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Communications

Listen To Your Donors? Sometimes.

Last week, talking about FaceBook’s cave-in (as some pundits see it) to two million of its users, I raised the issue of when should nonprofits listen to their donors. I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but Jeff Brooks over at donor-centric Donor Power Blog would probably say "Always!" Personally, I’m all for […]

Learn More March 30, 2009

Listen To Your Donor? No! Maybe?

So, you go do this fancy survey of your donors and they say: 1) Scrap the newsletter, and 2) by the way, we don’t understand why you’re spending 80% of "our" money on program X … cut it in half. Do you listen to your donors (i.e., customers) and do what they say? If not, […]

Learn More March 27, 2009

Courting New Lovers

So, you want to grow your organization. Who do you listen to for insight into how to expand your audience — your current best donors, or some new audience that you believe represents your growth opportunity? And how do you listen? Here’s an article, via Social Media Insider, with some important cautions. It’s by Catharine […]

Learn More March 19, 2009

Have You Watched An Online Video Today?

No? How about in the past week? No? What, too busy working on your nonprofit’s newsletter, or reading the newspaper? Or practicing your Morse code?! According to this USA Today article, market researcher Forrester forecasts that 187,000,000,000 (that’s billion) online videos will be served in 2009, up 24% from the previous year. YouTube is by […]

Learn More March 11, 2009

Optimize Your Personal Brand

G’won, admit it … you google your name every now and then! And what "personal brand" emerges? In this article from Online Spin, Max Kalehoff of search marketing firm Clickable advises that folks who want to stand out and get ahead had better put some serious thought to their online "personal brand." He predicts that […]

Learn More March 10, 2009

Mommy Math

If moms are a key element of your target audience for fundraising or communications, read on. This article by Stephanie Azzarone, who blogs at Mom Market Trends, makes a key point. When moms are looking for advice, including on potential purchases, they prefer to talk to peers rather than experts. And this conferring with peers […]

Learn More March 5, 2009

Offering “Touch” And “Experience”

Yesterday I talked about the challenge for nonprofits in offering donors and prospects the opportunity to actually "touch" and "experience" their organizations. The assumption being that such closer connection would benefit fundraising. Here’s a terrific example, albeit in a category that has lots of tangibles to offer its audience — a museum. In this case, […]

Learn More March 3, 2009

How Do Fundraisers Do This?

Recently I read two articles from the commercial marketing world that — for me — raised the question: "How do fundraisers do this?" The articles deal with the importance of the non-cerebral side of, first, making a sale, and then, winning loyalty. In this report from Science Daily, we read that if the customer touches […]

Learn More March 2, 2009

The Intimacy Of Social Networks

Today I’m forwarding two quite different articles about online social networks — both have relevance to online fundraising. The first, from Center for Research, is your typical report on social network usage — who does it, what they do, etc. It’s actually a compilation of two other reports from Netpop Research and Insight Express. When […]

Learn More February 27, 2009

More Tips On Using Social Media

I see a lot of articles these days advising how to use social media. Here’s one by Stephanie Miller of online marketing agency Return Path that I particularly like. Why? Because it draws interesting insights from successful email marketing, and those in turn reflect some fundamental principles of direct marketing. I’ve extracted the basic thoughts, […]

Learn More February 26, 2009

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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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