• Home
  • Blog Posts
  • Behavioral Science
  • On Demand Webinars
  • Toolbox
  • Archives

Uncategorized

Beyond One Size Fits All For the Win, Again…

Our choices are expressions and reflections of who we are.  I won’t pay as much attention to your fundraising message if it doesn’t reflect who I am. And since people are different, your fundraising needs tailoring to match those varied reflections.  Most readers will probably agree with this statement and yet, the infinity problem stands […]

Learn More June 19, 2024

2 Years After Dobbs: The Landscape of Support for Both Sides

            In 1973 Craver, Mathews, Smith & Co. launched the first direct response campaign for the National Rights Action League (NARL,)  now named Reproductive Freedom for All . That was the year Roe v. Wade was decided.             That was also the time 51 years ago when women could not […]

Learn More June 17, 2024

Grade Level Belongs In School, Not Copywriting

Writing should reject all amplifications, digressions, and swellings of style: to return back to the primitive purity, and shortness, when men delivered so many things, almost in an equal number of words . . .a close, naked, natural way of speaking; positive expressions; clear senses; a native easiness: bringing all things as near the plainness, […]

Learn More June 14, 2024

Definitely Bold and Underline…or Not

It seems an article of faith that adding bold or underline in direct mail is best practice.  Google it and some version of these points will surface many times over in the first few search result links. Bolding or underlining signals that a sentence is important. But underlining also serves a second, more important purpose. The […]

Learn More June 12, 2024

Transaction Costs Are A Killer

Not your transaction costs, the donor’s.  Why does a mailing to a well curated list of folks garner such a low response rate?   It’s only one of two reasons, A bunch of people on the mail list shouldn’t be – i.e. the list sucks reason The cost in time, convenience to give your mailing attention […]

Learn More June 10, 2024

2,000 Birds or a Flock?

Humans often find it hard to appreciate the size of the problem and therefore, are often unwilling to donate more if there are 2,000 birds or humans vs. only 20. And we’re all familiar by now with the identifiable victim effect that can spike giving when sharing the story of a single person or bird, […]

Learn More June 5, 2024

Zero Party Is Still A Good Party

Zero-party data is voluntarily, willingly shared by constituents.  First-party data is passively collected, it’s the footprint left from the interaction with your brand – website tracking data, open/click email data, donation data. First-party is more abundant but requires inference and assumption, zero-party is a much greater degree of knowing and understanding. There are three types […]

Learn More June 3, 2024

Throw the Direct Mail Down The Stairs

My father was a professor and would stay up all night (and sleep all day…) to grade tests.  I often joked he should adopt the throw em’ down the stairs approach, higher grades to those that travel further. Many fundraising tests have pitted longer vs. shorter with the former winning.   But “always” and “never” are […]

Learn More May 31, 2024

My Choice or Yours?

When was the last time you felt good about being lightly manipulated or guilted into something? Probably never. Behavioral economics 101 emphasizes the power of defaults in steering behavior. Just check the box, circle, or highlight the option you want people to choose, and place it in the middle. These defaults are better described as […]

Learn More May 29, 2024

Memorial Day 2024

  MOURN.  REMEMBER.

Learn More May 27, 2024

<< 1 … 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 … 168 >>

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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 – […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    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 […]

    Read Full Answer

    DonorVoice products

    Commitment System

    Donor Feedback Platform™

    PreTest Tool

    TouchPoint Mapping



      • © Copyright 2005 - 2025, The Agitator. All Rights Reserved.
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Sitemap
      • RSS Feed
      • We welcome your feedback!