30 Bits Of Online Fundraising Wisdom
How long have we been raising money online now? I mean, seriously. I guess I would track it back to 1999/2000, when serious software tools began to appear from Convio and GetActive. So that’s a bit shy of 15 years.
So I confess to being a bit skeptical when this white paper — 30 Brilliant Bits of Online Fundraising Wisdom — came to my attention, even though it has plenty of pedigree, with contributions from the likes of Blackbaud (who swallowed Convio, who swallowed Get Active), Care2, Network for Good, Merkle and Blue State Digital, to name a few.
Why skeptical? Because of the word ‘wisdom’. If they had said something like “30 Tips to Improve Your Online Fundraising” I’d be happier.
‘Tips’ are not ‘wisdom’. Hey, after all, the best Greek philosophers struggled over lifetimes to find wisdom. But you’re telling me Blackbaud has?! [Just having fun, you friends at the behemoth.]
Merriam-Webster defines ‘wisdom’ as knowledge that is gained by having many experiences in life … and the natural ability to understand things that most other people cannot understand.
And from that venerable source of wisdom, Psychology Today: “Psychologists pretty much agree it involves an integration of knowledge, experience, and deep understanding that incorporates tolerance for the uncertainties of life as well as its ups and downs. There’s an awareness of how things play out over time, and it confers a sense of balance.”
Personally, I think online fundraising is still — at fifteen years — at the ‘tips’ stage.
So go ahead and read 30 Brilliant Bits … You will find it helpful, and thanks, sincerely, to Care2 and the other contributors for that. Not quite Plato, but online wisdom needs to start accumulating somewhere.
Tom
3 responses to “30 Bits Of Online Fundraising Wisdom”
Behavioral Science Q & A
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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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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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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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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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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There is wisdom out there, but it is often besieged on all sides by tribal knowledge. This leads to seemingly esoteric discussions about whether horizontal or vertical ask strings perform better on a donation form.
I have actually looked at online giving data that goes all the way back to 1999, and there are indeed some pieces of wisdom that emerge. It turns out that online giving behaviour has some predictable patterns just like any other giving channel.
In the past year, I’ve spent more time talking to nonprofit organizations about what not to do and how to avoid some common pitfalls. This approach seems to open up the mind to what really works. Perhaps I’ve just been channeling my inner Plutarch….
“Wise men profited more by fools than fools by wise men; for that wise men avoided the faults of fools, but that fools would not imitate the good examples of wise men.” – Plutarch
Hi Tom,
It’s nice to read about online fundraising wisdom, thanks to share this wonderful post.
Indeed a great post about online fundrasing. Thanks for the sharing 🙂