• Home
  • Blog Posts
  • Behavioral Science
  • On Demand Webinars
  • Toolbox
  • Archives

Breaking Out of the Status Quo

Direct Mail Isn’t Dead, But Volume As A Strategy Is.

There’s an excellent post by Erica Waasdorp on CharityHowTo detailing how mail is still working for organizations.  She highlights how digital is still a small-ish minority of all gifts (we’ve estimated it will hit 25% of gifts by 2084) and how there’s still a high return on direct mail investment for many organizations.  We totally […]

Learn More August 16, 2019

Where to Find the Elusive Monthly Donor

As the one-time donor (dator unum) becomes an increasingly endangered species, organizations have correctly gone in search of recurring donors (dator magnus). In the past two years, sustaining gifts have gone from 20% to 30% of (median) organizational revenue.  Much of the search for recurring donors has been centered on trying to get one-time donors, […]

Learn More August 5, 2019

Are Smaller Organizations Missing Out on The Direct Mail Advantage?

I’m getting more curious and more concerned about why so many nonprofits sector so neglect the “basics.” Simple things like updating addresses. Identifying deceased donors. Or promptly sending a prompt and truly heartfelt “thank you”—on paper… in an envelope… with a stamp. “Basics” that are considered mundane but left unattended damage every organization. Many caring […]

Learn More July 10, 2019

Speed Round 2: 7 More Updates on 7 More Issues

So many things to update; so little time!  So we went back to a concept we tried, and you tolerated, last month: the potpourri post. Sustainer growth: We’d talked about the 2019 M+R Benchmarks Study, which showed monthly giving rising as one-time giving was mostly flat.  An astute commenter (all Agitator commenters are astute!) asked […]

Learn More May 22, 2019

Takeaways From the 2019 M+R Benchmarks Study

Yesterday, on the perfect date, M+R published its 2019 online benchmarking data; it’s well worth a read.  Some of the data that jumped out at us: Online giving was close to flat, only up 1%.  While this fits with the general “where am I going and why am I in this handbasket?” concerns about overall […]

Learn More April 26, 2019

Premature Exoneration

Nick’s selection of Game of Thrones to illustrate the importance of donor identity, prompts me to seize on the Barr-Trump Exoneration Victory Lap preceding public release of the Mueller Report to spotlight a much overlooked, but fundamentally important problem: the highly likely inaccuracy of address information in your donor list. “How accurate are the donor […]

Learn More April 24, 2019

April Fools’ Day 2019: Time to Get Serious

Usually we dedicate this first day of the fourth month to the perennial April Fools’ joke intended to remind us that amidst the pranks and laughter there’s usually a nugget of truth.  In the words of George Orwell the aim of the joke “is not to degrade the human being but to remind him that […]

Learn More April 1, 2019

Toward Donor Sustainability

You awake and grab your rod and reel.  You will eat what fish you catch; if you do not catch you do not eat. The fish awake.  They have two schools of thought*.  You have the Dory school with poor memories.  They think the western part of the water is a great place to get […]

Learn More March 20, 2019

Three Scenarios for The Future of Individual Giving

Last week, we did some wringing of hands, gnashing of teeth, and rending of garments about the loss of the average individual donor.  But how wringy, gnashy, and rendy should we be?  What does our future hold? So we did what any smart person would do when working with Fundraising Effectiveness Project data: fired up […]

Learn More March 18, 2019

Online Giving At the Big Kids Table

An occupational hazard of blogging is the envy that arises from reading something you wish you’d written. That’s how I felt about Steve MacLaughlin’s The End of the Beginning for Online Giving.  In fact, if you read only one blog post today, 1) put this one down, 2) pick that one up, 3) come back […]

Learn More March 8, 2019

<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 … 45 >>

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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 – […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    DonorVoice products

    Commitment System

    Donor Feedback Platform™

    PreTest Tool

    TouchPoint Mapping



      • © Copyright 2005 - 2025, The Agitator. All Rights Reserved.
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Sitemap
      • RSS Feed
      • We welcome your feedback!