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UK Donor Commitment Study Recorded Webinar

DonorVoice conducted a webinar in partnership with Ken Burnett and SOFII to share our recent findings measuring donor commitment in the UK.  The full, recorded webinar is below. If you have any questions or comments please just let us know.  You can reach us directly at kschulman@thedonorvoice.com or 202-246-9649. One administrative note: 1) You can […]

Learn More August 27, 2012

UK Donor Commitment Study Presentation

DonorVoice conducted a webinar in partnership with Ken Burnett and SOFII to share our recent findings measuring donor commitment in the UK.  The slides below are the ones used in the presentation.  If you have any questions or comments please just let us know.  You can reach us directly at kschulman@thedonorvoice.com or 202-246-9649. A couple […]

Learn More August 22, 2012

How to find attitudinally derived segments across your entire house file with the “ABA Sandwich”

For direct marketers (and researchers for that matter) the Achilles heel of attitudinal data is not having answers for everybody, only our sample.  This tends to relegate findings to interesting, maybe even useful but never mission critical – at least in the eyes of fundraisers and direct marketers. What if you could know, with reasonable […]

Learn More August 6, 2012

Would You Hold An Umbrella for Your Donors?

There was a great post on the Harvard Business Review Blog recently that caught my eye called “Earn Customer Loyalty Without Losing Your Shirt” which talks about a TD Bank loyalty strategy they refer to as the “1 to Say Yes, 2 to Say No” Rule. In a nutshell, the strategy promotes a culture driven […]

Learn More July 19, 2012

Time for the Non-Profit Sector to Get More Commercial (& Steal…)

To misquote Oscar Wilde, “the meek borrow, genius steal…”, and steal (or borrow if you insist) is exactly what the non-profit sector must do in rewriting its best practices to address the intractable problem of lousy and declining retention rates. Let us first stipulate, this post is not about bashing the sector.  To the contrary, […]

Learn More June 27, 2012

What the heck is a life-stage? Or is it lifecycle or maybe lifecycle stage?

This is another very trendy buzzword (or phrase), one we admittedly use on occasion.   It is, like most buzz words, grossly over and misused.  This is one of those terms that is easier to define by starting with the anti-definitions – i.e. what it is not. But, before we jump into that list of “what […]

Learn More June 15, 2012

Figuring out why people donate while avoiding their rationale answers to the question

A lot gets written about how people are not particularly rationale, we engage or belief all sorts of irrational things. And yet, when asked why we do certain things we often give very rationale answers.  This seeming split between our rationale reports about why behave the way we do and our irrational acts provides ammunition […]

Learn More May 18, 2012

The Value of Non-Responders

There is a great write up in Harvard Business Review about an experiment to evaluate the sales lift from coupons – not just among the redeemers (the obvious part) but also, the non-redeemers. How do coupons deliver sales lift among non-redeemers?  Most probably know or can guess the answer and it is the exact same […]

Learn More May 11, 2012

Nonprofit revenue models – which one is better?

If you plot a donor file that relies mostly on monthly giving (think UK, not US) using a histogram with financial values given over last year or 2 years on the horizontal and counts on the y axis you get a plot that looks something like a mix between the “skewed right” distribution and the […]

Learn More April 26, 2012

What the heck is a “donor experience” anyway?

Our friends at the Agitator picked up on a DonorVoice riff about donor experiences with a post making the point that the non-profit sector ignores the commercial sector obsession over customer experiences at their peril. The lack of brick and mortar storefront is no reason to discount a focus on experiences being served up to […]

Learn More April 19, 2012

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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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