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Fundraising’s Top Ten

Friday’s Fundraising Day in New York was terrific. Attendance up from last year and lots of enthusiasm and, even more importantly, plenty of optimism. After a simply wonderful luncheon speech (and there aren’t many of those at these sorts of events) by Geoffrey Canada, head of The Harlem Children’s Zone, I decided to pack a […]

Learn More June 17, 2010

2000s Were A Bummer!

Sorry to start the new year (and decade) with a downer of a headline, but there’s a silver lining here … it can only get better! Pew Research recently asked Americans for their "overall impression" of the last five decades. Here are full results. As you see, the 2000s were a real bummer — 50% […]

Learn More January 4, 2010

A Special Christmas Song

The Agitator has few traditions at this point. But here is one of them. For our third Christmas, we urge you to get into a mirthful holiday mood by listening to this unforgettable rendition of O Holy Night. The Agitator Guarantee: This performance will leave you smiling well into the New Year, or we’ll refund […]

Learn More December 23, 2009

Watch The Money

In a post called Watch the money, marketing maven Seth Godin asserts: "If you work for a non-profit and you don’t give money to charity, what exactly are you doing in this job? I’ve met some incredibly generous people in the charitable world, but I can also report that a huge number of people—even on […]

Learn More December 1, 2009

Speaking Of Back To The Basics!

For those of you who really do want to download Lisa Sargent’s 99 Nonprofits, try this link. My error. Still learning to cut & paste … which could explain why I’m so focused on the basics! Tom

Learn More October 23, 2009

Help Direct Google’s $10 Million

Over a year ago, Google launched Project 10^100, issuing a worldwide call for "ideas to change the world." Over 150,000 ideas were submitted, from which Google has synthesized sixteen key themes, such as … Help social entrepreneurs drive change. Make government more transparent. Enhance science and engineering education. Provide quality education to African students. Now […]

Learn More October 5, 2009

Laugh As You Leave

For our American readers leaving for a long Independence Day weekend, let’s turn off our computers with a little laughter please … Enjoy this video. Happy 4th! Roger & Tom

Learn More July 3, 2009

Does Your Nonprofit Make Friends?

Last week, I raised the question of whether your donors relate to your organization as "friends" or merely "acquaintances?" The hypothesis being that donor loyalty requires building a "friend" relationship. I suggested a simple first step, like including photos of the signers of your letters and emails. So far, no one has dumped on the […]

Learn More June 15, 2009

Direct Mail Is Dying. Again!

Here’s another prediction of the death of direct mail, as reported on frogloop. Says research firm Borrell, spending on direct mail will decline by 40% over the next five years. Get a move on direct mail fundraisers! In five years your medium will be dead. Just like radio. Forget this prediction. In fact, ignore all […]

Learn More June 1, 2009

I Become More Of Me

We’ve been talking about the value of market (i.e., donor) research lately, and how/when to listen to it. So my curiosity was peaked when this article by Karl Greenberg, Market Research Must Get Real, Not ideal, popped up. The article cites Nathan Berg, a professor of economics at the University of Texas, who asserts current […]

Learn More April 1, 2009

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

Fundraising’s Top Ten

2000s Were A Bummer!

A Special Christmas Song

Watch The Money

Speaking Of Back To The Basics!

Help Direct Google’s $10 Million

Laugh As You Leave

Does Your Nonprofit Make Friends?

Direct Mail Is Dying. Again!

I Become More Of Me

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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