agricultural associations. We also assessed agribusiness that included processors, agri-products, and services.

In 2024, January saw the highest open rates for this sector. March led in action rates, closely followed by February and April, reflecting strong early-year engagement. Campaigns during the mid-year months — particularly July and September — saw the weakest action rates, with minimal audience response. 

While open rates dipped notably in May and November, December closed the year on a relatively high note for both metrics. These trends suggest continued strength in early Q1 campaigns, while mid-year efforts may require strategic refreshes to improve effectiveness.

The sector includes a range of industries such as services, associations, retail, and various miscellaneous business organizations.

March had the highest open rates, followed by January and June. However, action rates peaked in August, representing a significant engagement shift compared to prior months. 

Notably, May and April also showed solid action rates, while July, November, and December had the weakest overall interaction. Open rates gradually declined through late summer and early fall, bottoming out in September before a slight recovery in November.

Organizations including federal, state, and municipal employees, fire and police, state and local government entities, and other employee organizations, make up the civil servant and public official sector.

In 2024, open rates remained strong throughout the year, with March and February leading the pack. However, a downward trend emerged in the final quarter, ending December at 32.5 percent.

Action rates, while generally low, saw a clear standout in September, reaching 4 percent and marking the most engaged month of the year. Despite relatively flat action performance across most months, the strong open rates suggest ongoing awareness, though further work is needed to drive audience participation across the board.

We looked at data from organizations such as ministries, charities, conferences, dioceses, religious institutes, and associations, among others. Religious institutions that operate education or healthcare facilities are not included in these metrics but are analyzed as part of their core industry.

In 2024, open rates remained steady, ranging from a high of 44.3 percent in January and February to a low of 38.4 percent in July. The consistency across months suggests sustained visibility, with only slight seasonal variation. 

Engagement, however, stood out in this sector. Action rates were exceptionally strong, peaking at 18.0 percent in July, closely followed by September and December. Even the lowest months maintained double-digit performance, placing this sector among the top performers for audience responsiveness throughout the year. These consistently high action rates reflect strong alignment between message timing and community mobilization within religious advocacy.

“I generally think it’s helpful that we are a faith organization and are working on helping our advocates to connect justice activity with the foundations of our faith,” shares Roberts. “We are piggybacking on existing engagement and motivation and harnessing it for policy activity.”

We looked at advocacy data from the electronics manufacturing and equipment industry; internet organizations and associations; TV, movie, and entertainment fields; as well as other miscellaneous communications and electronics organizations.

Open rates remained consistently high, peaking in January and August. The lowest open rates appeared in September and October, both falling just under 40 percent, but the sector overall sustained a healthy performance across the year.

Action rates, however, were subdued. Most months stayed under 1 percent, with only occasional spikes in response. These results suggest that audience conversion was limited, indicating a need for improved engagement strategies across campaigns in this field.

Organizations included in the education sector range from higher education and K-12 to school boards and PTA organizations. 

In 2024, open rates were relatively steady, with the strongest months being January (47.3 percent) and February (47.1 percent). Rates dipped through spring and early summer, reaching a low of 36.9 percent in May, before rising again in November, indicating a cyclical interest in educational outreach.

Action rates, while generally moderate, showed a significant spike in April at 8.2 percent. These trends highlight early spring as the most opportune period for action-driven advocacy in the education space.

We include aggregate data from oil and gas producers and utilities, mining, renewal and fossil fuels, electric utilities, and waste management. It also includes the wildlife and fisheries category as a natural resource.

In 2024, open rates were lower overall compared to prior years, with a high of 40.3 percent in March and 40.2 percent in January, but dipping significantly during the summer.

Despite the lower visibility, this sector achieved standout action rates, peaking in September at 16.9 percent, followed by August and December. These elevated interaction levels reflect successful mobilization efforts — particularly in electric utilities and conservation-related campaigns — even when visibility was lower.

This sector includes banks, credit unions, finance firms, securities entities, mortgage lenders, brokerages, and the broader insurance landscape.

This year saw a significant surge in action rates during the summer. June stood out with the highest engagement — action rates spiked to 11.5 percent, more than doubling from May — despite a noticeable drop in open rates that same month. This divergence suggests intense user interest in specific topics or urgent developments. 

Interestingly, July saw the steepest drop in action rates to just 0.5 percent, potentially indicating message fatigue or less relevant outreach. Open rates remained relatively steady throughout the year, peaking in February and March.

This sector includes food and drink packaging, manufacturing, and marketing organizations. Some examples are feed and grain; confectionary; fruits and vegetables; and wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, and water.

In 2024, the industry experienced a notable decline in open rates compared to previous years, dropping from 45 percent in January to as low as 30 percent by April. However, action rates showed moments of significant engagement — most strikingly in January at 13.1 percent, and again in March at 8.6 percent. These spikes suggest early-year campaigns were particularly effective. However, the latter half of the year saw minimal action, with several months registering near-zero rates, indicating a sharp drop-off in audience interaction.

This sector includes health professionals, hospitals and nursing home facilities, health services, pharmaceuticals, and health products and supplies.

