Behavioral Science Posts

Are You In The Behavior Change Business?

Yes, yes you are. You are trying to change non-giving (at least to your org) to giving or giving of time to giving of money or quitting giving to restarting giving. For all behaviors needing to be changed. The only way to foster behavior change that sticks is by fostering high quality motivation. Motivation is […]

Learn More April 1, 2022

Are You Undermining Donor’s Sense of Control?

People give of time and treasure. We know this to be true. A factoid in support: Americans donate over $310 billion and volunteer 8.8 billion hours per year. If you take the median household income in the US (67k) and the average hours worked in a year you see that the hours given are worth […]

Learn More March 28, 2022

Back to Normal

Covid changed everything. For a little while. The prognosticators claiming otherwise were seemingly trying to outdo one another with their hyperbolic goobly gook. Here is one such hot-take, “that one can talk about a global synchronisation of human behaviour establishing a completely new, universal change of consumer patterns.” Uh, yeah, whatever. A nod to Mark […]

Learn More March 25, 2022

Personas? Buyer Beware.

This post is sourced from an article I wrote for the Direct Marketing Association of Washington’s bi-monthly magazine, Marketing AdVents. I encourage checking out the DMAW membership offer. They produce a lot of good content with conferences, webinars and this publication. The only reason to group donors is because you believe you’ll be more financially […]

Learn More March 23, 2022

The Exquisite Corpse of Direct Mail

If direct mail is dead it’s one hell of an exquisite corpse. And, with each passing week it grows even more exquisite. Not that it’s ever died; just grown more valuable, important, and increasingly informed by more and more science. We’ve been on the direct mail soap box a long time, particularly urging small to […]

Learn More March 9, 2022

The Anatomy & Science of Conversation

Conversation abounds in the world of fundraising whether in-person or over the phone. Everybody makes note that we should be active listeners and strive for making a conversation, well, you know, “conversational”. That feels thin. The social science world has done a lot to get a more robust answer. This has implications for humans talking […]

Learn More March 7, 2022

The Last Mile Matters

In supply chain world the last mile is that last step to get the Amazon package to your door. It’s notoriously expensive and cumbersome and it can be the difference between turning a profit or not. Your last mile equivalent is the paper or digital equivalent reply form. This last mile is a good place […]

Learn More March 4, 2022

And the Behavioral Science Award Goes To___________

I’ll accept this award on behalf of the DonorVoice Behavioral Science Team, their partnership with UCLA and the client that made it all possible, Catholic Relief Services. They’d all be here to accept the honor but they’re doing real work while I steal the stage. This is a big deal, especially for lead-author, Ilana Brody […]

Learn More February 25, 2022

How to Invoke Sad Without Saying “Sad”

“She was sad.” Boooorrrrring. Talk about telling not showing. Something so important as emotion and yet, most of the time we reduce it to the lowest common denominator, literal use of the word; angry, sad, happy. How about this instead; “she was crying.” It shows, it describes. And for most of you, it likely […]

Learn More February 23, 2022

The “Give” Decision is Different Than The “How Much” One

We are nothing if not laser focused on the “why” of giving. So much so that we know there are really two giving decisions, not one. No donor would ever report this in a focus group or a survey. These separate mental decisions are occuring subconsciously. Testing allows us to prove what’s going on and […]

Learn More February 14, 2022

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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