Loyalty is Dead. Long Live Loyalty.
When Sharon Pickford from the National Trust said, “There’s no such thing as loyalty. It’s all about core values,” she was pointing to a truth that many of us are just beginning to grasp. Loyalty as we’ve known it - transactional, one-sided, and passive - is evolving into something far more dynamic and meaningful. This transformation isn’t just a trend; it’s a shift in how people connect, give, and engage. And for charities, understanding this evolution isn’t optional, it’s essential.
At its core, loyalty today is about relationships grounded in shared purpose and values. It’s no longer about how often someone donates or the number of times they attend an event. Instead, it’s about how deeply they resonate with your mission and how actively they feel part of the change you’re driving.
This is the focus of the latest Good Futures report, ‘Navigating the Future of Loyalty’. For this report we interviewed leaders from across the sector for their views about how loyalty is evolving, what are the biggest challenges they’re facing, and where they are investing in order to future-proof loyalty. This blog offers a glimpse into how we’ve redefined loyalty and the questions we believe charities must answer to thrive in this new landscape.
From Donors to Collaborators
Throughout our report, we’ve chosen to use the term collaborator instead of the traditional labels of donor or supporter. Why? Because loyalty today is not passive or one-way. It’s about active engagement. This term acknowledges the wide variety of people and organisations who contribute to a charity’s mission: donors, grantees, volunteers, corporate partners, and, most importantly, your teams..
In this new era, collaborators aren’t just funding your work; they’re co-creating impact. Their loyalty is earned by aligning with their values, engaging them in meaningful ways, and making them feel part of something bigger. As Sharon Pickford put it, “If your core values align with a particular passion or purpose, then you’ll connect. Then they’ll take action.”
The Tightrope of In-Year Cash
One of the biggest challenges facing charities is balancing immediate financial pressures with the need to invest in long-term loyalty. Shrinking budgets and rising costs create immense pressure to prioritise short-term gains, but these strategies often fall short in a world where personalised engagement and purpose-driven connection are becoming the norm.
One way to address these challenges has been a move towards Type 2 growth: this is growth built on deepening relationships rather than acquiring new Technology plays a critical role here. Personalisation, data-driven insights, and CRM systems are laying the foundation for modern loyalty strategies. However, tech rollouts shouldn’t delay action. Start innovating now by asking these critical questions:
Who owns loyalty in your organisation, and where does it sit?
How can you make the case for investment in loyalty when short-term KPIs dominate?
How can loyalty investments be positioned as fundamental, not just a “nice-to-have”?
Measuring What Matters: The Intimacy Economy
For years, the attention economy dominated, with success measured in clicks, views, and likes. But the intimacy economy is challenging this model, prioritising deep, meaningful relationships over fleeting interactions. In this landscape, success isn’t about how many people you reach but how deeply you resonate with them.
This shift has profound implications for how we measure loyalty. Traditional financial metrics are no longer enough. We need new measures that capture emotional connection, advocacy, and engagement. Importantly, these metrics should also reflect how well your organisation is delivering its mission, tying loyalty directly to impact.
Consider these provocations as you rethink your metrics:
How can you move away from in-year reporting to adopt long-term KPIs that flex with the highs and lows of fundraising?
Are your current metrics capturing the emotional and relational dimensions of loyalty?
How are you measuring and communicating impact, and is it connected to your loyalty strategy?
Anything But Beige: The Duality Paradox
Modern collaborators have high expectations. They want charities to be community-driven, authentic, and ‘charity-like’. But they also demand efficiency, innovation, and large-scale impact. This duality can sometimes feel impossible to navigate, but it’s at the heart of loyalty today.
To stand out in a noisy world, charities must create clarity of purpose, offer compelling content, and foster a genuine sense of belonging. It’s about taking a stand on the issues that matter, not just to your mission but also to your collaborators. Sustainability is now hygiene. What about more polarising issues like assisted dying? The question is: Who are you willing to alienate, or lose, in order to align with your values and deepen loyalty?
Here are some final questions to consider:
What would it mean for your organisation to take a bold stand?
How can we redefine the perception of charity in the UK, moving beyond outdated Victorian models?
How can you cut through digital noise to create content and activations that resonate deeply?
Loyalty as Legacy
Ultimately, loyalty isn’t just a strategy, it’s part of your legacy. It’s about building relationships that are as dynamic as the challenges your organisation seeks to address. It’s about recognising collaborators as co-creators of impact and shaping your approach around what matters to them.
As you reflect on the evolving nature of loyalty, ask yourself: How can we move beyond transactions to create lasting connections? How can we embrace the challenges of this new landscape to deliver impact, foster belonging, and build a legacy that truly endures?
The full report, ‘Navigating the Future of Loyalty’, dives deeper into these ideas, offering trends, case studies, and 20 actionable “so whats” to guide your strategy. If you’d like to access the full report, visit Good Futures or contact Daisy about becoming a member.
Because loyalty isn’t dead. It’s just getting started.