Donor Identity - Agitator

Demographics

Riding the Unicorn

Like hunting dogs ranging back and forth in pursuit of a scent far too many fundraisers, often egged on by their boards and CEOs in search of a silver bullet, are chasing the next new thing. Fundamentals and proven basic practices be damned. I suspect the reason lies somewhere between some folks’ inherent love of […]

Learn More December 4, 2019

Will Your #GivingTuesday Campaign Drown In A Sea of Sameness?

December 3rd marks the seventh anniversary of GivingTuesday which has grown from an idea spawned at the 92ndStreet Y in New York City has grown into a global movement involving thousands of organizations and millions of donors and is now its own organization. So far in its 7 years GivingTuesday’s organizers claim the event has […]

Learn More November 22, 2019

Are You Ready for Fundraising’s Changing Data Future?

As the current era of internet search and third-party cookies nears its end and the era of consumer privacy looms, I fear most organizations are ill-prepared. That’s understandable since no big changes are yet evident: the California Consumer Privacy Protect Act doesn’t take effect until January 2020, the CCPA has an exemption for nonprofits (but […]

Learn More November 11, 2019

Audience Building and Google

The list and data world are changing fast. What worked for you last year may not work this year. If you relied heavily on Google or Facebook to find new donors you may be in for a shock. The purpose of this week’s posts is to better prepare you for 2020. Here are the main […]

Learn More November 4, 2019

The Insanity and Stupidity of Ignoring and Offending Women

Women are both a powerful and growing force for growth in giving. So, why in the world do so many organizations stick to “best practices” of 40 years ago when a greater proportion of donors were men? Maybe because too many nonprofits are led by out-of-touch men… maybe because changing old habits and processes takes […]

Learn More October 30, 2019

Gender, Race and Fundraising Myths

Fundraising Land is filled with myths. Like… …” immigrants don’t give” …” race matters when it comes to giving” … and on and on. I’m sure you’ve heard a dozen more. Unfortunately, without data it’s difficult to separate myth from fact. Fortunately, we now have an important study—the first to explore the intersection of race, […]

Learn More October 28, 2019

Which Emotion Should We Trigger To Increase Donations?

Editor’s Note: We’re bringing together professors in behavioral science and nonprofit practitioners in the first-ever DonorVoice Behavioral Symposium. The Symposium is web-based and spread over two days: 30th September and 1stOctober from 9-12 AM Eastern (2-5 PM UK). Wherever you are, you can join for free. Find out more here. Roger Our first-ever Behaviorial Symposium […]

Learn More September 25, 2019

Latest Survey on Why Donors Give

The new DonorGraphics study is out from One & All and it’s full of interesting data on stated donor preferences. One of the survey questions asked donors what is their main reason for giving charitably.. Possible responses were: To address/impact needs in my local community To address/impact needs worldwide To fund organizations that enrich my […]

Learn More September 9, 2019

Neglected Treasure

Nick’s post on How Asking Affects the Askedemphasized the importance of requesting feedback directly from the donor and explains why that feedback is so important and so valuable. There’s another form of feedback and I’m afraid in our highly automated, often impersonal processes it’s been lost: the comments donors write on their response forms or […]

Learn More September 6, 2019

Fundraising Pioneer and Provocateur Dies

John Groman, 74, co-founder of Epsilon and a pioneer in database fundraising died August 24 in Sheldon, South Carolina. John was more than a friend. He was a feisty, driven colleague who brought new methods and new ways of viewing direct response fundraising that forever changed our sector. Beginning in 1969—almost 50 years to the […]

Learn More August 28, 2019

Ask A Behavioral Scientist

Behavioral Science Q & A

Q: Do you have any insight on whether integrating an individual giving appeal with other comms from the charity in both appearance and messaging can uplift results? Or does the actual appeal become ‘lost’ for lack of stand-out?

Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]

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Q: Is there any research on response rate impact in direct mail when referring to a sustainer gift as ongoing or recurring (catching all frequencies) v. monthly or annual?

I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]

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Q: A major conservation nonprofit sends me lots of mail, many of which have on the envelope “time to renew” or “2nd notice.” I find this practice deceptive, especially as I haven’t given to said organization since 1997. It must be effective or they wouldn’t do it. But is it ethical?

Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]

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Q: I find it irritating when some nonprofits accept my “gift” and then ask me to cover their credit card fees separately. It feels like a practice that does nothing to help win donors and runs the risk of turning others off. Is there any data on this either way?

Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]

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Q: What are the three most important things to consider when designing a brilliant supporter journey?

There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]

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Q: Is there any evidence that changes to the tax laws in the USA changed end of year giving behaviors? Previously, ~30% of US taxpayers filed itemized tax returns allowing them to receive a deduction for charitable giving. Tax law changed in 2017 so that now only ~10% itemize. This should mean tax year-end giving should not matter to millions of people for whom it used to matter. Is there any data evidence to support this?

I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]

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Demographics

Riding the Unicorn

Will Your #GivingTuesday Campaign Drown In A Sea of Sameness?

Are You Ready for Fundraising’s Changing Data Future?

Audience Building and Google

The Insanity and Stupidity of Ignoring and Offending Women

Gender, Race and Fundraising Myths

Which Emotion Should We Trigger To Increase Donations?

Latest Survey on Why Donors Give

Neglected Treasure

Fundraising Pioneer and Provocateur Dies

Ask A Behavioral Scientist

Behavioral Science Q & A

Q: Do you have any insight on whether integrating an individual giving appeal with other comms from the charity in both appearance and messaging can uplift results? Or does the actual appeal become ‘lost’ for lack of stand-out?

Q: Is there any research on response rate impact in direct mail when referring to a sustainer gift as ongoing or recurring (catching all frequencies) v. monthly or annual?

Q: A major conservation nonprofit sends me lots of mail, many of which have on the envelope “time to renew” or “2nd notice.” I find this practice deceptive, especially as I haven’t given to said organization since 1997. It must be effective or they wouldn’t do it. But is it ethical?

Q: I find it irritating when some nonprofits accept my “gift” and then ask me to cover their credit card fees separately. It feels like a practice that does nothing to help win donors and runs the risk of turning others off. Is there any data on this either way?

Q: What are the three most important things to consider when designing a brilliant supporter journey?

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