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Advocacy Fundraising

How Do You Find Out Why People Give?

For starters, don’t ask. Asking  donors “why” they give tends to produce a lot of rationale or superficial answers.  People are able to reliably cite their attitudes and provide insight on their experiences from interactions but rarely do they shed light on the cause of their behavior when directly prompted. A slightly better approach is […]

Learn More September 4, 2020

If Money Were a Person

Stop me if you’ve heard this one.  A dollar bill walks into a bar… Anthropomorphism, that mouthful of a word with onomatopoeia (now we’re just doing a weird flex, Google it) like qualities is when we imbue objects or animals with human qualities. You know,  like The Little Engine Who Could or Winnie the Pooh […]

Learn More August 26, 2020

The Case for More Abstraction in Fundraising

People give to achieve a goal and reinforce their values.   Those goals and values differ based on the subconscious Identity “hat” the donor is wearing (e.g. Globalist when considering a gift to UNICEF, Conservationist when giving to The Nature Conservancy, Dog lover when giving to the local humane society). But they aren’t really giving to […]

Learn More August 24, 2020

Back to The Future

Marketing scholars had the chance to work with a local chapter of a national health charity.  This is their story. The local chapter in Texas had limited funds and internal capacity and despite this, or perhaps because of it, the academics were able to experiment. The academic’s situation analysis revealed the following challenges, An uninformed […]

Learn More August 21, 2020

How Do We Get the Damn Envelope Opened?

It is as true as it is unhelpful to note that the outer envelope (OE) must be opened before someone can pay attention to the insides and send back the reply form or not (almost always, not…). There is certainly a lot of envelope testing done, no disputing that.  But, is there any theory guiding […]

Learn More August 10, 2020

The Path of Continuous Improvement

Test ideas should, among other things, work backwards from the behavior one is trying to influence. Sure, the brown kraft test envelope might do better than the plain white control,  but why?  And is it going to increase response rate or average gift?  And is it better with everyone or just a select group and […]

Learn More July 29, 2020

What Impact Messaging Works Best? The Goldilocks Finding

One of humanity’s basic psychological needs is a sense of competence or efficacy. Putting time in on something, feeling like you suck at it and are getting no better,  and then receiving no feedback or negative feedback undermines your motivation to keep doing it. This includes charitable giving. The donor’s sense of competence and efficacy […]

Learn More July 27, 2020

To Nudge or Nudge?

Every single test should have both theory and evidence as its basis.  You could test a brown kraft envelope vs the plain white control, and then find some theory of human behavior that justifies this test. But, if you start with the theory, you may discover a better test idea. Why do people give? Social […]

Learn More July 10, 2020

Why Measuring Donor Satisfaction Isn’t Enough

The great German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, argued knowledge cannot come from raw, sensory input alone; there must also be pre-existing, mental categories to sort and organize the sensory information.  A modern-day Kantianism for our world is Data without theory is blind, but theory without data is empty. Let’s tackle the first part of this maxim […]

Learn More June 29, 2020

Whack-A-Mole Pandemic Effects and Results

In a seemingly breathless but not surprising headline — “Giving Plunges 6% in First Quarter, Signaling $25 Billion in Lost Revenue for Nonprofits“– the Chronicle of Philanthropy announced the release of the 2020 1st Quarter Fundraising Effectiveness Report (FEP) noting a decline in individual giving in March. Not a pretty picture. But, optimism  continued to rule […]

Learn More June 24, 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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