Direct mail

The Online Yield From Direct Mail

Stacy Guidice at Grizzard sent us these interesting stats on the extent to which first-time online gifts are driven by direct mail. Analysts at Grizzard matched first-time online gifts against mailing lists used in parallel for one of their clients, Rescue Missions. A median of 35% of first-time online gifts could be matched back to […]

Learn More September 6, 2012

Coca-Cola Fundraising

Each afternoon at around 2:30 the daily gem-filled missive from Jeff Brook’s Future Fundraising Now arrives in my e-mailbox. Part wit, part iconoclast, almost always spot on, Jeff is merciless on much of the foolishness – branding studies, focus groups, ‘creative’ advertising, laborious organization-centered copy – that destroys effective fundraising. Last week a special treat […]

Learn More September 5, 2012

Women Are Better Donors

In the Chronicle of Philanthropy Holly Hall just covered a new study finding that older women (Boomer and older) are more generous than older men, other key factors held constant (similar incomes, number of children, education level). The study, Women Give 2012, was done at the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy. […]

Learn More August 23, 2012

The Agitator Believes In Equal Time

Last week The Agitator poked fun at social media with 9 Reasons To Quit Social Media, generating a bit of heat. But Brady Josephson scores the most points for his friendly riposte regarding direct mail, which I re-publish in full here … 7 reasons to quit direct mail: 1. It is expensive. 2. People already […]

Learn More August 20, 2012

Flat Earth Fundraising: Catch & Release Fishing

Too many direct response fundraisers, many of whom should know better, continue to resort to acquisition techniques that only serve to camouflage the erosion and dry rot destroying long-term donor performance and value. Whether it’s the over-use of premiums or the increasing dependence on cooperative databases (see piece in Direct Marketing News), the amount of […]

Learn More August 9, 2012

Direct Mail Hanging In

The Direct Marketing Association notes in its recently released 2012 Response Rate Report that direct mail response rates have dropped nearly 25% over the past nine years. Even so, direct mail pulls a better overall response than digital channels. The report also says that: Cost per order or lead for acquisition campaigns were roughly equivalent […]

Learn More July 26, 2012

Stand Out

Roger began the week with some recommendations for salvaging fundraising bottom lines in the reminder of the year. #1 was Get Your Message Together. You might say, “No-brainer”. If that’s the case, why, as Roger notes, echoing other bloggers, do nonprofits do it so poorly? #2 was Get Your Online House in Order. You must […]

Learn More July 13, 2012

Power Of Premiums

I’ve expressed reservations about premiums. But I basically conclude … let testing and rigorous analysis of the net long term value of premium-acquired donors decide the proper course for your organization. With that proviso, I’m happy to forward this entertaining discussion of premiums — The Power of Premiums — from fundraising maven Denny Hatch. Get […]

Learn More June 13, 2012

Premiums Make Me Cringe

Probably no direct mail fundraising practice makes me cringe more than the use of premiums in prospecting. My instinctive reaction is to regard them as pure hucksterism — evidence that the sending organization regards its prospects as mindless. More interested in the stamps or coffee mug or plush toy than the real issue or cause. […]

Learn More May 8, 2012

Thank You For Real Data On Thank You’s

Hallelujah! Actual test data on the efficacy of thank you’s. In case you’ve haven’t noticed, here’s is a bit of testing information just posted on The Agitator website by Angel Aloma at Food For The Poor … “Thank you letters have been very effective fundraisers for our organization. On average, we get more than one […]

Learn More May 2, 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: