Answer My Question
Let’s assume you’ve somehow captured the attention of a new donor prospect. Or maybe they simply showed up, uninvited, at your doorstep (i.e., website, Facebook page). Lucky you! I can sense you are trembling with anticipation.
What next?
What is the one question you must anticipate and answer to win that donation?
Some possibilities …
- How long has this nonprofit or charity been around?
- How many clients, patients, victims, needy people do you assist?
- What’s your budget?
- How much of my contribution will go to overhead?
- Which program will my money go to?
- Wow! How did you get celebrity X to sign your appeal?
Nah … none of those.
My candidate for the one question you must slam dunk answer …
How will your organization best enable me to make the difference I want to make?
But I’m open-minded … anybody want to offer an alternative question?
Tom
2 responses to “Answer My Question”
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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I agree with you, Tom. And I might expand the concept this way:
I walk into your organization, e.g., Facebook, lobby, whatever.
Here’s what I’m thinking: “I’m so angry about this problem. I dream of a different world. I wonder if this organization can help me use my anger, fulfill my dreams. I wonder if this is the right organization for me. I’ve been searching too long for the right place. Are you the right place for me?”
Nonprofits better be ready to hear the visitor’s dreams and aspirations. The NGO better ask the all-important question … maybe even first! “How can our organization fulfill your aspirations?”
Thanks, as always.
I totally agree with this. If giving to a specific charity is a way of living out their values, donors will never stop giving. That’s why so many Christians (not all but lots) love giving to help the poor and needy. With so many encouragements to give in the Bible, lots of Christians feel that giving to charity helps them to live out their beliefs. (Of course, this is not exclusive to Christians.)
Now I’m possibly going to open up a Pandora’s Box here. Interestingly, I know many Christians also like to give to evangelistic charities ie. the ones that actually try to plant churches or encourage more Christian converts or otherwise spread Christianity. This enables them to live out the words in the Bible that encourage them to make disciples. This is a very real core value of many Christians.
But here in Australia, a Christian charity cannot get tax-deductible status for activities that are deemed evangelistic or where the work has an evangelistic component.
Now not everyone gives to get the tax deduction, but to me it seems crazy that the law prevents a charity from offering a real benefit for a specific type of work that would be supported by many donors.
The result has been that many charities shy away from talking openly about their Christian culture and evangelistic “heart” in their appeals and other communications for fear of losing tax deductible status. Some charities create an arm of their charity devoted to evangelistic projects to get around this problem. Others just designate certain projects tax deductible or non tax deductible.
You could argue that a Christian who doesn’t give to a project because it’s non tax-deductible is not really giving in the spirit the faith intends. And certainly I know that some Christians give to Bible distribution and church planting and so forth regardless of the tax deduction because they love the cause. But I also do know that some donors, especially major donors who plan their giving and happen to be Christians, would give more if they could get the tax deduction.
Something to think about…