• Home
  • Blog Posts
  • Behavioral Science
  • On Demand Webinars
  • Toolbox
  • Archives

Communications

Barriers To Online Fundraising Success

An article on October 13 regarding nonprofits’ online success (or lack thereof) in Fundraising Success began like this: "Nonprofit organizations are resource constrained, as we all well know. According to a 15-question survey Convio conducted between September 2008 and October 2008 of 60 nonprofits, the most common response regarding their organization’s top barrier to success […]

Learn More October 21, 2009

Funeral Postponed

Even as an increasing number of fundraising pundits pen Direct Mail’s obituary, a piece in Inside Direct Mail  indicates the funeral is premature. Editor-in-Chief Ethan Boldt notes that “While many other sectors have cut down on their mail volume, fundraising has stuck with its direct mail workhorse, even while most fundraisers also have bumped up […]

Learn More October 16, 2009

Try This Creative Resource

Direct mail maven Denny Hatch recently wrote "They Forgot the Importance of ‘YOU’", a column in which he took the Obamas to task for their losing performances in trying to sell Chicago to the International Olympic Committee. Whatever you think of his analysis, Denny reminds us of two key points to keep in mind when […]

Learn More October 15, 2009

Try Or Die!

Yesterday, with his Scrooge hat on, Tom offered his opinion and advice on how to approach the question of fitting social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) into the fundraising mix. Tom justified his parsimonious approach to investing in social media on the grounds that the “fundraising team’s job is to protect and nurture our existing donor […]

Learn More October 2, 2009

Want To Try Something New?

Yesterday we reported our Agitator survey results on current nonprofit fundraising priorities.  The survey was triggered by our desire to get a sense of how fundraisers planned to fit social media (Facebook etc) into their marketing mix over the next twelve months. We weren’t surprised by the results — major gift fundraising and and direct  […]

Learn More October 1, 2009

Your Fundraising Priorities

You’ll recall that we’ve raised the issue of where the use of social media fits into the overall fundraising priorities of nonprofits. We’ve now "closed" our online survey asking your opinions on the subject. Here are the responses to our three questions. First we asked about the overall fundraising mix … As a fundraiser in […]

Learn More September 30, 2009

Direct Mail Just Keeps Truckin!

Here are the stats on direct mail volumes from the latest USPS Household Diary Study (2008). As reported by the Center for Media Research, key factoids include: U.S. Households received 148.6 billion mail pieces in 2008, of which 63% was advertising. Income, education and age of head of household are the major drivers of mail […]

Learn More September 3, 2009

Magic Beans

I don’t know what set him off, but marketing maven Seth Godin recently posted an article titled Magic beans, TV and the web. Here’s the kernel: "On the web, there are countless marketers just standing around waiting for someone to hand them the magic beans. And that’s the problem. Marketing online takes too much measurement, […]

Learn More September 2, 2009

Marketing To The Silent Generation

Back in July, Mark Dolliver wrote this terrifically insightful article in Adweek regarding marketing to today’s age 65+ consumer. [Sorry, I’m just catching up to this, thanks to a mention by the Boomer Project.] Dolliver refers to this group as the Silent Generation (born 1925-42), sandwiched between a group whose life-shaping — and well-told story […]

Learn More September 1, 2009

Calculating Your Online $$ Potential

Convio is brandishing a new "fundraising calculator" that claims to compute the future value of your integrated direct mail, telemarketing and online fundraising stream. Says Jordan Viator of Convio: "The tool allows nonprofit organizations to estimate their online fundraising potential based on their actual number of donors, donations and online donor activity — giving them […]

Learn More July 30, 2009

<< 1 … 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 >>

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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 – […]

    Read Full Answer

    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

    The Agitator Tool Box

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



      • © Copyright 2005 - 2025, The Agitator. All Rights Reserved.
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Sitemap
      • RSS Feed
      • We welcome your feedback!