Behavioral Science Posts

4 Risks With the Simplified View of Biases

There seems to be an obsession with biases lately – everyone talks about them, tries to explain behavior with them and sees them everywhere around us. While acknowledging their contribution is important, considering biases as the one and only answer is dangerous. When examined solely through distinct biases, human behavior appears to be concrete and […]

Learn More January 23, 2019

Poor Year-End Giving and Email Volume

Year-end giving was down (on average and especially online). M+R has said it; PMX has said it; you may have seen it yourself. The 2018 year-end giving macroenvironment cocktail was something like: Government shutdown + Tax bill shifting donations from 2019 to 2018 + Democratic House balancing out some policies + Continued mail deliverability challenges […]

Learn More January 16, 2019

New Year, New Outlook

The fresh start effect means that now is a great time to take on new challenges or lean forward with a new outlook. One of mine for the new year is that we fundraisers are in the business of saving lives. Sure, we know that important missions would go unfunded without our fundraising. But I’m […]

Learn More January 7, 2019

Let’s Get Small with Micromoments

When was the last time you wondered who that actress is and what you knew her from? When that happened, were you content to just not know? No. Not knowing is so 1990s. And so are not comparison shopping, not buying, not receiving what you buy for weeks, not hearing about your donation, not being […]

Learn More December 21, 2018

Give to Get: The Need for a New Acquisition Model

Mail list rental and exchange is diminishing in effectiveness. How can we tell? There’s the anecdotal: the number of people requesting no rental or exchange in feedback surveys is rising. And many charities are seeing their acquisition results wane. There’s the studied: researchers looked at people who get more charitable mail solicitations in a study […]

Learn More December 3, 2018

How to Get People to Help You (and Donate)

In June, psychologist Dr. Heidi Grant came out with Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You. She reviews the literature to find out how to ask for help in the workplace so both we and the askee are better off. The funny part is most of the lessons she has for asking for help […]

Learn More November 26, 2018

Alfred Hitchcock: Nonprofit Fundraiser, Part II

Two years ago, in Part 1, we talked about how Alfred Hitchcock held our rapt attention by having a separate script for the emotional arc of his movies. There’s another Hitchcock idea we can steal to raise more: the MacGuffin. The MacGuffin is the object around which a story revolves, but no one in the […]

Learn More November 12, 2018

Historic Performance of Young Voters

Last week in The Millennial Myth I wondered if younger folks would vote in the U.S. mid-term elections at a greater rate than in the past. The answer is a definite “yes” and was delivered to the Agitator by John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at the Institute of Policcs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. […]

Learn More November 8, 2018

Learn To Say “Thank You”

I’m holding my breath in anticipation of the returns from today’s mid-term elections here in the U.S. I’m not holding my breath in anticipation of the flood of “Thank You’s” I’ll receive from the candidates and campaigns I donated to. “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme”, the political piggies screamed over the past year as they snuffled their way […]

Learn More November 6, 2018

Do You Vote? Or Are You A Voter?

I voted last Friday. This is, as I’ve said before, a case of identity: I [voted] knowing in my brain of brains (as opposed to my heart of hearts) that it made no possible difference. Everyone I voted for will win or lose by a healthy margin. And even if my one vote could be […]

Learn More October 25, 2018

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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