Project Overview

Payment Rejection Journey

Credit card and direct debit recovery

Customers weren't choosing to stop giving, they were simply caught by failed or expired payments. This journey was designed to meet those moments with care and clarity, helping customers feel supported rather than interrupted and making it easy for them to stay connected.

Role

Donor Loyalty & Supporter Journey Specialist

Organisation

Greenpeace Australia Pacific

Launched

Oct 2023

Channels

Email, SMS

Tools

Salesforce, HubSpot, Stripe, Stunning

The Problem We Needed to Solve

Some customers were dropping off simply because of payment issues, even though they wanted to keep supporting us.

No Follow Up

There were no follow-up communications in place when a payment failed.

No Payment Alerts

Customers weren't notified when a payment didn't go through.

Unnecessary Costs

Each failed debit attempt created an avoidable cost for Greenpeace.

What I Did

Designed a payment recovery journey that made it easy for customers to stay connected when payments didn't go through

1

Reframed Payment Failure as a Shared Problem

Framed payment issues as common and fixable, not a customer mistake.
Shifted the tone from urgency to empathy and partnership.
Normalised everyday triggers like expired cards or bank changes.

2

Built a Supportive, Multi-Step Journey

Created a calm, step by step flow with pre notifications, retries and follow ups.
Timed messages carefully to avoid pressure or overwhelm.
Balanced recovery with reassurance to protect trust.

3

Created Human-Centred Storytelling

Led with appreciation to reconnect customers to why they give.
Reinforced choice so people felt in control, not cornered.
Positioned recovery as part of an ongoing relationship.

4

Designed for Trust, Not Just Recovery

Built clear, simple ways for customers to update details or get help.
Offered channel choice to meet people where they were.
Included support and feedback options even if giving paused.

Key Results

Metrics reflect real-world performance across journeys and digital experiences, reported conservatively to show long-term impact.

10%

Annual improvement aligned to growth plan

$450k-$600k

Recovered annualised income at risk

55-60%

Payment recovery rate

30-45

Average days to recover payments

What I Learned

When customers understand what happened and how to fix it, they're far more likely to stay connected.

Letting people know straight away when a payment fails avoids confusion and unnecessary drop off.

Using both email and SMS helps make sure important payment messages are actually seen.

Treating payment issues as relationship moments, not transactions, helps protect long term trust.

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