Open rates declined steadily throughout 2024, starting at 46.2 percent in January and tapering to 33.8 percent in December. Action rates remained relatively moderate, with a peak of 7 percent in December. 

This sector’s industries include everything from lodging and tourism organizations to recreational and live entertainment industries.

In 2024, open rates declined steadily over the year, marking a notable drop compared to previous performance highs. While engagement was relatively flat in the early months, a sharp action rate spike occurred in June at 7.1 percent, with March also showing strong engagement at 5.9 percent. However, the second half of the year saw no meaningful action rates, suggesting reduced campaign effectiveness or seasonal disengagement.

Overall, 2024 reflected a more tepid response from audiences in this sector.

The sector is formed by contractors, transportation, automotive, the construction of roads and bridges, and everything else in between, as well as miscellaneous organizations such as those dealing with inland waterways, sewage, power lines, and so forth.

In 2024, the infrastructure sector displayed a relatively stable open rate across the year, with a slight rise toward October (48.3 percent) and November (47.9 percent) before dipping to 42.6percent in December. Action rates peaked significantly in May (10.1 percent) and April (9.0 percent), indicating a strong burst of engagement mid-year—possibly tied to seasonal projects or funding cycles.

The rest of the year saw lower activity, with notably low engagement in July (0.2 percent) and October (0.0 percent). Despite dips, open rate consistency shows continued baseline interest in the sector.

The labor sector includes industrial, building, transportation, and public-sector unions.

In 2024, the sector maintained strong engagement throughout the year, with open rates peaking at 66.1 percent in September. Action rates were particularly notable in January (18.5 percent) and September (23.9 percent), suggesting effective mobilization around key union activities. Open rates remained above 50percent in several months, including July and December, indicating sustained member interest across seasonal cycles.

This sector experienced rising open rates early in the year, reaching 34.6 percent in February and closing strong in December at 39.6 percent. Action rates remained low, with a brief peak of 5.2  percent in April and another modest uptick in October (3.5 percent). 

However, from August through year-end, action rates were inconsistent and often zero. While overall open rates surpassed 2023 levels, the irregular action engagement highlights a potential disconnect in message effectiveness during the second half of the year.

The nonprofit sector maintained strong and stable open rates throughout 2024, with highs in February (49.0 percent) and December (47.9 percent). 

The year began with steady engagement levels, followed by a noticeable dip in June (1.7 percent) and July (2 percent). However, engagement picked up again in September and closed with an upswing in December. While open rates outperformed 2023, the sector saw less volatility in action rates, suggesting a steadier but more measured response pattern throughout the year.

Organizations categorized under “Other Industries” experienced a gradual decline in open rates throughout the year, falling from 44.9  percent in February to a low of 35.3 percent in October, with only a slight recovery in December. 

However, action rates told a different story — February (7.5 percent), May (8.6 percent), and June (8.4 percent) all posted high engagement levels, outpacing many other sectors. Despite lower visibility toward year-end, engagement remained relatively strong in several months, especially in November (8.0 percent). This suggests that while audiences in this category may be harder to reach, they are more likely to act when content resonates.

Ideological or single-issue organizations can be focused on specific issues, such as gun control, immigration, groups supporting a single candidate, abortion, human rights, and so on. These types of organizations tend to have passionate supporters and detractors.

In 2024, single-issue organizations demonstrated a downward trend in open rates, slipping from 37.5 percent in January to just 27.1 percent in December.

Despite this decline in visibility, action rates remained consistently high throughout the year — peaking at 12.7 percent in September and 12.6 percent in July.

The sector sustained double-digit action engagement in most months, reinforcing its reputation for mobilizing highly motivated audiences. These figures suggest that, while reach may be shrinking, the supporters of these organizations remain deeply engaged and responsive to calls for action.

The top 10 industry open rates saw a substantial surge in 2024, led by Chemical & Related Manufacturing, which jumped to an impressive 91.0 percent — a sharp rise from last year’s 68.1 percent.

This was followed by Food Processing & Sales at 78.0 percent, marking Agribusiness as a breakout sector.

Notably, Internet, Lawyers/Law Firms, and Misc Agriculture also crossed the 60 percent threshold. Air and Sea Transport sustained their momentum with strong performance in the mid-50 percent to 60 percent range.

Overall, these results reflect increased engagement across both traditional industries and digital-facing sectors.

In 2024, ideological and single-issue organizations once again led the way in action rates. Women’s Issues retained the top spot with a strong 28.9 percent, followed closely by Abortion Policy/Anti-Abortion groups at 24.2 percent. These high rates reflect the continued political and cultural engagement surrounding reproductive rights and identity-based issues.

Traditional energy sectors like Electric Utilities and Oil & Gas also made the list, alongside agricultural segments such as Crop Production & Basic Processing and Misc Agriculture.

Notably, Republican/Conservative causes and Clergy & Religious Organizations saw double-digit engagement, highlighting strong alignment among focused audiences.

Overall, the list reflects a mix of issue-driven passion and steady sector-based interest.

