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Advocacy Fundraising

Getting More From Digital: Donor Conversion

In an earlier post announcing release of the Blackbaud Institute’s of the 2019 Charitable Giving Report I noted that the growth in online giving was up +6.8% compared to just 1% growth for offline in 2019. Fearing this statistic might spur some readers (or more likely their board members or CEOs) to rush off and […]

Learn More February 28, 2020

John Haydon (1967-2020): The Courage to Continue

John Haydon, 53, beloved and inspirational fundraising missionary, teacher and coach is dead. A familiar and enthusiastic presence at conferences and online, John offered practical and always-helpful advice and insights on digital marketing and fundraising.  From improving a website to making the most of monthly giving and everything in between he never lost focus on […]

Learn More February 17, 2020

Has Gregorian Sabotaged Your Supporter Journey?

Yes, Gregorian, as in the 12-month calendar most of civilization has been using since 1582. (Though, it turns out Great Britain and its Empire didn’t convert from the Julian calendar until 1752 by which time they needed to correct for 11 days of discrepancy and so Wednesday, September 2nd, 1752 was followed by Thursday, September […]

Learn More January 29, 2020

More Donors Vs. Better Donors: Cost of Fundraising

In our Science of Ask Strings white paper, we talk about the importance of knowing whether you want more donors or higher-value donors.  After all, the decision about how much to ask for should be predicated on how much risk you are willing to undertake to get a higher average gift. But this is a […]

Learn More January 13, 2020

Duct Tape and Baling Wire

There are some movie scenes for which I’m an absolute sucker in almost any movie: The moment where it looks like the con has failed… but wait! The detective gathers everyone in a room and explains what really happened A good translation gag (e.g., the translator says something different from what the person actually said; […]

Learn More December 18, 2019

Are We Improving on Silence? Offline Edition

This week, we’ve seen how normal reporting on Facebook and Google advertising is flawed because many of the donations that are directly attributed to advertising would have come in anyway. But there are two important additional implications we haven’t discussed: Conversely, the direct attribution model ignores revenue lifts outside of the direct click, or even […]

Learn More December 13, 2019

Are We Improving on Silence? Social Advertising Edition

We talked Monday about how it’s difficult to test something versus nothing, how few do it online, and how eBay found their search engine ads weren’t nearly as effective as they’d thought when they ran a pure test (in fact, losing money) because many of those people would have come to their site anyway. It […]

Learn More December 11, 2019

A Giving Tuesday Surprise

I hope everyone is having a wonderful, profitable Giving Tuesday today.  In celebration of this nonprofit holiday, I’m offering the Kindle version of my book The New Nonprofit for $2.99 today only.  Hope you enjoy! Nick

Learn More December 3, 2019

Behavioral Science Tips for #GivingTuesday and Year-End

The other day a Tweet from Aimee Vance (@NPOfriend) caught my eye with the question: End of Year Goal Thermometer on the donation page. Yea? Nay?  What say ye? The string of replies were all over the lot:  “Depends”….”Hard NAY—unless the volunteers/board helping meet the goal have it as part of their culture already. We […]

Learn More November 15, 2019

Are You Ready for Fundraising’s Changing Data Future?

As the current era of internet search and third-party cookies nears its end and the era of consumer privacy looms, I fear most organizations are ill-prepared. That’s understandable since no big changes are yet evident: the California Consumer Privacy Protect Act doesn’t take effect until January 2020, the CCPA has an exemption for nonprofits (but […]

Learn More November 11, 2019

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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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