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Behavioral Science Posts

Speed Round: 7 Updates on 7 Issues

It’s spring, so it’s time for a bit of housecleaning.  Here are updates from the research, field, or my own fevered brain on the Agitator posts you know and love. The return on customer experience.  We talk a lot about the importance of donor experience.  In fact, Craig Linton, who you may know from Fundraising […]

Learn More April 12, 2019

Donor Acquistion: Time for New Approaches

We’ve devoted significant space ( here, here, here and here) emphasizing the importance of tending your Garden of Existing Donors to assure higher retention at a time when, overall, the sector is hemorrhaging donors. BUT…as noted on Monday, even if we can arrest the momentum of the descent in numbers of donors, these actions alone will […]

Learn More March 22, 2019

Meet the New Platform: Same As the Old Platform

“So put your little hand in mine. There ain’t no hill or mountain we can’t climb…”  Slap alarm. Read newspaper.  Headline: Facebook Announces Now Accepting Donations for Nonprofits.  Read the story: Will they share donor information with the nonprofit?  No.  No they will not.  Discard newspaper and proceed with day. “So put your little hand […]

Learn More February 20, 2019

Learning from Politics: Hypertargeting

This week, we’ll look at some of the lessons we in the nonprofit world can learn from those in the political world. Wait!  Don’t leave! There are lessons we can take from the political realm because they, like we, exist on donations. Imagine if, in November, your nonprofit was going to either win or lose: accomplish […]

Learn More October 1, 2018

Rage Donations: Give Before You Explode!

Trump’s politically-inspired human rights horror show featuring state-sponsored kidnapping of refugee children and the torture-by-trauma of their imprisoned parents has triggered a tsunami of rage –and rage giving — worth noting, As was the case after the president’s announcement of the Muslim Ban and his other post-election actions, a flood of  responses –financial and in-kind– […]

Learn More June 25, 2018

Generating Leads By Combining Identity and Programmatic Outreach

The natural assumption is that most donors to the American Hangnail Society either have hangnails or care about someone who does. Yes, as you can tell, we are anonymizing a disease-focused charity.  There is not, to my knowledge, an American Hangnail Society (AHS).  (Yet; I’m eagerly awaiting the DRTV spots with dreadful looking cuticle beds.) […]

Learn More May 17, 2018

Agitator Cliff Notes: What’s Next?

I wanted to find another book to talk about today.  But the problem wasn’t finding a book; it was narrowing it down to just one. So let’s hear your votes in the Comments on two things: Is this Agitator Cliff Notes approach worthwhile and worth doing again? What book(s) do you recommend?  Roger has sent […]

Learn More May 5, 2018

Breaking Down Your Acquisition Silos

You can spend money on anything. That’s why it’s called money. Economists call this fungibility, which has nothing to do with mushrooms.  It has everything to do with how a dollar can be used for rent or food or entertainment or whatever. In our minds, though, we hate fungibility.  People have sophisticated mental jars of […]

Learn More May 3, 2018

Confucius on Fundraising Tech Tools

The other day I received an email from the admirably and voraciously curious Simone Joyaux attaching the 2018 Global NGO Technology Report  listing the “10 Most Effective Tools” for online use by nonprofits around the world. Simone asked: “Do you believe the nonprofits are “correct”?  Or, are theser nonprofits thinking stuff is good but they don’t actually know […]

Learn More April 17, 2018

Are Your New Donors Hiding in Plain Sight?

We’ve talked about ways to bring people in from the outside like advocacy programs and content marketing efforts.  But while both are good ways to get people on your file, they may not always convert to donors. So what if it turns out that, like the Scarecrow’s brains and the True Meaning of Christmas*, the […]

Learn More March 29, 2018

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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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