Donor Centricity - Agitator

Breaking Out of the Status Quo

Are You Behaving Like Facebook?

Seems as though all the world– the press, Congress, the European Union, advertisers, competitors and millions of users themselves—are focused on Facebook’s privacy and data practices. This is a great opportunity to look at privacy and data practices in our own sector. Sadly, many nonprofits behave like Facebook. They share and rent data without asking. They […]

Learn More April 2, 2018

How Donors Choose Among Nonprofits: The Role of Identity

There’s an old joke at the right that often feels like nonprofit marketing. While we do and should have ambitions of expanding the charitable giving pie, we also want to secure our own organization’s piece of said pie. One of the points Kevin made yesterday is that organizations are differentiating themselves by creating donor journeys […]

Learn More March 21, 2018

Low Risk Approach to High Reward Discovery

Yesterday Roger outlined the failings of alleged-segmentation systems that aren’t customized to your organization. Today, I’d like to suggest a proven, low-risk approach to dramatic improvement through better segmentation. It’s hard to get away from the significant advantages that come with being a mature nonprofit brand: you can get very good at delivery, incremental efficiency, […]

Learn More March 20, 2018

Level Three Feedback: Using Feedback to Model

You had an acquisition package that beat your control like the control owed it money. Turns out that putting in a coin and a notepad and address labels and a back-end premium in that package really increased response rate! You have a new control! Fast forward a year. Your donor file isn’t growing the way […]

Learn More March 9, 2018

Level Two Feedback: Using Feedback to Fix Your Systems

The YMCA thought they knew what their members wanted. Then they asked their members. The results, from The Power of Habit: “[T]he accepted wisdom among YMCA executives was the people wanted fancy exercise equipment and sparkling, modern facilities. The YMCA had spent millions of dollars building weight rooms and yoga studios. When the surveys were […]

Learn More March 8, 2018

Level One Donor Feedback: Fixing Things for Individuals

The first level of feedback is asking people for their thoughts and fixing problems for them. No, simply having your phone number on your website, mail, and publications and waiting for people to call is not level one feedback. It may have been at one point, but no longer. In late 2016, I tracked every […]

Learn More March 7, 2018

Donor-Centric or Faux Donor-Centric? Check the Plumbing.

When it comes to donor-centricity/obsession/love/devotion/passion I fear many fundraisers talk a good game while ignoring the fundamental and routine practices that should exist in any organization that truly cares about its donors. Tom’s and my mentor John Gardner, in his book Excellence defined the issue perfectly: “An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an […]

Learn More March 6, 2018

Are You Donor-Obsessed or Merely Donor-Centric?

Customer experience guru Gerry McGovern warns that even if a company is indeed “customer-centric” that may not be enough these days. “To truly be successful, you need to nurture a customer obsession culture within your organization.”, he warns. The Agitator says, “Amen.” So, let’s kick ‘donor-centricity’ up a notch and focus on what makes for […]

Learn More March 5, 2018

The Value of an Email Address

Last week, we talked about advocacy as a way of building your file (and I was called out, correctly, for discounting the potential of paid advocate acquisition). So how much should you spend to get one email address? There’s new data from Steve MacLaughlin and Blackbaud (that you can get from his Data Driven Nonprofits […]

Learn More March 2, 2018

The Complexity of Simplicity

The universe tends toward entropy, toward ever-increasing complexity. But you and I don’t need to be unindicted co-conspirators. We can fight for simple. Fighting for simple isn’t simple. Complexity is a tricky bastard. He will plead “it’s just one more” for every field in a form, every message in a communication, every step in a […]

Learn More March 1, 2018

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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Breaking Out of the Status Quo

Are You Behaving Like Facebook?

How Donors Choose Among Nonprofits: The Role of Identity

Low Risk Approach to High Reward Discovery

Level Three Feedback: Using Feedback to Model

Level Two Feedback: Using Feedback to Fix Your Systems

Level One Donor Feedback: Fixing Things for Individuals

Donor-Centric or Faux Donor-Centric? Check the Plumbing.

Are You Donor-Obsessed or Merely Donor-Centric?

The Value of an Email Address

The Complexity of Simplicity

Ask A Behavioral Scientist

Behavioral Science Q & A

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?

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?

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