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AI Prompts to Make Your Fundraising Life Easier and Your Work Better

When I started in this trade 61 years ago, my tools were a legal pad and a portable typewriter. The clickety-clack rhythm of those keys was the soundtrack of early direct mail. Then came dictation—a revolution in time-saving —as Jerry Huntsinger and I toyed all through the 90’s and into the […]

Learn More November 22, 2024

Is Brand Color Black and White?

Name a charity logo that’s red. Now think of a blue one. For me, it’s Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in the first case and UNICEF in the second. The association is instant. But why? Because logos are like the cover of a book you’re about to judge—it’s branding shorthand, connecting emotions and perceptions […]

Learn More November 20, 2024

When Authenticity Gets Lost in the Mail

I get it. You want engagement. You want donors to feel heard. And someone, somewhere convinced you that a faux-official looking survey with a registration number and a barcode was the way to do it. But here’s the thing: Your donors aren’t idiots. We recently ran a study looking at donor reactions to these “surveys” […]

Learn More November 18, 2024

Storytelling: The OG Virtual Reality Headset

A story well told is like a mental portal. Researchers actually call it narrative transportation. In donor talk, it’s the difference between a “delete” and a donation. The attention and connection of story is old-school VR, but instead of pixels, it’s the pen. Stories have texture, smell, and weight. When your reader can feel the […]

Learn More November 15, 2024

I Just Ate, Try to Sell Me Food

More recent donors are more likely to give than less recent. Is there anything more accepted in fundraising? Comparing the recent donor group to the less recent is a bit like judging who’s hungrier based on who just ate. The just ate group will statistically look like “eaters” more than the haven’t eaten group but […]

Learn More November 13, 2024

Identity Triggers Only Work When They Matter

Teachers were asked by their school district to complete a survey. The experiment was a 2×2 design (one of our faves): The result? A nothingburger. No difference in survey participation between A-D, randomly assigned groups. To quote Paul Harvey, “And now for the rest of the story.” Researchers noticed a difference in survey participation on […]

Learn More November 8, 2024

Social Movement Paradox

This post was written on November 4th. Just breathe. Whether you’re an R or D or believe Trump is savior or anti-Christ there will likely be social activism afoot and aspiring, hopefully civil movements sustained or birthed. A movement paradox however is that what gains media attention and pressure on institutions also reduces popular support […]

Learn More November 6, 2024

Getting People to Part With Their Money is So Easy

I routinely see some version of this on the world wide web: Ask, thank, report back. Repeat. But make sure you get that 2nd ask in the first 90 days otherwise, people are much less likely to give. And don’t forget, do some multi-channel matching luggage exercise mimicking the mail piece in email and social. […]

Learn More November 1, 2024

GOTV Works. GOTV Doesn’t Work.

There was a field experiment a few years back using social pressure mailers that increased voter turnout by around 8 percentage points. That’s a massive lift. But averages, even big lift ones, can hide a lot. Nothing works the same with everybody. There aren’t universal “nudges” or other tactics that apply evenly to all people. […]

Learn More October 28, 2024

Here’s Your Year-End Bonus!

This isn’t a year-end bonus check. It’s better. It’s a gift that will sharpen your results, build your reputation, and grow your organization’s bottom line for years to come. That’s what Thankology, Lisa Sargent’s new book, is. A gift for you, your team, and your donors. Simple, clear, and worth more than any check. Even […]

Learn More October 25, 2024

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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Uncategorized

AI Prompts to Make Your Fundraising Life Easier and Your Work Better

Is Brand Color Black and White?

When Authenticity Gets Lost in the Mail

Storytelling: The OG Virtual Reality Headset

I Just Ate, Try to Sell Me Food

Identity Triggers Only Work When They Matter

Social Movement Paradox

Getting People to Part With Their Money is So Easy

GOTV Works. GOTV Doesn’t Work.

Here’s Your Year-End Bonus!

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?

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?

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?

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?

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

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