Advocacy Fundraising

Stick It To Them

Folks love stickers. And buttons. And decals. And bumper stickers. Seems like every movement moment has a symbol. From voting to vaccination, seals to save the manatee, the badges of civic pride and involvement are worn proudly, as are the more ideological varieties proclaiming their owner’s commitment to this cause or that movement. With “I’ve […]

Learn More March 10, 2021

Milking Le Après Trump Déluge

Of one thing I was certain while I sat glued—shocked, angered, and saddened– to the televised Impeachment trial: Despite the proceedings’ gravity in the real world, over in the world of political fundraising it would be business-as-usual. Solemnity, good taste and dignity wouldn’t stand a chance. And as sure as an 82-slide presentation at a […]

Learn More February 15, 2021

Donor or Activist?

What makes an activist different from a donor? Too often the former is thought of as a lead-gen exercise to source names to ‘convert’ them to the latter. Activists and donors are different. And while activists often donate that initial act of activism (e.g. the lead-gen petition signing) should not be thought of as a […]

Learn More January 22, 2021

Funding the Insurrection

Even before the violent mob stormed the Capitol on January 6th, disrupting the joint session convened to confirm Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory and leaving five people dead, 139 U.S. Representatives and 14 U.S. Senators indicated they planned to join in objecting to the votes of one or more states. Even more disgusting and dangerous […]

Learn More January 11, 2021

What’s Coming? A Trump Bump, Slump or Dump?

I’ve been in this trade through every U.S. presidential election since 1964 and the fundraising aftermath has always been predictable. If a conservative candidate triumphed, then boom times followed for liberal causes as in Ronald Reagan’s victory in 1980. Conversely, banner results for conservative causes followed a liberal presidential victory, as acquisition, retention rates and […]

Learn More November 9, 2020

The Social Movement Dilemma

Social activism and creating a “movement” is hard work, made harder by a conflicting reality. More extreme actions, often effective at gaining (media) attention and increasing pressure on organizations or institutions, are also likely to reduce popular support. What constitutes ‘extreme’? Perhaps it’s in the eye of the beholder and context dependent. Blocking highways may […]

Learn More November 4, 2020

How Do You Get Conservatives to Care As Much as Liberals About the Environment?

Answer: message to them differently. More specifically, conservatives and liberals can see themselves as equally moral (Identity) but for very different reasons. Much like there is a Big 5 of Personality that is trait-based and predictive of attitudes and beliefs (and in turn, behavior), there is another Big 5 in Morality that, not surprisingly, has […]

Learn More September 25, 2020

How Do You Find Out Why People Give?

For starters, don’t ask. Asking donors “why” they give tends to produce a lot of rationale or superficial answers. People are able to reliably cite their attitudes and provide insight on their experiences from interactions but rarely do they shed light on the cause of their behavior when directly prompted. A slightly better approach is […]

Learn More September 4, 2020

Let Freedom Ring

The splendid and vile sides of America’s polarized politics were both on full display yesterday. As moving tributes to U.S. Representative John R. Lewis, the civil rights icon most closely associated with voting rights, were delivered at his funeral in Atlanta, Donald Trump issued a contemptible and foreboding Tweet suggesting the U.S. “Delay the Election […]

Learn More July 31, 2020

American Renewal

One of the great advantages of older age is that experience seen in life’s rear-view mirror often provides a helpful understanding of what’s happening as seen through the front windshield of today. What I see today, while deeply disturbing in so many ways, gives me great hope. This is especially true where citizen action and […]

Learn More June 5, 2020

Ask A Behavioral Scientist

Behavioral Science Q & A

Q:We are struggling with acquistion. During our biggest community campaign, a colleague is suggesting that we have a QR code directing donors to a donate page that does not capture donor information – just a donation and an email address. We won’t be able to post any of these new doors our lvoely newsletters, or thank you letters. We’ll likely never hear from them again. What’s the best method to get this team to see the importance about a donor vs a donation?

Thanks so much for raising this. Yes, capturing donor information can be helpful for stewardship like newsletters, thank-you letters, impact updates. But how you ask matters. Forcing full data capture introduces friction that can significantly depress conversion, many donors may simply abandon the process. Beyond the friction itself, required fields also shift the emotional experience […]

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Q: Should we include “Giving Tuesday” in the subject lines for the emails that are going out before Giving Tuesday?

Unlike holidays that everyone already knows, Giving Tuesday is a created event. Many donors recognize the name but not the exact timing, so referencing it becomes a helpful cue. It serves as a reminder and taps into social norm activation (“everyone’s giving today”), which boosts response. However, we still want it paired with the mission, […]

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Q: can we pull the match language into the subject lines? Or this should be an A/B test?

When a subject line leads with the match (“Your gift matched!”), it risks triggering market-norm thinking: the sense that giving is a financial transaction rather than an act rooted in values, identity, and care. This shift reduces intrinsic motivation and, over time, can weaken donor satisfaction and long-term engagement. It also makes the email indistinguishable […]

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Q: Our mid-level donor team removed the QR code from the DM donation form that links to the donation page, but have left the URL for them to type it in manually. Not sure why they are adding a barrier to the donation process for a higher value donor – but I have to ask – is there any proof – either way – if a QR donation code reduces MV online giving, has any effect on their donation amount, has any effect on off line donations? Thank you….

There’s no evidence that QR codes suppress mid-value giving; all available research suggests they either help or have no negative effect. In fact, behavioral and usability research consistently shows the opposite: reducing friction at any point in the donation process increases completion rates and total response. And that has nothing to do with capacity and […]

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Q: How can we effectively use behavioral science to help shift our Board’s mindset. The majority are extremely resistant to asking their networks or sharing their contact lists with us, even after a candid discussion with an external lay leader who has been training boards with her fantastic Fundraising isn’t the F Word! workshop. We have also offered to use our automated email tool to send their appeals from their own email. It is so frustrating. We even have 2 Board members and the chair trying put some accountability on them for our big event but people are not really moving!

What you’re experiencing is very common. Resistance often isn’t about capability, but about motivation quality. If board members feel pushed into fundraising, that triggers controlled motivation (low quality motivation) i.e. obligation, guilt, or fear of judgment, which often results in avoidance. Instead, we need to create conditions for volitional motivation (high quality motivation) by satisfying […]

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Q: Copywriters often argue the ask should appear on the first page, but that usually breaks the story in two. With a one-sided letter the ask is always on page one, but with a two-sided letter it may fall on the second page—do results differ? Has your appeal structure been tested on both one-sided and two-sided letters? I just read the article Your Appeal Outline: Thoughtful Strategy or Random Spasm?

That’s a really thoughtful question, and you’re not the first to raise it. Many of our clients have been cautious about placing the ask at the very end. To address their concern, we’ve tested both approaches, and the results are clear: when the ask comes last, even if that means it appears on the second […]

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