Case study: How a science-focused NGO scaled email marketing with Stripo
Summarize
Email communication is often associated primarily with sales, but for non-profit organizations, it can play an even more crucial role. In science and education, email allows organizations to share values, tell meaningful stories, build a dedicated community, and foster ongoing support.
In this case study, we explore how the Candela Foundation, operating in the field of optics and photonics, used Stripo to speed up the email creation process, drive higher engagement among recipients, and improve both deliverability and overall audience response.
Expert
Meet the company
Candela Foundation is a Warsaw-based non-profit organization that supports people studying or working in optics and photonics in Poland. This field of science and technology focuses on light and its use in modern applications. Lenses, microscopes, lasers, and telescopes are just a few examples of optical instruments that manipulate light for tasks such as measurement, data processing, communication, and medical diagnostics.
The organization was established in 2021 following a crowdfunding campaign that demonstrated how small contributions at an early stage can lead to a meaningful, long-term impact. Candela Foundation plays a distinct role in the ecosystem by complementing the work of universities, research institutes, and other organizations.
Since then, the foundation has concentrated on three core areas:
- delivering training programs, workshops, and educational activities that help students, researchers, and professionals gain practical insights from experienced experts;
- organizing scientific conferences and events in Poland, with a strong focus on strengthening collaboration between academia and industry;
- running a scholarship program called “Resonators,” designed to support young talent mobility and cooperation between universities and research centers in different cities across Poland.
The challenge: Professional email communication with limited time and resources
The flagship project of the Candela Foundation, the Polish Newsletter on Optics and Photonics (PNOP), made the team realize that their email communication required a more structured and professional approach. This need emerged early on, even before the organization launched additional initiatives, such as conferences or educational programs.
The team needed an email solution that could offer reliable, reusable templates, integrate with GetResponse (their ESP at the time), and support collaboration between multiple partner organizations.
The main obstacle was adaptation. Building an effective email marketing process demanded time and technical skills that the team simply didn’t have. As a result, the entry barrier was felt to be too high. Candela needed a way to create emails fast, without compromising design quality or consistency.
(Source: Email by Candela Foundation)
The primary audience of Candela’s email communication is the academic community, a natural choice given that optics and photonics research in Poland is largely concentrated within universities and research institutions.
Interestingly, email communication turned out to be more important than the founders initially expected. While social media was planned as the main channel, in reality, email remains the primary communication tool for scientists and researchers.
As a result, Candela’s emails must look professional, clearly communicate key information and values, and reliably reach recipients’ inboxes. Effective email delivery is essential, as Candela depends on consistent communication with its community and the support that the community provides.
The solution: A flexible email editor that fits an NGO workflow
The organization began looking for a tool that could address this challenge. The team researched the market, compared multiple email builders, and explored different options available online. Stripo quickly emerged at the top of the shortlisted solutions.
Among Stripo’s many features, two stood out as decisive for the Candela Foundation:
- flexible design capabilities of drag-n-drop HTML email editor;
- more than 1,600 ready-made email templates;
- collaboration across multiple organizations;
- seamless integration with GetResponse, the platform they were already using.
In fact, instant compatibility with their preferred tool became the key reason behind the final choice.
The workflow: Structured email creation powered by reusable modules and co-editing
The Candela Foundation sends a monthly newsletter to its audience. At the moment, the mailing list includes around 1,000 subscribers. Another frequently used email format is project updates. During the conference season, the team may send up to 10 campaigns, depending on the number of ongoing events. These emails help present project details clearly and in a structured way, reducing the workload for on-site staff who support conference participants.
(Source: Email by Candela Foundation)
Among Stripo’s most valuable features are reusable content modules and a wide selection of templates. They significantly shorten the path from an initial idea to a polished, well-structured email, making the overall email creation process much faster and more efficient.
Note from Stripo:
With Stripo, you can build your own library of modules. These can include ready-made headers, footers, email signatures, or donation sections, if you use them in most of your emails. To do this, select the block you want to reuse and save it as a module. The saved module will then appear in the Modules section of your account and can be reused in future campaigns.
The team also actively uses Stripo’s collaboration tools. Multiple contributors can work on the same email, leave comments, and review changes without being in the same location, which is especially useful when external partners are involved.
Note from Stripo:
To view comments left by your colleagues or reply to a specific comment, select “Comments” in the right sidebar. This is how co-editing helps streamline your workflow.
Version history is another strong addition; it allows the team to track who made specific changes and easily roll back to earlier versions whenever needed.
The results: Faster production, better design, and higher engagement
Since adopting Stripo, Candela has significantly accelerated the email creation process, improved communication with partner organizations, and elevated the overall look and feel of emails. The designs have become more consistent, polished, and visually appealing.
The team has also noticed increased engagement from recipients, which is an essential outcome for an organization that relies heavily on donations and the support of people who share its values. Clearly communicating those ideas and values is a core part of Candela’s mission, and email plays a key role in that effort.
(Source: Email by Candela Foundation)
The improvements are visible in both daily workflows and performance. Emails are now better structured thanks to the editor, while delivery and audience response have also improved. Another major advantage is the ability to customize and reuse templates for non-profit organizations, ensuring consistency while saving time across campaigns.
As Candela continues to grow its subscriber base, clear messaging, combined with strong visual design, has become essential to achieving this goal.
(Source: Email by Candela Foundation)
Wrapping up
Switching to Stripo’s drag-n-drop HTML email editor marked a turning point for the Candela Foundation. With access to nonprofit-ready templates and reusable content modules, the organization streamlined email production, improved visual level and consistency, and made collaboration with partner organizations far more efficient.
As a result, Candela can now focus on growing its subscriber base within the academic and industrial community and maximizing recipient engagement. Email has become a reliable channel for sharing Candela’s mission and projects while also helping build long-term community support.