Nonprofit branding - Agitator

Communications

Your Nonprofit’s Self-Image

The latest extension of Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ campaign has generated buckets of attention. As Dove puts it, the mission of the campaign is “to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence and not anxiety”. We first wrote about this campaign in 2006, applauding its focus on self-esteem. What’s creating the latest buzz […]

Learn More April 22, 2013

We Love Ourselves

Admit it. That’s what marketing guru Seth Godin says. And the best brand stories help the customer/donor do that. Says Godin: “We love the memory we have of how that brand made us feel once. We love that it reminds us of our mom, or growing up, or our first kiss. We support a charity […]

Learn More April 15, 2013

Function Like A Newsroom

You’ve heard The Agitator use the word ‘relevance’ over and over. Why? Because relevance is the only gateway to your donors these days. They’ll no longer allow you to just barge in with stuff you think is important. Indeed, relevance is a concept that originates totally in the customer. The consumer/donor, not you (the brand) […]

Learn More February 26, 2013

When You’ve Blown It!

What do you do when you’ve really screwed up with your donors or other stakeholders? First of all, I’m assuming: a) you have ways of listening to your donors; and b) you are paying attention. Second, you’ve realized that they’re right; you’re wrong. Then do what one of my favorite clients of all time — […]

Learn More February 22, 2013

A Year-End Campaign I Like

Because I like stories. Because I like online video as a fundraising ‘closer’. Because I like hearing results, especially recounted by the people helped. For these reasons, I really like the current campaign of the American Red Cross. Actually, this is more than simply a year-end campaign (forgive my misleading title), although it has certainly […]

Learn More December 19, 2012

Acquisition: Why ‘Best Practices’ Suck

The problem with most ‘best practices’ is that they lead to stealing. One organization copying another organization’s seemingly successful acquisition package simply leads to the next doing the same. And on and on. Tote bags change logos. Address labels change colors. Greeting cards filled with happiness, snow scenes and balloons proliferate. Problem is that copying […]

Learn More December 14, 2012

“We Are Not Your Grandfather’s Oldsmobile”

A few posts back, we asked readers to suggest additional organizations to be included in the next DonorVoice/Agitator Donor Commitment Study. We received a few dozen suggestions … they’re still coming in. Many thanks. We also received this email from Brad Boyd at the Kiwanis Foundation of Indianapolis, which I’m publishing in its entirety: “Down […]

Learn More October 5, 2012

Commitment Is Everywhere

At Loyalty360.org, I came across this article — Are Your Customers Brand Loyal or Category Loyal? — which looks at customer loyalty in the consumer package goods (CPG) realm. We’re talking diapers and toothpaste. The author, Suzy Cox, focuses on the steady rise of ‘private label brands’, which now account for roughly 23% of unit […]

Learn More September 11, 2012

Where Does Fundraising Begin?

If you said ‘the donor relationship’ you’d be wrong! Well, not entirely, The Agitator would still give you a B+. But as he answers with respect to all marketing in his post, The circles of marketing, Seth Godin would say … The Product As Godin says: “When the thing you sell has communication built in, […]

Learn More August 7, 2012

Fill In The Blanks

In this recent post, The theater of the mind, Seth Godin advises marketers: “The most effective marketing story isn’t the one you tell to someone in your audience, it’s the one the person tells himself.” In Godin’s view good marketing opens the door to the prospect having a conversation with himself. He concludes: “Too often, […]

Learn More August 1, 2012

Ask A Behavioral Scientist

Behavioral Science Q & A

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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Q: I find it irritating when some nonprofits accept my “gift” and then ask me to cover their credit card fees separately. It feels like a practice that does nothing to help win donors and runs the risk of turning others off. Is there any data on this either way?

Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]

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Q: What are the three most important things to consider when designing a brilliant supporter journey?

There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]

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Q: Is there any evidence that changes to the tax laws in the USA changed end of year giving behaviors? Previously, ~30% of US taxpayers filed itemized tax returns allowing them to receive a deduction for charitable giving. Tax law changed in 2017 so that now only ~10% itemize. This should mean tax year-end giving should not matter to millions of people for whom it used to matter. Is there any data evidence to support this?

I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]

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The Agitator Tool Box

Ideas, applications, tools, processes, and case studies of break-through solutions in fundraising, including: