Mobile marketing and fundraising - Agitator

Board Meeting Swipe File

2021 Shows Largest Increase in Giving Since 2012

Although we focus mainly on forward-looking developments in fundraising it’s also advisable to occasionally check the rear-view mirror to see what may be gaining on us or what we may have missed as we passed by on our way to the future. Benchmarks and macro-giving reports serve that function. Unfortunately, sometimes the smug and self-content […]

Learn More February 18, 2022

Brain Dead Fundraising

If Kevin had doubts about the quality of HP’s request for feedback on printer cartridges, he’d love what landed in my inbox. “Brain dead!” That’s how one of the best fundraisers I know described a digital appeal he received from the Democratic National Committee and forwarded to the Agitator . For those of us continually […]

Learn More September 27, 2021

The Now or Never Effect

Faux deadlines are a stock in trade for online fundraising. “Faux” because most organizations will take every penny that comes in past the deadline and even if there is a match thrown in to juice the offer – e.g. give by Date X and your gift will be matched. But does it work? And “work” […]

Learn More August 16, 2021

A “Winning”Test

Would you consider sending the same ask to the same person in the same time period but through two different channels? This technique is sometimes employed with emails that match the direct mail message and are timed to coincide with arrival in the physical mailbox. We tested the same notion but with a request for […]

Learn More June 4, 2021

Thank View Very Much

I’m certain all Agitator readers have been devoting their locked-down hours concentrating on donor experience and retention, while far too many of those non-Agitator folks have been frittering away time perfecting their Netflix schedule. Consequently, as a reward for your diligence I want to introduce you to a powerful, easy-to-use tool that’s about as wonderful as […]

Learn More May 15, 2020

Digital Fundraising: 2019 Year End Results and Insights

It’ll be a few more weeks until the definitive, multi-channel results on 2019 End of Year Giving (EYOG) for the sector are published by the Blackbaud Institute and The Fundraising Effectiveness Project. However, digital fundraisers take note. Late last week in a post (“Everything you wanted to know about 2019 EOY fundraising but were afraid […]

Learn More January 27, 2020

Will Your #GivingTuesday Campaign Drown In A Sea of Sameness?

December 3rd marks the seventh anniversary of GivingTuesday which has grown from an idea spawned at the 92ndStreet Y in New York City has grown into a global movement involving thousands of organizations and millions of donors and is now its own organization. So far in its 7 years GivingTuesday’s organizers claim the event has […]

Learn More November 22, 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

Audience Building and Facebook

There are a few big reasons, as with Google, why the initial gold rush window with Facebook is closing. Replaced organic reach. We know that organic reach on Facebook is nearly non-existent – instead it’s pay-to-play. We noted this in our constituent acquisition white paper and the big brands are acting on it. There are […]

Learn More November 6, 2019

Starbucks-With-A-Clipboard

The line at Starbucks stretched though the store and out onto the sidewalk. Impatient and agitated Customers grumbled loudly. I patiently waited my turn in line, determined to see the cause of this holdup. Finally, I placed my order and handed the cashier my credit card. She shook her head and instead handed me a […]

Learn More November 1, 2019

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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Board Meeting Swipe File

2021 Shows Largest Increase in Giving Since 2012

Brain Dead Fundraising

The Now or Never Effect

A “Winning”Test

Thank View Very Much

Digital Fundraising: 2019 Year End Results and Insights

Will Your #GivingTuesday Campaign Drown In A Sea of Sameness?

Are You Ready for Fundraising’s Changing Data Future?

Audience Building and Facebook

Starbucks-With-A-Clipboard

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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