Ask And Ye Shall Receive
I know that Roger’s was upsetting the apple cart last week with his Raise More, Ask Less series of posts.
So it’s with some sheepishness that meanwhile I was asking Greenpeace to ask more!
You’ll recall that I’ve been very enthusiastic about Greenpeace’s current campaign against Arctic oil drilling. Gave it an A+ for supporter engagement.
But I lamented, after receiving 5 or 6 campaign messages (with no $$ ask), “When will I be asked for money?
Never to fear. My lament was heard. On the weekend I received my first fundraising appeal from the campaign. (I also received an email from a Greenpeace fundraiser promising some future insight into the fundraising aspects of this campaign. Cool!)
Here’s the landing page linked to the email appeal.
Note that the landing page is specifically related content-wise to the Arctic campaign. And it leads off with a monthly donation ask. And the form was pre-loaded with the bits of personal contact info I had already shared with Greenpeace. And it unobtrusively offered an additional giving option — making a bequest. (How did they know I’m an old man?!)
Four ticks in the ‘smart fundraising’ box from me.
But I’m playing harder to get. I just made a very modest one-time gift. Let’s see what happens next.
Tom
Behavioral Science Q & A
Great question! Here’s how behavioral science can help unpack what might be happening: Pain of Paying: Even a small extra charge can make giving feel more transactional than emotional, potentially reducing generosity. Fairness Concerns: Some donors might perceive donor cover as a surcharge rather than a contribution to the cause. If they feel the charity […]
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The choice between “Your gift CAN…” and “Your gift WILL…” taps into the psychological framing of certainty vs. possibility. Currently, there is no academic research directly comparing these two framings in charitable appeals. However, I suspect no framing is universally better—the outcome likely depends on your target audience and the campaign’s goal. Here are some thoughts: Certainty Framing – […]
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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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