Communications

6 Giants

Copywriting and direct marketing guru Denny Hatch, himself ranking as a legend in the field, recently listed his ‘6 Giants of the Last 100 Years’, with a brief selection of quotes from each. Amongst this group are the creators of the Book-of-the-Month Club (which my father subscribed to and I credit with inspiring my youthful interest […]

Learn More October 23, 2015

Unsung Fundraising Heroes

I’m looking forward to speaking next week at the annual meeting of the Association of Advancement Services Professionals because I want to personally thank these unsung heroes. These are the pros who gather, organize, manage and disseminate the information that is the backbone of solid and effective fundraising. Key activities too often ignored or paid short […]

Learn More October 20, 2015

Shut Up And Listen

As reported in this NonProfit Times article, consultant Richard Brown offered this simple advice at a recent fundraising conference, in the context of major gift fundraising: “Just keep your mouth shut and your ears open.” He was cautioning about the tendency of fundraisers always to be in sales mode, with predictable talking points: You’ll be making […]

Learn More October 19, 2015

Hamsters And Fundraising

When it comes to holding on to donors most fundraisers, like fur-less hamsters, seem to treading their way to nowhere. As the Agitator noted last week in our post on the 2015 Fundraising Effectiveness Project Report, just as in past years the number of new donors gained is surpassed by the number of existing donors lost (100 too […]

Learn More October 13, 2015

Fundraising So Simple Only a Child Can Do It Well

The other day I stumbled across a company that raises big bucks in peer-to-peer fundraising for elementary schools in the US. You’ll find it at Boosterthon.com and their proposition is simple. They provide a fully automated peer-to-peer website where parents and kids can plug in videos and photos. The result is an easy-as-pie fundraising campaign […]

Learn More October 7, 2015

Fundraising Common Sense

Tom and I are always grateful for Comments by fellow Agitators and we weren’t disappointed to the remarks triggered by the post on the 2015 Fundraising Effectiveness Project Report. All the insights were terrific, but I was particularly struck by Michael Rosen’s comment on how quickly some folks seem to dismiss the importance and skill required […]

Learn More October 5, 2015

Have You Mastered Nonprofit Video Yet?

Faithful Agitator readers know I’m a big fan of online video as a call-to-action and fundraising tool. One of my favorite posts I write each year is about the nonprofit video awards given by NTEN, See3 and YouTube. Here are the 2015 winners, as I discussed back in March. If you haven’t experimented with video […]

Learn More October 1, 2015

Avoiding Regulatory Blunders

Last week, in The U.K.’s New Fundraising Sheriff, I noted the failure of UK fundraisers and The Institute of Fundraising at self-regulation. That failure has now led to proposals for greater government intervention and the as-yet-unknown imposition of new rules that may prove difficult and even unwise. One thing is certain. This is no time for the […]

Learn More September 28, 2015

Infographics For Nonprofits

I’ve been on a bit of an infographic binge this week, but I’ve saved my best for last — The Ultimate Guide to Infographics for Nonprofits. First, however, I can’t resist passing along a few more infographics Agitator readers have brought to my attention … From Grizzard … The Digital Space and Its Relevance for […]

Learn More September 25, 2015

The U.K.’s New Fundraising Sheriff

Self-regulation of fundraising went down the tubes this week in the U.K., and the nonprofit sector has no one to blame but itself. A review commissioned by the government following a media exposé of pressurized fundraising tactics used by some charities (see Agitator here, and here) concluded that the self-regulatory Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) had been […]

Learn More September 24, 2015

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: