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Will Your Donors Share Information?

Direct response fundraisers realize that customizing appeals to specific donors will lift results. But what information is available to allow you to make just the right appeal? In the fundraising sector, we’re pretty good at capturing and using transactional information — past giving history (which should include what kind of appeals have been responded to, […]

Learn More August 30, 2013

Frugality Persists

Citing data from Giving USA 2013, back in June Roger discussed the very slow recovery of charitable giving since the 2008 recession — giving in 2012 was up 3.9% (only 1.5% adjusting for inflation) over 2011. At that rate, it would take 6-7 more years for giving to reach the pre-recession high of $344.48 billion […]

Learn More August 16, 2013

What Do You Really Know About Your Donor?

In the era of Big Data, marketers — and that includes fundraisers — are supposed to know everything possible about their customer/donor. Notice I use the singular … donor. The days are gone when it’s good enough to know about your donors in the aggregate. Categories are indeed useful to marketers, but increasingly not sufficient. […]

Learn More August 14, 2013

Your Donors Are Old! Celebrate!

Odds are that in countless budget and board meetings this summer and fall there will be the usual share of naïve hand wringers warning that ‘our donors are too old’ and urging that ‘we simply must spend more to attract younger donors’. Fortunately, Blackbaud has just released its Next Generation of American Giving study that […]

Learn More August 12, 2013

Cashing In. God Bless America.

Just a few hours ago Tom and I were engaged in our semi-weekly food fight and screaming session about what posts will — and won’t — make it for the coming week. On one thing we agreed. Yesterday’s brilliant piece in The New York Times Magazine is a must read for every Agitator interested in […]

Learn More June 24, 2013

Do You Know Your ‘Failure Rate’?

This is a long, but very, very important post. So freshen up your coffee before proceeding. The other day I received an email from an Agitator reader asking: “Why do you think most fundraisers are so resistant to innovation and change?” A good question. An important question. I batted out a kneejerk and facile response […]

Learn More June 20, 2013

A Reminder About The Personal Touch

Here’s a curious little study — Post-it Note Persuasion: A Sticky Influence — forwarded to The Agitator by reader Tina Cincotti. In this research project, participants were sent a survey packet and asked to complete the survey. Some packets included an affixed personalized Post-it note. Some packets had no note or other variations. Those receiving […]

Learn More May 13, 2013

Mr and Mrs … Kiss Of Death

Blogger Kivi Leroux Miller wants to be recognized when she’s a donor. I don’t mean ‘recognized’ as in ‘applauded’. I mean she expects, at least upon reaching some giving level, that a nonprofit to which she donates actually knows that she is a ‘she’ and, making the point that the 2010s are not the 1950s, […]

Learn More May 10, 2013

Who Should Set Fundraising Targets?

Faithful Agitator reader Reinier Spruit at Greenpeace International and 101fundraising blog has shared the results of his interesting survey on setting fundraising targets … We are going down … We have no target! His survey of 103 fundraisers reported that: 29% set their own targets; 53% proposed a target to their manager, who made the […]

Learn More May 1, 2013

Data Tells All

Yesterday I wrote about optimizing donor data, versus privacy sensitivities. Then last night I saw an article on this study, which is a great example of just how far personal data analysis can go in terms of predictive capability. As reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, these researchers […]

Learn More April 11, 2013

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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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