Because Of You
Here’s one of the best email subject lines to hit my in-box in a long time …
What can I add, except to say that, once I opened the email, Charity:Water indeed delivered the right message, in this case a ‘thank you’ to its volunteers, as usual with a video.
Tom
2 responses to “Because Of You”
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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In response to the crisis in public trust and confidence in charities in the UK last year, the umbrella body National Council for Voluntary Organisations led an initiative to address that. One of the projects was a Narrative project, an effort to imagine the story about charities we’d want people to recognise once the storm had passed; a story that had them at the centre of it rather than a story about charities and negative media stories.
It’s theme (strengthened after some focus group testing)? “Because of you.”
You can read about the initiative in the slide deck in this blog, from slide 36. The Narrative text is on slide 44. (Not meant for public-facing messaging, but to get charities themselves to think about their tone).
http://blogs.ncvo.org.uk/2016/07/21/whats-next-on-public-trust-and-confidence-in-charities/
As far as I’m concerned, the three most powerful words in fundraising are “you,” “because” and “thanks.” This has it all!!! Thanks so much for sharing. For more, see http://www.clairification.com/2015/11/17/3-word-formula-guaranteed-to-raise-money/