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Do You Fundraise At or With?

Does your fundraising ask who should I send this appeal to or what appeal should I send to this person? Fundraising at vs. fundraising with.  It’s the difference between involving and connecting versus hoping that people give you the mental time to see themselves in your appeal.  Most won’t. We also call it bookend fundraising, […]

Learn More August 14, 2024

Hand Size and Fundraising Success

A belief, once firmly held, is hard to change, even when the evidence and data overwhelmingly refute that belief. Take male hand size.  We all know it correlates with…lower fumble rate among NFL Quarterbacks (what were you thinking?) Every year the NFL evaluates college players and their pro worthiness with something called the “combine”.  One […]

Learn More August 12, 2024

People Are Different, Does Your Test Design Ignore This?

Hidden in many “losing” test results is a test idea that worked for some people and not others. Here are experiment results for World Vision among prospective donors randomly split into the control with altruism messaging and a test with self-interest messaging. Nothing to see here.  The test lost. Discard, move on…unless you designed your […]

Learn More August 9, 2024

Boost Your Results with Virtual Engagement

Some days I wish I could call an emergency meeting of all Agitator readers, if for no other reason than to get your immediate reaction to one or another of our most insane ideas—or at least Kevin’s insane ideas. That was my wish exactly 11 years ago this week.  In a the post Meet With […]

Learn More August 7, 2024

Harris Defeats Trump. Trump Defeats Harris.

Conventional wisdom and a veteran political analyst who had predicted the winner in four of the five prior presidential races leading up to this 1948 election were clear; not only would Dewey win but Republicans would retain control of the House and Senate.   Dewey of course lost and the Democrats won control of both chambers. […]

Learn More August 5, 2024

Activism’s Double-Edged Sword

Social activism and creating a “movement” is hard work, made harder by a conflicting reality.  More extreme actions, often effective at gaining (media) attention and increasing pressure on organizations or institutions, are likely to reduce popular support. What constitutes ‘extreme’?  Is it in the eye of the beholder or context dependent?  Blocking highways may be […]

Learn More August 2, 2024

Red State, Blue State? Dig Deeper

These two profiles seem like stereotypes or memes for urban/rural, or red state/blue state.  This is 3rd party data.  It’s big data, it gives us mass market reach as I can know these sorts of things for most people.  It’s also entirely correlational, not causal.   Having said that, the data are certainly suggestive of two […]

Learn More July 31, 2024

Is Your Work Necessary or Critical?

Necessary and critical are synonyms but not equal.  The former is more neutral, the latter more promotional, market-y. Which one should you use if you’re making a claim?  Research from the National Academy of Sciences analyzed over 10 years of grant applications and found that more promotional language increases grant success. The relationship is really […]

Learn More July 29, 2024

Subtract to Boost Donor Engagement?

Addition by subtraction.  Less is more.  Remove barriers.   Mark Twain apologizing for the length of his letter, noting it would have been shorter if he had more time.  Leonardo DaVinci defined perfection as when there is nothing left to take away. All these expressions and sentiments can’t hold a candle to our bias for addition […]

Learn More July 26, 2024

Activists Aren’t Donors, Even If They Donate

What makes an activist different from a donor?  Too often the former is thought of as a lead-gen, name sourcing exercise to ‘convert’ them to the latter. Activists and donors are different.  And while activists often donate that initial act of activism (e.g. the lead-gen petition signing) should not be thought of as a donor […]

Learn More July 24, 2024

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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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