Uncategorized

If You Have to Claim It, You’re Not

Margaret Thatcher said, “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” The same can be said for being trustworthy or authentic; if you have to claim it, you’re not it. And if you’re having internal meetings about how your brand can be more trusting and authentic […]

Learn More April 17, 2024

The Case of the Disappearing Donors

They’re disappearing. The ones who came before us, born before the TVs were in every home and before man walked on the moon. The Traditionalists, the Silent Generation, and right behind them, the Baby Boomers. We’ve depended on them. They’ve been there for us. But now, with the Silent Generation projected to decline by over […]

Learn More April 15, 2024

Was Mother Teresa Wrong?

Alan Kurdi’s 3yr old, lifeless body washed up on the beach after the boat carrying him from the Syrian civil war capsized. NGO’s big and small reported a massive surge in donations even though the Syrian civil war had been raging for several years with thousands of deaths and millions of refugees. Baby Jessica fell […]

Learn More April 12, 2024

My Dog And Curvy Lines

My dog, like many dogs, instinctually turns around in circles before lying down. These instincts predate centuries of domestication and have no modern day value. And yet, it’s part of her unconscious routine. Humans have similar unconscious, evolutionary quirks and preferences. For example we instinctively prefer curves over angles. This could be rooted in the […]

Learn More April 10, 2024

Jonnie Cochran’s Fundraising Lesson

If the gloves don’t fit, you must acquit. That trial was 29 years ago, that line will live forever. Why? Sure, it was a surreal, celebrity infused, wall-to-wall coverage, media circus. But do you remember any other lines from the trial? There was the visual that went with the line but part of its stickiness […]

Learn More April 8, 2024

Bipartisan For Real

In the vast theatre of human interest the spotlight fiercely chases the extremes and magnifies them in media, op-ed pieces, political discourse, fundraising campaigns, and advocacy efforts. It’s the outliers who grab headlines, sparking debates and commanding clicks with their dramatic deviations from the norm. Meanwhile, the great, moderate majority who are more likely to […]

Learn More April 5, 2024

Finally, Bipartisan Agreement

Small-dollar donations to Trump and the GOP are way down since 2019 and 2020. Why? According to GOP insiders from a recent Washington Post article, the main culprit is they don’t treat their donors well. Loyal readers no doubt recall Roger’s many exhortations about self-inflicted wounds on the Democratic side. He cited lots of evidence, […]

Learn More April 3, 2024

Fundraising’s “Eureka” Breakthrough. Whispers of Nobel Prize.

In a groundbreaking collaboration Kevin Schulman and the DonorVoice team of behavioral scientists, along with a medical team at the National Institutes of Health have achieved the unimaginable: genetically decoding the Five Personality Traits of individual donors. The breakthrough discovery involves three steps: Step 1. Genetically identifying an individual’s Personality Traits; Step 2. Linking the […]

Learn More April 1, 2024

I have a bridge to sell you

George C Parker is a legend among con people. The man actually sold the Brooklyn Bridge. Several times. Some of his victims were picked up by police as they attempted to erect toll booths. I think of him every time fundraising advice begins with the words “all you have to do is…”. A decade or […]

Learn More March 29, 2024

AI Images in Fundraising, Help or Hurt?

Real or fake? Manipulative or justified? A charity uses composite stories to reduce expenses A charity uses composite stories to protect the anonymity of beneficiaries A photographer edits photos to reduce sensationalism A photographer edits photos to increase sensationalism A disaster relief charity uses photos from a prior disaster given safety and ethical constraints using […]

Learn More March 27, 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

If You Have to Claim It, You’re Not

The Case of the Disappearing Donors

Was Mother Teresa Wrong?

My Dog And Curvy Lines

Jonnie Cochran’s Fundraising Lesson

Bipartisan For Real

Finally, Bipartisan Agreement

Fundraising’s “Eureka” Breakthrough. Whispers of Nobel Prize.

I have a bridge to sell you

AI Images in Fundraising, Help or Hurt?

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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