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Behavioral Science Posts

Four Key Donor Centric Topics. Four Free Webinars.

I want to alert you to four upcoming Webinars presented by DonorVoice that amplify key donorcentric topics we’ve covered frequently in The Agitator.  Not only are they free, but far more importantly you’ll see how concepts like supporter journeys, donor experience,  behavioral science principles, donor commitment, and feedback are applied in practice.   The series kicks off […]

Learn More May 15, 2019

Learn From the Robots Coming to Take Your Job

Self-driving cars.  Warehouse robots.  Skynet missile defense.  It seems like more and more jobs of the future will be automated. You may think you are safe as a nonprofit marketer.  But behold: the first ever AI-written appeal letter (thanks to Mark Phillips for posting): A world first. A computer generated appeal letter. pic.twitter.com/40bkjMqof6 — Mark […]

Learn More May 13, 2019

Understand Your Donors Based on Their Behaviours and Identity

‘If I’d asked my customers what they wanted they’d have said a faster horse.’ widely attributed to Henry Ford In our recent Supporter Journey White Paper, we talked about common insight traps that many fundraisers fall into when planning supporter journeys. We’ve all been seduced by the siren calls of personas, demographic profiling and typing […]

Learn More May 1, 2019

The Power of Wow!

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Walt Disney World in Florida with my wife and (then) eight-year-old daughter. If I was to describe and score the day, with 10 being highest,  it would go something like Waking up super early and getting the kids into the car 5 Queuing for […]

Learn More April 29, 2019

Watch Your Donors Backwards

In my effort to consume Game of Thrones content pre-finale, I  stumbled across a wonderful, nutty, and wonderfully nutty experiment: someone who had never seen the show before watched all the episodes in reverse. At first, it’s superficially interesting: who is this person who jumped out a window?  Why did that church explode?  What happened […]

Learn More April 22, 2019

Speed Round: 7 Updates on 7 Issues

It’s spring, so it’s time for a bit of housecleaning.  Here are updates from the research, field, or my own fevered brain on the Agitator posts you know and love. The return on customer experience.  We talk a lot about the importance of donor experience.  In fact, Craig Linton, who you may know from Fundraising […]

Learn More April 12, 2019

Death Is Our Friend

She cleared her throat. Laughed a little in spite of herself. And then said, “Have you ever seen a U-Haul following a hearse? You can’t take it with you!“ Thus…with this brief account of their conversation with a legacy donor authors Fraser Green, Holly Wagg and Charlotte Field explain how they chose the title for […]

Learn More April 10, 2019

The Myth of the Average Donor

In Greek mythology, Procrustes was the hotelier from hell.  He had a bed where passersby could spend the night.  If they were too short to fit the bed, they would be stretched to fit it; if they were too tall, they would have the “excess” lopped off.  His sizist reign ended when Theseus (of minotaur […]

Learn More March 27, 2019

The Sex Life of Danes and Quid Pro Donor Information

Hopefully, you’re convinced.  You’ve seen you get better results when you know and prime your donors’ identities.  And you think that creating content for your donors can be a valuable way of acquiring new constituents. But there’s a question at the back of your mind: will people tell you what you want to know?  Will they […]

Learn More February 1, 2019

4 Tips When Using Cognitive Biases

In the previous posts, we busted some myths and explained the risks of having a simplified view of biases. Taking both into account, I’ll close the week with 4 short recommendations. 1. Avoid “all or nothing” thinking. Don’t believe in the universal application of biases – don’t assume that an effect observed in one context will […]

Learn More January 25, 2019

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Ask A Behavioral Scientist

    Behavioral Science Q & A

    Q: As a designer who works with non-profits on fundraising strategy, I see the language like the following: “Our supporters help empower every girl, ensuring she has the resources she needs.” I do not think the word “help” is useful–I think “Our supporters empower every girl, ensuring she has the resources she needs. ” is much more engaging. Thoughts?

    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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    Q: We started offering a donor cover option last april 1. The data to date suggests this may be dampening giving.eg. those who say yes to donor cover have a lower average gift (based on analysis of 6000+ gifts). I’m wondering if those who give lower gifts feel more guilt and therefore say yes to donor cover or if the presence of donor cover is making people adjust (lower) their gift size to accommodate the extra 3%. Would love any insights you have.

    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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    Q: When writing an appeal, I waffle back and forth between writing “Your gift CAN…” or “Your gift WILL…” Any studies of which of these two words is best for an appeal?

    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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    Q: Do you have any insight on whether integrating an individual giving appeal with other comms from the charity in both appearance and messaging can uplift results? Or does the actual appeal become ‘lost’ for lack of stand-out?

    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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    Q: Is there any research on response rate impact in direct mail when referring to a sustainer gift as ongoing or recurring (catching all frequencies) v. monthly or annual?

    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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    Q: A major conservation nonprofit sends me lots of mail, many of which have on the envelope “time to renew” or “2nd notice.” I find this practice deceptive, especially as I haven’t given to said organization since 1997. It must be effective or they wouldn’t do it. But is it ethical?

    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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