Basic Is Beautiful
Cleaning out my tips file, I came across two pieces of recent advice that are pretty basic, but all the more reason to be reinforced!
From Margaret Battistelli Gardner at Fundraising Success, 5 Direct Mail Fundraising Musts:
1. Tell stories, stories, stories.
2. Make sure premiums are tied to your mission.
3. Test, test and test again — ask amounts, postage types, reply envelopes, offers, packages, outer envelopes.
4. Include different giving options and different methods of connecting with your organization.
5. Don’t stop mailing.
And now that you’re ready to say something to your prospective donor, here’s what not to say!
From Jeff Brooks at Future Fundraising Now:
Don’t scold your donor … it’s not their fault! Don’t wag your finger about how hopeless everything is.
Instead, says Jeff: “Motivating people to give is by definition giving them hope for a solution … Good fundraising presents the problems in small, solvable chunks and gives them a solution that’s in their grasp.”
Amen.
Tom
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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