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Behavioral Science Posts

Are You Undermining Donor’s Sense of Control?

People give of time and treasure. We know this to be true.  A factoid in support:  Americans donate over $310 billion and volunteer 8.8 billion hours per year. If you take the median household income in the US (67k) and the average hours worked in a year you see that the hours given are worth […]

Learn More March 28, 2022

The Last Mile Matters

In supply chain world the last mile is that last step to get the Amazon package to your door.  It’s notoriously expensive and cumbersome and it can be the difference between turning a profit or not. Your last mile equivalent is the paper or digital equivalent reply form.  This last mile is a good place […]

Learn More March 4, 2022

Half of All Impressions are Wasted

Attention Direct Marketers: This may seem like a branding post and the “soft” metrics of awareness and people liking your brand.  It is!  And that’s a big, big part of your job even if you aren’t actively putting time against it. Why?  All your direct marketing has much, much, much more immediate failure than success.  […]

Learn More March 2, 2022

And the Behavioral Science Award Goes To___________

I’ll accept this award on behalf of the DonorVoice Behavioral Science Team, their partnership with UCLA and the client that made it all possible, Catholic Relief Services. They’d all be here to accept the honor but they’re doing real work while I steal the stage.  This is a big deal, especially for lead-author, Ilana Brody […]

Learn More February 25, 2022

The “Give” Decision is Different Than The “How Much” One

We are nothing if not laser focused on the “why” of giving.   So much so that we know there are  really two giving decisions, not one.  No donor would ever report this in a focus group or a survey.  These separate mental decisions are occuring subconsciously. Testing allows us to prove what’s going on and […]

Learn More February 14, 2022

Monkey Business

Headline: Breakthrough study finds subjects do more tasks if they enjoy it and the quality of the work product differs greatly across subjects.  And in other news, water is in fact, wet. The details of the study are a bit more interesting, if still obvious. The scientists discovered major individual differences in preferences – reflecting […]

Learn More November 24, 2021

Youngkin Dialed up Social Norms

There are a lot of political campaigns every year.  And there are a lot of political scientists working in academia desperate for real-world experiments to publish results so they can stay in academia.  These two facts result in an enormous amount of theory-led, testing and experimenting in politics. I’ve often wondered how much of this […]

Learn More November 8, 2021

Jiu-Jitsu Fundraising

An enemy is crystallizing.  It’s motivating.   “Rally the mostly satisfied, even-keeled moderates to storm the bastille.”,  said nobody ever. Does your organization have an enemy?  The rich, the establishment, the pro-this or con-that, the anti-whatever you stand for? Or maybe there’s just a big, prevailing message that has lots of air time, exposure or […]

Learn More November 5, 2021

“Only You Can Control Your Future.” [Navigation Chart for Fundraisers Enclosed]

The headline quotation is from the renowned fundraiser, Dr. Seuss. Well, even if he wasn’t a fundraiser Dr. Seuss’ advice is sound.  He’s not alone in warning about grabbing hold of and steering your organization’s destiny , as literally hundreds of Agitator  posts on the subject can attest. Enter the fascinating –and most helpful — […]

Learn More November 3, 2021

There are No Best Practices

That is our headline from an analysis of (newspaper) headlines that found no discernible pattern in determining what makes for winning headlines.  I know, dizzying. The analysis was performed on a  a big data set: 141,000 A/B headline tests run by 293 newspaper websites.  The project was done by academics at Northwestern’s Computational Journalism Lab.  […]

Learn More October 20, 2021

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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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