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Behavioral Science Posts

A Closer Look at the Big Five and Personalized Persuasion

My last post introduced the “Big Five” or “Five-Factor” model of personality traits and offered a glimpse of the way personality insights can be useful for donor segmentation and campaign messaging. We’re sticking with these topics in this post but going a little deeper. A Brief History of the Big Five I want to first […]

Learn More March 18, 2020

The Bigger World of Behavioral Science

In his Agitator debut our new expert on supporter motivation explains why the time has come for nonprofits to more fully access the psychological insights and tools available to them and maximize their fundraising potential. Traditionally, “motivation” has been seen as an attribute that varied only by amount: folks can be either more or less […]

Learn More March 4, 2020

Does Hand Size Predict Fundraising Success?

A belief, once firmly held, is hard to change, even when the evidence and data overwhelmingly refute that belief. Take male hand size.   We all know it correlates with…lower fumble rate among NFL Quarterbacks (why, what were you thinking?) Every year at this time the NFL evaluates college players and their pro worthiness with something […]

Learn More March 2, 2020

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

Just Released: Blackbaud Institute’s 2019 Charitable Giving Report

The Blackbaud Institute has just released The 2019 Charitable Giving Report . It is not only vastly improved over previous editions but sounds an optimistic note in the cacophony of fundraising prognostications that often sound more like a dirge than a paen to progress. This year’s Report includes giving data from 8,210 nonprofit organizations representing […]

Learn More February 24, 2020

Cluster Analysis or Cluster F***k?

Don’t shoot the profane messenger.  If you ever think about or talk about or actually perform donor segmentation, you’ll want to read this post about a statistical technique called cluster analysis. It is time to sound a warning bell for what might be a largely unnoticed, but no less severe,  epidemic of shoddy cluster analysis […]

Learn More February 19, 2020

The Key To Curing Your Fundraising Ailments

Retention concerns?  Privacy concerns?  Opt-out/opt-in concerns?  Regulatory concerns?  Making content relevant concerns? All of these concerns can be effectively addressed—and solved whether you’re in a small organization or a large one– by First Party Data and it’s little known sibling Zero Party Data. Too good to be true?  Nope.  What we’re going to cover in […]

Learn More February 10, 2020

What Is Important to Your Donors? How Do You Know?- Part 3 of 3 on Donor Surveys

Consider this hypothetical but quite illustrative example of what many organizations (and the vendors conducting the work) might do to measure importance. Survey Question:  Non-Profit X engages in the following activities.  Please rate each based on their importance to you, with “0” being not at all important and “10” being extremely important. Providing clean water […]

Learn More February 7, 2020

Survey Question Design 101- Part 2 of 3 on Donor Surveys

A caveat upfront: Our view is that survey research, especially questionnaire design and analysis is not art but science. This means it is not a subjective interpretation of what is and is not good design and analysis.  There are rules from the social sciences and the statistical sciences.  Violations are sometimes subtle, sometimes egregious.  The […]

Learn More February 5, 2020

Facts and Myths of Donor Surveys- Part 1 of 3 on Donor Surveys

“The only research you can trust is actual response to real  fundraising.  Surveys can reveal interesting and useful information. But they are no good at uncovering donors’ real motivations. The only way to know that is watching what they do.”   That quote comes from a well-known blogger in the fundraising space.  What it lacks in accuracy […]

Learn More February 3, 2020

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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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