2019 DonorVoice Behavioral Symposium
Invaluable academic knowledge typically remains inaccessible to fundraising practitioners. Academics, on the other hand, are usually unaware of the real-life challenges charities face.
In an effort to fix this, we’re bringing together professors in behavioral science and nonprofit practitioners in the first-ever DonorVoice Behavioral Symposium, hosted by DonorVoice’s Chief Behavioral Officer, Dr. Kiki Koutmeridou.
Meet Kiki & the professors and meet the practitioners presenting at the symposium and download the abstracts here.
Here are the presentations’ video and slide decks:
- Peter Ayton: Broadcast charitable appeals – video and slides
- Erica Best: Power of one person stories – video and slides
- Hengchen Dai: Crowdfunding evidence from Kickstarter – video and slides
- Ayelet Gneezy: How good are our beset practices – video and slides
- Kiki Koutmeridou: Creating leads with identity insights – video and slides
- Larissa Peters: Emotion and impact at work – video and slides
- David Reinstein: Charity effectiveness and impact info – video and slides
- Derek Roberts: Getting supporters to stay in touch – video and slides
- Enrico Rubaltelli: Cost/benefit tradeoff of a fundraising campaign – video and slides
- Rami Sarakbi: Stop losing monthly donors – video and slides
You can also see all the videos on the DonorVoice YouTube page.
Behavioral science is way more than the much-talked-about nudges. Most sessions on the topic focus on the tactical changes that might optimize a subject line or an outer envelope. While we won’t completely ignore their potential, our Symposium will primarily focus on deeper insights around why people help each other.
The way to prosperity isn’t paved by individual, tactical changes based on behavioral nudges but on strategic changes based on behavioral insight.
Behavioral Science Q & A
Whether “help” is more engaging or not really depends on the framing and context. The word help can sometimes weaken the perceived agency of the supporter, making their role feel secondary rather than central (your point). On the other hand, help can also signal collaboration rather than implying full ownership of the outcome, which might […]
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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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