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Demographics

Time To Take Notice Of Millennials?

A few months ago you might have noticed that, in the US, Millennials (ages 18-34) now outnumber Boomers (ages 51-69) — 75.4 million Millennials to 74.9 million Boomers. Here’s Pew Research on the shift. And of course the tide will steadily build as old buggers like me die off. Without question, a key reason the Boomer […]

Learn More October 6, 2016

Goldilocks Fundraising

You may think you don’t have an over-solicitation problem, but your donors think otherwise. That’s the premise The Agitator and DonorVoice will explore at Noon EST today in the 2nd of our behavioral science webinars titled, Capitalizing on Donor Intent:  Increasiing the Number of Donor Gifts Per Year.  Agitator readers can register here and attend free. […]

Learn More September 21, 2016

Erode Your Way to Better Year-End Giving

Seth Godin, in a post titled Erosion,  correctly notes that “While it’s tempting to imagine that the world changes via sudden shocks, that our culture is shifted by dramatic changes in leadership, that grand gestures make all the difference … “It turns out that our daily practice, the piling up of regular actions, the cultural […]

Learn More September 12, 2016

Limited Seating Webinar: Tapping the Power of Behavioral Science

If you’re really serious about growing your organization, you must focus on answering this one question: Why do donors do what they do? Unless you can empirically answer that question you’ll continue to be stuck with inefficient, scratch-the-surface guesswork, incremental testing to nowhere, and the oxymoron ‘flat-growth’. Today, the answers to this question of ‘why’ […]

Learn More September 7, 2016

World’s Worst CEO And Board Member

Yesterday I turned 75. A great age for a tree. After mowing the lawn, weeding the garden,  and handling the congratulatory phone calls from my ungrateful heirs I did give a tiny bit of thought to the past. And a lot of thought to the future. My principal Diamond Jubilee Insight is this: Our sector […]

Learn More August 10, 2016

Demographics And Coleman Sweeney

Forgive me, I still scratching my head as I write, trying to absorb the implications of Roger’s post last week on eschewing demographics as a targeting tool and then yesterday’s praising “The World’s Biggest Asshole”, a film supposedly aimed at Millennials, a classic case of demographic targeting. Or is it? The commentator Roger cites re […]

Learn More August 9, 2016

Would You Approve This Campaign?

PROBLEM:  Overall there are currently 120,000 men, women and children waiting for an organ donation, and roughly 8,000 of those people, about 22 per day, die each year because they won’t receive the organs they need in time. Donate Life America, a nonprofit charged with developing and promoting organ donor education programs designed to motivate […]

Learn More August 8, 2016

Starting Over #9: Understanding Strategy

An essential element for any organization, whether brand new or starting over, is a focused and concise strategy. The problem is that most organizations and their consultants don’t have the foggiest idea what a real  strategy is. In the absence of a true strategy it’s almost certain that the status quo will be perpetuated. In […]

Learn More August 4, 2016

The WikiLeaks Warning for Fundraisers

In the P.S. to his post Big Can Be Beautiful Too, Tom, commenting on readers’ remarks notes, “I thought the key takeaway was about organizational culture — it starts at the top and, irrespective of the size of the organization, can be stifling or inspiring.” Nothing more aptly illustrates this than the release last week […]

Learn More August 2, 2016

Pokémon Go for Fundraisers

OK, Tom, we’re gonna have to give up Candy Crush and jump into Pokémon Go. “What’s that?”, you say. It’s the latest social media frenzy — a free game app that works on smart phones — that’s been downloaded close to 10 million times in the U.S. alone and has folks of all ages out […]

Learn More July 18, 2016

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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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    The Agitator Tool Box

    Ideas, applications, tools, processes, and case studies of break-through solutions in fundraising, including:



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