DonorTrends / DonorVoice - Agitator

Communications

Ask The One Who Matters Most

We were more than a little surprised — and very pleased — that 331 folks registered for the Agitator/DonorVoice/SOFII webinar on reducing F2F attrition in the first 90 days. Even if you’re not into the Face-T0-Face channel I recommend you download or view the recording of the presentation, because there are some valuable insights for […]

Learn More April 14, 2016

Make Your Donors Feel Awesome

Last week both Tom and I dealt with the issue of ‘consistency’. My post Yawning All the Way to the Bank emphasized the importance of being consistent as follows: Do Not abandon proven channels like direct mail in favor of the unknown or unproven. (And, of course, at the same time staying alert to new […]

Learn More April 4, 2016

Radar for Attrition

The loss of donors — especially newly acquired donors — is silent and deadly. There’s no screaming or shouting. No door slamming. Seldom any advance notice. One day they’re just gone. This is why it’s so important to discover, before the donor quits, which of the experiences you’re providing are seen as positive or negative. […]

Learn More March 28, 2016

How To Reduce F2F Attrition In The First 90 Days

Make no mistake. The current F2F model is greatly flawed — and in some places horribly broken. Where once the approach of street fundraisers was eagerly received by the public, today’s solicitors are often tagged ‘chuggers’ and public acceptance is on par with that generally accorded muggers. It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s […]

Learn More March 22, 2016

Measuring Donor Experiences – Part 2

In Part 1 I indicated why measuring specific donor experiences represents such a fundamental shift in mindset for most organizations. However, it’s a shift well worth making because measuring the donor experience at various interaction points — and of course acting on what you learn — is one of the ways a nonprofit can grow. […]

Learn More March 1, 2016

Measuring Donor Experiences – Part 1

Old-fashioned, traditional organizations measure the efficiency of the organization’s own internal actions rather than the effectiveness of how the organization’s actions directed toward the donor actually affect donors’ attitudes. A surprising number of fundraisers fail to understand a basic axiom of the organization-donor relationship: It is the actions an organization takes toward its donors (donor […]

Learn More February 29, 2016

Better Face-2-Face Through Feedback

Tom’s piece on Donor Loyalty should remind us all of how little information we really have when it comes to understanding the commitment and loyalty of individual donors. As a result most fundraisers rely on conjecture and so-called ‘best practices’. We look at brand surveys, surveys of general donor populations and organization-specific donors hoping to […]

Learn More February 24, 2016

Needed: The Stomach And Resolve For Building Donor Relationships

Tom’s post Donor Relationships? Balderdash produced a wonderful wave of comment from donor-oriented Agitator readers on the importance of working hard on designing and tending the relationship garden. Lisa Sargent and Mary Cahalane share the experience and rewards of attentiveness to the donor relationship. Mike Cowart summarizes of a major healthcare organization that, because of […]

Learn More February 11, 2016

Donor Acquisition Series #4 – A Bicycle Built For Growth

As I’ve indicated in the first three parts of this series, most nonprofits need to become a lot more savvy about ‘acquisition’. At the same time it’s essential to understand how ‘acquisition’ and ‘retention’ operate in tandem to determine an organization’s future. Like a bicycle, the more finely tuned the two wheels are, the better the […]

Learn More February 1, 2016

Year End Fundraising Numbers

A perennial question in fundraising shops between now and the end of January will be, “Did we make the numbers for 2015?” Regardless of the answer, there are several questions that are far more important for the future of your organization, and there’s no better time than in these closing days of 2015 to ask […]

Learn More December 21, 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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