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Breaking Out of the Status Quo

Give to Get: Creating Value Exchanges for Your Donor Identities

Avid Agitator readers know that donor identity is the core reason donors give to organizations.  There are a thousand ways to save lives and change lives, so donors tend to support charities that mean something to them personally.  And they will keep that preference even if the preferred cause is less efficient. But did you […]

Learn More December 5, 2018

Distinguish Yourself on #GivingTuesday

If the number of “How To Get Ready for #Giving Tuesday” emails in my inbox is any barometer this year’s #GivingTuesday targets  will be buried in a blizzard of breathless matching gift offers, convulsing countdown clocks and sundry demands that only an uncaring human,  without soul or  pulse, would refuse to hit the ‘donate’ button. […]

Learn More November 19, 2018

7 Easy Retention Wins

My local mechanic has a sign over his workbench: “I can explain it to you, but I can’t make you understand it.” Visions of that sign popped up as I worked on The Top Five Barriers to Retention post. That’s when it occurred to me that there are many well-intentioned folks who really don’t have the […]

Learn More October 17, 2018

Top Five Barriers to Retention

We fundraisers love lists. Most are of the “Top Five Steps to Success” variety. Frankly, I’ve always been more intrigued with the “Top Five Steps NOT to Take”.  Just as someone who’s just learning to ride a bike wouldn’t attempt to mount it wearing a 40-pound backpack or peddle with flat tires, there are several […]

Learn More October 15, 2018

Learning from Politics: Building the Tools You Need

Monday was about a Republican technique; Wednesday was bipartisan; today will be a Democratic technique. Traditional voter registration techniques are shotgunned at best.  Volunteers stand at malls, go to concerts, or go door-to-door in a neighborhood hoping to find people who aren’t registered. In looking at Texas, Erez Cohen, formerly of Mapsense and Apple Maps, […]

Learn More October 5, 2018

Learning from Politics: Hypertargeting

This week, we’ll look at some of the lessons we in the nonprofit world can learn from those in the political world. Wait!  Don’t leave! There are lessons we can take from the political realm because they, like we, exist on donations. Imagine if, in November, your nonprofit was going to either win or lose: accomplish […]

Learn More October 1, 2018

You saw my ad where?

The violinist played for almost an hour at DC’s L’Enfant Plaza at the height of morning rush hour.  He cleared $32.17. This wouldn’t be remarkable except that the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the great classical masters who can normally command up to $1000 a minute for his playing.  He was playing on a […]

Learn More September 12, 2018

RESEARCH UPDATE: An Online Test of Donor Preferences

A couple weeks ago, we reported how donors preferred to make their preferences known.  We even featured a test from the American Diabetes Association that found that asking a donor’s priority mission area increases revenue by 11.6%. While evangelizing donor preference, I got the question “what about online?” After all, we are taught online to […]

Learn More September 5, 2018

Year End: Optimizing Monthly Giving

It’s not too late to take make adjustments to your monthly giving progress that will boost recurring giving returns in this year-end quarter. Even if you’re overwhelmed and can’t take these key steps right now, there is a wealth of evidence you need to absorb and act on as soon as humanly possible. In a […]

Learn More August 29, 2018

Just Who Benefits From Volume?

A discussion of incentives in direct marketing  wouldn’t be complete without talking about that Agitator bugaboo of communication volume. We’ve pointed out how volume has been poorly tested by those who advocate sending more and more …how organizations have found lower volume works better, and that donors hate it (twice). And… twice we emphasized that  volume isn’t […]

Learn More July 13, 2018

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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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