Fundraising analytics / data - Agitator

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Is Using the Statistical Average Bad for Nonprofits?

Can a statistic be bad? Maybe “bad” is a bit of an an overstatement but the “Average”, a universally used statistic can sure hide a lot. And without assigning malice or intent to the “hiding”, reliance on the average as an input to decision making can result in lots of bad outcomes. There are countless examples, […]

Learn More December 14, 2020

Premiums (Can) Reduce Giving

To premium or not to premium, that is the /a question. Wade into this debate at your peril as confirmation bias is powerful and seemingly no amount of evidence in one-direction is likely to sway opinion if you believe the counter view. In fact, you’ll likely dig in deeper in the face of counter-evidence. So, […]

Learn More November 30, 2020

Most Charitable Nations. Most Charitable States

Each day we’re deluged with the updated stats on disease and death from the Coronavirus pandemic. So, for a change of pace we thought it would be a relief to flip to some stats of a more uplifting variety The World Giving Index published by the Charities Aid Foundation , reports that for 2019 the […]

Learn More November 23, 2020

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

Charitable Giving Up Dramatically in 2nd Quarter. PLUS, a Bonus for Agitator Readers

The fundraising hand wringers and bed wetters had a pandemic field day when the 1st Quarter 2020 Fundraising Effectiveness Report (FEP) was released in in June announcing a 6% decline or $25 billion in lost revenue for nonprofits mainly attributable to a notable drop in individual giving in March. BUT….at the time, some optimism poked […]

Learn More October 21, 2020

Myth Busting: Trust in Charities is NOT Declining

We’ve busted many a myth, including: MYTH: Ask more = make more. BUSTED: Never the full story and often wrong. Most often the practice shifts dollars forward and creates significant irritation (through volume) that directly decreases retention and donor value. The myth represents a grossly oversimplified ‘formula’ that violates the maxim, make things as simple […]

Learn More October 16, 2020

O’Canada. O’Canadian Donors!

In these civically stressed days I’m thinking more and more about Canada from my perch here in Massachusetts. Not just because my Canadian wife is visiting north of the border real estate sites with increasing frequency…nor because I think more frequently about Tom Belford, my Agitator sidekick who’s now safe and sound in New Zealand. […]

Learn More September 30, 2020

The Cheap Money Paradox

The pandemic should cause us all to re-think many fundraising “norms” –notably the value of money and what it means not only to donors but to nonprofits as well. In order to stimulate a Covid-stricken economy the U.S. Federal Reserve (and central banks elsewhere) has dramatically lowered interest rates and promised to keep them low […]

Learn More September 23, 2020

Seize This Digital Day

The Agitator firmly believes that as the economic and psychological pandemic fallout grows deeper and darker, so grows the need for greater and greater understanding and use of evidence-based testing and research. This is especially true in all things digital. If ever there were a time for disciplined testing, reporting and sharing of online fundraising […]

Learn More September 18, 2020

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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Direct mail

Is Using the Statistical Average Bad for Nonprofits?

Premiums (Can) Reduce Giving

Most Charitable Nations. Most Charitable States

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

A Missing Ingredient To Raising More Money – Donor Personality

Charitable Giving Up Dramatically in 2nd Quarter. PLUS, a Bonus for Agitator Readers

Myth Busting: Trust in Charities is NOT Declining

O’Canada. O’Canadian Donors!

The Cheap Money Paradox

Seize This Digital Day

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?

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?

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?

Q: What are the three most important things to consider when designing a brilliant supporter journey?

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