In the first half of 2025, we observed an encouraging recovery in open rates, rising to 36.7 percent, up from 31.3 percent in 2024. This improvement may signal a rebound in engagement following last year’s dip.

However, the action rate declined to 6.5 percent, the lowest in the six-year trend. While this could reflect more cautious advocate behavior or message saturation, it reinforces the need to ensure that Calls-to-Action are timely, clear, and meaningful.

SMS for Advocacy Jan-June 2025

Text messages continue to grow as a way to communicate with advocates. VoterVoice clients sent more than 10 million advocacy text messages in the first half of 2025, with an open rate of 7.3 percent and an action rate of 1.2 percent.

In the first half of 2025, informational and call-to-action emails continued to perform reliably. Open rates remained strong for both formats, with informational messages achieving 39.0 percent, slightly higher than the 33.9 percent open rate for call-to-action emails.

While informational messages focused on awareness, call-to-action emails maintained a healthy 6.5 percent action rate, encouraging user engagement. Both message types sustained high deliverability — 98.2 percent for call-to-action and 99.2 percent for informational — with unsubscribe rates holding steady at just 0.1 percent.

In the first half of 2025, targeted campaign performance showed some shifts compared to previous years. Campaigns categorized as “Other” reported the highest open rates at 35.6 percent, suggesting that audiences in this group were especially attentive. However, these campaigns had the lowest action rate at just 0.5 percent, indicating that while messages were seen, they did not drive as much engagement.

Campaigns targeting both federal and state levels had the strongest action rates at 9.5 percent, reflecting the effectiveness of dual-target messaging in mobilizing advocates. State-level campaigns remained consistent, with a healthy balance of 33.9 percent open rate and 6.6 percent action rate, maintaining their strength from prior years. Meanwhile, federal-only campaigns saw slightly lower performance on both fronts, with 34.6 percent open rate and 5.6 percent action rate.

During the first half of 2025, VoterVoice users sent over 215 million emails through our platform — an increase from the same period in 2024.

March and May saw noticeable spikes, likely driven by key advocacy campaigns and the end of several state legislative sessions. This pattern suggests heightened momentum in messaging activity during these peak moments of the advocacy calendar.

January led the first half of 2025 with the highest open rates, reaching nearly 40 percent. June brought the strongest action rates of the period at 7.1 percent, indicating rising engagement levels into mid-year.  

Call-to-action email open rates remained relatively steady in the first half of 2025, with rates hovering in the mid-30 percent range. While open rates were slightly lower than the previous year, action rates saw a consistent uptick, peaking at 7.1 percent in June. This suggests that while fewer recipients are opening emails, those who do are taking more decisive actions. 

Open rates for informational emails in the first half of 2025 followed a trend similar to the previous year. The year started strong in January at 42 percent, but gradually declined over the months, settling around 38 percent in May and June. 

In the first half of 2025, over 4.1 million users visited your Action Centers — a strong indication of continued engagement with your advocacy efforts. Direct traffic led the way, accounting for over 51 percent of all visitors. Referral traffic and organic social also remained critical acquisition sources.

Traffic to action centers from social networks remained strong through the first half of 2025. Facebook continued to dominate as the primary driver, contributing nearly 85 percent of all social media traffic. While still the top performer, this marks a slight uptick from 2024 and reinforces its ongoing importance in driving advocacy engagement.

Instagram held steady as the second-largest traffic source at 10.4 percent, proving to be a reliable channel for reaching advocates through visual and mobile-first content. LinkedIn also showed continued strength with 2.9 percent of traffic, reflecting its value in reaching professionals and policy-minded audiences.

X (formerly Twitter) saw a further decline in usage, falling to just 1.1 percent, continuing a multi-year trend of reduced traction among advocates. 

In the first half of 2025, the labor sector led with the highest open rate at 45.3 percent, closely followed by infrastructure and finance, insurance, and real estate, each above 43 percent. This marks a shift from last year when finance topped the list.

On the engagement side, clergy and religious organizations continued to show the highest action rate at 10.8 percent, followed closely by ideological/single-issue groups at 10.5 percent, reflecting strong motivation within these advocacy communities.

Turning to the top 10 industries within each sector, the real estate industry within the finance, insurance, and real estate sector again led with the highest open rate of 45.4 percent. The labor and health services industries followed closely.

When it came time to mobilize advocates in the first half of 2025, miscellaneous single-issue causes led the way with an action rate of 13.2 percent, showing deep resonance among targeted advocates. Clergy and religious organizations maintained their strong performance, followed by human rights, health professionals, and infrastructure-related industries. These high engagement rates show where advocacy efforts are most converting interest into action.

VoterVoice is the leading grassroots digital advocacy solution and the only platform using both AI and data science to engage advocates and move the needle on issues. It has been a finalist and winner of numerous awards for innovation, including for peer benchmark campaign data provided in the app.

A highly flexible platform with many integrations and an open API, VoterVoice meets the needs of both small groups and large organizations with complex operations. VoterVoice has an unmatched track record of accurately delivering messages to lawmakers. 

Learn how VoterVoice can help you make an impact at www.votervoice.net.