Uncategorized

AnalyzingTweets of Nonprofit Tweeters

A study from 2012 found nonprofits do a better job of ‘engaging’ with supporters over Twitter than with their websites. That’s probably a bit like saying there is more engagement in a phone call than a press release. After all, it’s written right there on the tin, Social Media. Nevertheless, one could always treat it […]

Learn More September 13, 2021

Is Your Fundraising and Advertising Reformation or Renaissance?

The last 15-20 years have seen a stunning decline in advertising effectiveness. Less effective ads are becoming more common. Copy-catting is one thing, copy-catting bad ideas is quite another. The traits of good advertising matter in video and static ads (print or digital) but also, copy. Some decree this mirrors culture and there’s historical precedent. […]

Learn More September 10, 2021

Are You Creating Pain for Your Donors?

My email inbox is still sore from its Labor Day weekend workout. As predicted a hyperbolic tsunami of email flooded forth from candidates and causes on both ends of the political spectrum. Failure to respond would result in an end to the world, a more dangerous and rapid rise in fascism (or socialism), and basically […]

Learn More September 8, 2021

Hats off to you Oregon

Today is Labor Day in the US and not to be outdone, Canada too, albeit with a Pat Sajak inspired extra vowel. But Oregon gets first mover status being the first to officially recognize the day as a public holiday in 1887. The Agitator is off today but not without a bit of Office Space […]

Learn More September 6, 2021

Exposing and Eliminating Unethical Email

Thank God It’s Friday. It’s been a horrible week in the real world: Massive evacuations and fear of Taliban retaliation in Afghanistan… historically massive and destructive wild fires in the West… reactionary and racist anti-democracy, voter suppression legislation enacted in Texas… tacit approval by the U.S. Supreme Court of a contrived, mean and vicious law […]

Learn More September 3, 2021

The Charity Sector Data Fishing Plague

Slice your data enough ways and you’ll find differences. I was reminded of this sitting through a conference session that shall remain nameless to protect the guilty. But they’ve got lots of company. How many times have you seen a Powerpoint deck from one of the 3rd party data providers summarizing how your donors are […]

Learn More September 1, 2021

Past Behavior Predicts Future Behavior – Who Cares?

This post’s title largely summarizes my view. Past giving predicts future giving and so begins the circular logic of donor understanding. It’s akin to noting that someone is on time because they tend to be punctual. Knowing that past behavior predicts future behavior can make you more efficient but you can efficient your way out […]

Learn More August 30, 2021

How to Ruin Good Copy

We think and worry a lot about copy (here, here, here and here). And so does Tom Ahern, Kathy Swayze, Jeff Brooks and many other proven fundraising copywriters. Are we wasting our time? Let me explain the reason behind this question. A well-crafted piece of fundraising copy is far more than words on paper or […]

Learn More August 27, 2021

The Shape of a Good Story

Everyone’s got a story. If only this were true. In our extensive review of fundraising copy we find the sector copy reads more like an academic journal than an involving work of fiction. In case you’re wondering, the latter produces more reading and giving. The story part of the sector’s writing is especially weak. So, […]

Learn More August 25, 2021

No More Nudges

Behavioural Economics took flight only to come crashing down with a bang. Failure to replicate even the most basic of findings has started to raise eyebrows and questions. I can personally attest to this. I wasn’t immune to the allure of cognitive biases and the quick and easy interventions they offer – a.k.a nudges. I […]

Learn More August 23, 2021

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

AnalyzingTweets of Nonprofit Tweeters

Is Your Fundraising and Advertising Reformation or Renaissance?

Are You Creating Pain for Your Donors?

Hats off to you Oregon

Exposing and Eliminating Unethical Email

The Charity Sector Data Fishing Plague

Past Behavior Predicts Future Behavior – Who Cares?

How to Ruin Good Copy

The Shape of a Good Story

No More Nudges

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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