Communications

Is “Donor” the Best We Can Do?

My father died last week. I rarely share personal details and especially not this personal. I’m doing so now because he was a donor, though he’d never refer to himself that way. That begs the question of whether the “donor” label is so superficial as to be not only useless but counterproductive. What if part […]

Learn More May 7, 2021

Give Your Supporters a Break

Breaks are necessary for our sanity and productivity. Not exactly a breakthrough statement. Yet, we rarely follow that advice. How many back-to-back calls did you have this week? Can you remember how you felt after the last one? In a recent study, Microsoft examined the effects of back-to-back video calls on stress, and engagement. They […]

Learn More April 30, 2021

Donor Service – Human vs. Machine

Walgreens and AT&T are using your personal data to match you with the right customer service representative. And they are using something called the “break point” to walk right up to, but not over, the line where the customer will leave. They do this through analysis of tone and pace of speech. It’s only at […]

Learn More April 5, 2021

Using Cost of Fundraising to Turn Lead into Gold

Like anxious parents approaching their kid with the inevitable discussion about sex, many boards, CEOs and even some fundraisers dread talking to donors about fundraising costs. Over the years, especially in times of scandal, we’ve written literally dozens of posts on how to talk to donors about fundraising costs. Our bottom-line advice: “Don’t be one […]

Learn More March 19, 2021

Stick It To Them

Folks love stickers. And buttons. And decals. And bumper stickers. Seems like every movement moment has a symbol. From voting to vaccination, seals to save the manatee, the badges of civic pride and involvement are worn proudly, as are the more ideological varieties proclaiming their owner’s commitment to this cause or that movement. With “I’ve […]

Learn More March 10, 2021

Bernie’s Magic Mittens and Abusing Your Donor

One of the light and bright photo by-products of the horrid trifecta of January events in Washington, D.C. – Insurrection, Impeachment, Inauguration—was the terrific photo of Senator Bernie Sanders seated at the Inauguration swathed in parka and hand-knit mittens. Of course it didn’t take long before that photo was transformed into an endless stream of mostly […]

Learn More February 1, 2021

Coming to America

No. This isn’t about that “Coming to America”. Although the movie written by and starring Eddie Murphy is always worth a mention. You’ll recall, in that romantic comedy an extremely pampered African Prince travels to Queens, New York, and goes undercover to find a wife. Today we’re focused instead on one of fundraising’s all-time favorite events […]

Learn More January 18, 2021

A Twitter Tantrum to Read and Heed

Last year at this time I was moving along to finish a Year in Review post when a Tweet storm caught my eye. Usually, I ignore ‘em while writing, but this series struck a nerve. In fact, it reveals how we so ignore and frustrate basic donor needs that I wonder how we even survive. […]

Learn More January 6, 2021

Does Using Bullsh$% Language Help or Hurt Giving?

I read a lot of academic studies. A lot. Most teeter on the edge of uninteresting, a rare few are truly breakthrough that cause us to re-think our thinking. None however, until now, read like a spoof article from The Onion. The title of that study is, “Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior”. I read the abstract […]

Learn More November 16, 2020

The Social Movement Dilemma

Social activism and creating a “movement” is hard work, made harder by a conflicting reality. More extreme actions, often effective at gaining (media) attention and increasing pressure on organizations or institutions, are also likely to reduce popular support. What constitutes ‘extreme’? Perhaps it’s in the eye of the beholder and context dependent. Blocking highways may […]

Learn More November 4, 2020

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 […]

Read Full Answer

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 […]

Read Full Answer

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 […]

Read Full Answer

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 […]

Read Full Answer

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 […]

Read Full Answer

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 […]

Read Full Answer

Communications

Is “Donor” the Best We Can Do?

Give Your Supporters a Break

Donor Service – Human vs. Machine

Using Cost of Fundraising to Turn Lead into Gold

Stick It To Them

Bernie’s Magic Mittens and Abusing Your Donor

Coming to America

A Twitter Tantrum to Read and Heed

Does Using Bullsh$% Language Help or Hurt Giving?

The Social Movement Dilemma

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?

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?

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?

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?

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

DonorVoice products

Commitment System

Donor Feedback Platform™

PreTest Tool

TouchPoint Mapping