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Behavioral Science Posts

Why You Should Never Listen to Someone Like Me About Behavioural Science

I’m a proud fundraiser. But I feel deep shame and embarrassment about terrible advice I’ve shared in the past concerning the application of behavioural science. Don’t get me wrong, if I’d been strapped to a lie detector and asked if I genuinely thought I was helping I’d have passed. But sincerity isn’t accuracy. Like so […]

Learn More October 28, 2020

A Missing Ingredient To Raising More Money – Donor Personality

Imagine running a digital ad or doing a list select for the mail and only being able to select a single attribute or audience parameter – e.g. age, geography, political affiliation. My bet is most fundraisers would probably choose an attribute from  Facebook or Google or a data co-op that indicated past charitable behavior. Now, […]

Learn More October 26, 2020

The “Donor” Identity is Lame

I’m a woman and a coffee lover. But being a coffee lover isn’t one of the most important ways I define myself, while being a woman is. This simplistic example illustrates the difference between identity presence, whether one has a certain identity, and identity importance, how central that identity is for their sense of self. […]

Learn More October 9, 2020

Need More Sustainers?

How about Telemarketing?   More people are answering their phones these days.  Contact rates are up. But, it takes more than contacts for TM success, especially if TM success is considered to be more than just conversion rates. You know you need to deliver Lifetime Value. DVCalling, the telemarketing arm of DVCanvass (and sister company to […]

Learn More October 2, 2020

The Great Telemarketing Comeback

In yesterday’s post, The Great Fundraising Comeback, I opined that in order to meet the future “we will need to start over”.  I don’t mean begin from scratch—much of our knowledge and experience will prove durable and improvable– but I do mean we’ll be forced to look at first principles which means challenging virtually every […]

Learn More September 9, 2020

How Do You Find Out Why People Give?

For starters, don’t ask. Asking  donors “why” they give tends to produce a lot of rationale or superficial answers.  People are able to reliably cite their attitudes and provide insight on their experiences from interactions but rarely do they shed light on the cause of their behavior when directly prompted. A slightly better approach is […]

Learn More September 4, 2020

How to Move Your Donor Comms Plan From “More” to “Better” in 4 Steps

Imagine, instead of GDPR or opt-in requirements or any of the byzantine rules you may have on who to communicate to and when, the new rule was this: You aren’t allowed to communicate without knowing something meaningful about the person you were writing to? ‘Meaningful’ doesn’t mean a description of what they are, e.g. age, […]

Learn More August 17, 2020

Is Your Donor Angry or Dissatisfied?

Is your donor angry or dissatisfied? Hopefully donor dissatisfaction and anger are rare in your organization though first year retention rates make a pretty strong argument for dissatisfaction being a major concern. Service failures can take many forms – e.g. name spelled wrong, sending too many solicitations, leading donors to wonder if their donation was […]

Learn More August 14, 2020

In Their Own Words: Satisfaction and Frustration in the Donor Experience

When donors have their psychological needs satisfied, they’re more likely to give and keep giving because they’ll really want to. We previously talked about donors’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. As a quick refresher: autonomy refers to feelings of choice and volition; competence to feelings of making a positive difference, and relatedness […]

Learn More August 7, 2020

Is the Donor Missing From Your Giving Equation…And Your Fundraising?

Stick with this post.  By the end –following a somewhat wonky start –you’ll feel more control over your fundraising and relatedness to your donors. This is what the vast majority of giving formulas, albeit never expressed, look like: Giving = solicitation + random error (difference between your budgeted number and reality) (Remember algebra?  Don’t stop reading; […]

Learn More July 20, 2020

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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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