Anatomy of a Committed Donor Infographic
We recently conducted some additional analyzes using our National sample of 1200 recent, frequent cause donors. Here are some interesting nuggets to help build out a profile and understanding of the “generic”, Committed Donor.
One other factoid, not referenced in the infographic is the relationship between race/ethnicity and Commitment – the answer; there isn’t a relationship, meaning race/ethnicity is certainly not causal of nor even correlated with Commitment. What does this mean? There is a massive, non-white US population who is equally capable of forming high value, high Commitment relationships with organizations and yet, the vast majority of organizational house files are extremely white. Acquisition metrics only suck as currently constituted with everybody fishing in the exact same, tired old, fished out streams. The irony, and reality, is the vast shoreline of un-fished waters that political campaigns (particularly Democratic) and the for profit world are tapping into with huge success.
While this anatomy almost certainly holds for most/all of any organizations own donors, there will of course be important differences, mostly around what motivates them to give to your sector and your organization versus that of the competitive set.
These motivators (or key drivers) of Commitment to your organization is what you need to know to effectively guide your marketing, communications and fundraising activities.
P.S. Click on the image to enlarge it.
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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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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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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