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Breaking Out of the Status Quo

Vest Size Fundraising

If you fundraise with merchandise – a vest for example – you have lots of sizes and you let the donor pick the size.  You get lots of complaints about sizing after the fact. The size matters and one size definitely doesn’t fit all.  Why does the fundraising that markets the premium fly in the […]

Learn More September 20, 2021

Is Your Testing Divorced from Reality?

“If only we could get more people to give and do so more regularly.” ” Let’s devise a test. ” The HiPPO { Highest Paid Person’s Opinion; the one usually in charge) in the room says,  “More people will give if we change the landing page to have more/less…text/pictures/fields.” “Great, we’ll do that test”,  says […]

Learn More June 30, 2021

How to Have More Winning Tests?

Stop designing tests assuming everyone’s the same.  99.9% of tests are of this variety, the random nth, A/B test. Hidden in many “losing” test results is a test idea that worked for some people and not others. Here are results of an experiment with donations going to World Vision and prospective donors randomly split into […]

Learn More June 18, 2021

Update on the Cost of Embalming An Elephant

I know that’s a strange headline, but I wanted to call your attention to something so basic that I’m constantly amazed so many fundraisers simply overlook it. I’m talking about the basic data of our trade – names,  addresses, deceased donors and fundamental demographics—the very “simple” stuff that makes the difference in any donor communication […]

Learn More June 11, 2021

Personality and The Words You Use

The University of Cambridge has a demo app predicting your personality on the Big Five based on word usage vis-a-vis your social media accounts. It’s quite accurate on seemingly very little data – I only linked to my infrequently used and only in a professional capacity, Twitter account.  You’d think that’d be a biased sample […]

Learn More June 2, 2021

REMINDER: FREE SUMMER SERIES

It ain’t Sheakspeare in the Park, or the Tamglewood Music Festival, nor one of the Edinburgh Festivals, but it’s custom made for fundraisers open to re-thinking and re-imagining how to best approach post-pandemic challenges.  This Free Summer Series is brought to you by DonorVoice, the Behavioral Science Fundraising Agency and you can  register here In these short, […]

Learn More June 1, 2021

Is “Donor” the Best We Can Do?

My father died last week.   I rarely share personal details and especially not this personal.  I’m doing so now because he was a donor, though he’d never refer to himself that way. That begs the question of whether the “donor” label is so superficial as to be not only useless but counterproductive.  What if part […]

Learn More May 7, 2021

Where and How to Apply Behavioural Science 

Behavioural Science only works if it works. If it doesn’t one of two things is happening.  Either, It’s all a hoax, or We’re missing something Since behavioural insights are successfully and consistently applied in other sectors we can dismiss the hoax option. So, what are we missing? First, a definition. Behavioral science is not synonymous […]

Learn More April 16, 2021

Finding the Globalist Identity

Identities.   We all have lots of them.  Our personal identities are not statistical groupings with random variables available to create potpourri gibberish.  But sadly, that’s the route most agencies go and while that approach is deceptively alluring it’s still baseless nonsense. An Identity is something a person psychologically owns, a sense of self.  The best […]

Learn More April 12, 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

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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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