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Breaking Out of the Status Quo

TESTING: Go Beyond Individual Communications

When you want to find out if your control package could be beaten, you test a different communication against it. So how do you test if your direct marketing program could be better?  Clearly, you test a different program against it. For some this is a scary thought: it’s hard enough to deliver on one […]

Learn More January 5, 2018

TESTING: When A/B Tests Attack (your results)

In yesterday’s post we talked about when A/B tests show results, but all that’s really there is noise. Today, we’ll flip that on its head: sometimes an A/B test shows no result, but there’s an important finding just below the surface. An example of this is a great study by Karlan and Wood looking at whether […]

Learn More January 4, 2018

TESTING: Baby Steps are for Babies

(aka The Myth of Testing One Variable at a Time) After our earlier posts on the dangers of overly simplistic testing, you could despair of getting any legitimate test results for your file with noise in the data and large quantities required. There is, however, good news.  If you embrace larger-scale testing, you can break […]

Learn More January 3, 2018

For Your 2018 Matching Gift and #GivingTuesday File

Hopefully you’ve survived this year’s final onslaught of matching gift appeals.   In an equally hopeful vein perhaps you’ve found some golden nuggets in this week’s posts on matching that will help guide your plans for next year. In the final post for this week’s series Nick puts it all together in a symphony of […]

Learn More December 29, 2017

Digging Into the Matching Gift Weeds

Our fellow traveler Nick Ellinger has probably done more digging into matching gift research than anyone on our team.  I thought it would be particularly helpful to  share with you one of his earlier posts on structuring a Matching Gift Campaign. I’m hoping this piece from Nick demonstrates that there’s a lot more to constructing […]

Learn More December 28, 2017

Matching Gift Facts and Insights

There’s a growing body of empirical evidence on what makes for effective matching gift programs and what doesn’t. The following post –and the two that will follow this one–contain lots of research AND lots of valuable insight and good questions from Agitator readers.  So, if you’re interested in “mastering” this subject you’ll need to spend some […]

Learn More December 27, 2017

Visions of Sugar Plums

As a kid I raptly listened as my parents and grandparents read my brother and me ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” every year until I went away to college and discovered there may not be a Santa Claus. I did the same thing to my kids.  Each year I uttered “Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Dunder Blixem.” […]

Learn More December 21, 2017

The Ghost of Fundraising Yet to Come

Today The Agitator invokes Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and  his Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come. Actually, I’m most interested in the Ghost of Christmases Yet to Come. As I write,  a diligent team is at work behind the scenes  crafting new features, special website sections and research to share with you. I’m especially […]

Learn More December 20, 2017

Exceptional Results From Exceptional Expenses

The old saw was that nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.  Being part of the herd is a safe, comfortable place to be. But back on Tuesday, we talked about zigging where others zag by avoiding year-end matches to increase revenues.  Now, there’s some concrete proof that doing what you’ve done before, and what […]

Learn More December 7, 2017

A Soggy Box of Matches

Last year, I made the mistake of subscribing to the email newsletters of the top 100 nonprofits in the United States for end-of-year giving. The summary version of this story is that the average organization sent ten emails during December.  And the emails were tough to differentiate by organization.  For #Giving Tuesday almost every organization […]

Learn More December 5, 2017

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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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