Transparency - Agitator

Communications

Trust Is The New Black

Yesterday, we posted some data from Cone regarding the degree to which social media friends and fans used such media to make contributions. By and large, they do not. And the study we cited pointed to the issue of trust as the essential basis of both giving and online relationships. Here is a post titled […]

Learn More October 29, 2009

Disruptive Technologies and the Innovator’s Dilemma

In 1995 Clayton Christensen coined the terms “disruptive technology” and “disruptive innovations” to describe technological innovations, products or services that use a “disruptive” strategy rather than “revolutionary” or “sustaining” strategies to overturn dominant or status quo products in a market. “Disruptive innovations” can occasionally come to dominate an existing market, either by filling a role […]

Learn More August 12, 2008

The Taxman Cometh

There's no question in our minds that more transparency is called for where the work of non-profits is concerned. Afterall, non-profits are just as likely as for-profit organizations to get fouled up by questionable financial practices. That said, it's highly questionable whether the Internal Revenue Service should be playing the role of expert where the […]

Learn More September 17, 2007

Give Thanks For Nonprofits At Thanksgiving

A recent report on MSNBC notes that America’s 1.4 million nonprofits (as registered with the IRS in 2004) account for 5.2% of the nation’s economic output and 8.3% of its wages and salaries. That’s a significant contribution indeed to the nation’s economic well-being, but it pales in importance to the enormous good work charities, cause […]

Learn More November 23, 2006

Three Cheers for the Salvation Army

Awhile back, Guest Agitator Jerry Huntsinger took the Salvation Army to task for having a billion dollar plus “reserve” fund. While not suggesting any wrongdoing, he basically appealed for greater transparency in non-profit financial reporting, and he did wonder how to reconcile asking individuals for coins and dollar bills in the red kettle while such […]

Learn More August 8, 2006

Ask A Behavioral Scientist

Behavioral Science Q & A

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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Q: I find it irritating when some nonprofits accept my “gift” and then ask me to cover their credit card fees separately. It feels like a practice that does nothing to help win donors and runs the risk of turning others off. Is there any data on this either way?

Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]

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Q: What are the three most important things to consider when designing a brilliant supporter journey?

There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]

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Q: Is there any evidence that changes to the tax laws in the USA changed end of year giving behaviors? Previously, ~30% of US taxpayers filed itemized tax returns allowing them to receive a deduction for charitable giving. Tax law changed in 2017 so that now only ~10% itemize. This should mean tax year-end giving should not matter to millions of people for whom it used to matter. Is there any data evidence to support this?

I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]

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Ideas, applications, tools, processes, and case studies of break-through solutions in fundraising, including: