Online fundraising and marketing - Agitator

Advocacy Fundraising

Attacking Donors to Save Democracy

It’s increasingly clear that we’ll all soon be embroiled in a major battle we can’t avoid. Truth vs. Lies. Easy access to a fair vote vs. suppression and miscounting of the vote. Authoritarianism vs. Democracy. The outcome answers the question, “Will American democracy die?” Currently the battle is playing out on a variety of fronts. […]

Learn More July 12, 2021

We Re-did the DonorVoice Website. Why Should You Care?

You shouldn’t…unless you’re interested in understanding why people give and using the insight to make your fundraising better. There is a case study here. You shouldn’t…unless you’re interested in using behavioral science to get beyond one size fits all fundraising. There is a case study here. You shouldn’t…unless you’re considering changing your own website and […]

Learn More June 28, 2021

Turning Vision Into Reality — Update on CopyOptimizer

Because it’s been a year since Kevin first unveiled CopyOptimizer™ this is an appropriate time for an update. His dream was creation of an online tool to help everyone–including you and me– write better, more effective copy. Anyhow, that vision has now turned into a reality. Lots of fundraisers are currently alpha testing it. I’ve come to recognize its immense value—especially where email is concerned. By and large the quality of copy where email is concerned is downright dreadful. Not healthy, especially when more and more organizations are relying […]

Learn More June 7, 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

Your Question for Earth Week

How much carbon is your organization’s website dumping into our atmosphere each year? Not a question you’re likely to encounter at the next board meeting. But one we should all ponder – especially during this year’s Earth Week. Digital is physical and it sure ain’t green. In fact, Digital costs the Earth. Every time you […]

Learn More April 19, 2021

Are Your Ads Swimming in a Sea of Sameness or a Vibrant OCEAN?

People are different in their motivation and interests and yet the sea of sameness of one-size-fits-all fundraising dominates. The Control ad and a Test ad both going to a single audience; the unspoken assumption is that everyone’s the same. But what if the test failed because it did well with some people but poorly with […]

Learn More April 9, 2021

Subjective or Objective Knowledge?

Donors will only give and keep giving if they feel competent. In short, “If I don’t understand your cause or how you fix problems I won’t give.” But what matters more? The donor’s objective knowledge of your cause and how you fix problems, or the donor’s subjective knowledge? Charities often try to explain and give […]

Learn More March 15, 2021

Heeding The Patient Prediction of Steve MacLaughlin

For years Steve MacLaughlin, VP of Product Management at Blackbaud and author of Data Driven Nonprofits has patiently predicted that online giving would grow beyond 10% of total giving. 2020 was the year it finally happened. The detail of this online breakthrough –along with a treasure trove of other giving data – is reflected in […]

Learn More February 19, 2021

Bernie’s Magic Mittens and Abusing Your Donor

One of the light and bright photo by-products of the horrid trifecta of January events in Washington, D.C. – Insurrection, Impeachment, Inauguration—was the terrific photo of Senator Bernie Sanders seated at the Inauguration swathed in parka and hand-knit mittens. Of course it didn’t take long before that photo was transformed into an endless stream of mostly […]

Learn More February 1, 2021

Donor or Activist?

What makes an activist different from a donor? Too often the former is thought of as a lead-gen exercise to source names to ‘convert’ them to the latter. Activists and donors are different. And while activists often donate that initial act of activism (e.g. the lead-gen petition signing) should not be thought of as a […]

Learn More January 22, 2021

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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Advocacy Fundraising

Attacking Donors to Save Democracy

We Re-did the DonorVoice Website. Why Should You Care?

Turning Vision Into Reality — Update on CopyOptimizer

A “Winning”Test

Your Question for Earth Week

Are Your Ads Swimming in a Sea of Sameness or a Vibrant OCEAN?

Subjective or Objective Knowledge?

Heeding The Patient Prediction of Steve MacLaughlin

Bernie’s Magic Mittens and Abusing Your Donor

Donor or Activist?

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?

DonorVoice products

Commitment System

Donor Feedback Platform™

PreTest Tool

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