Uncategorized - Agitator

Direct mail

Death of the US Postal Service Exaggerated

Thought we’d bring some of the old band back for this timely topic—the state of the US Postal Service and the deliverability of direct mail. In simpler times—say 2019— the U.S. Postal Service was not a political football. But as with so many of 2020’s “features,” that’s where we are. Thankfully, much of the harshest […]

Learn More August 5, 2020

The “Intention to Give” Giving Gap

There is an entire field of study, decades old, focused on the relationship between intention to do something and doing it – intended behavior vs. actual behavior. This is far more involved and practical than the too simplistic and quite misleading adage that ‘people don’t do what they say’. In fact, the intention to do […]

Learn More August 3, 2020

Let Freedom Ring

The splendid and vile sides of America’s polarized politics were both on full display yesterday. As moving tributes to U.S. Representative John R. Lewis, the civil rights icon most closely associated with voting rights, were delivered at his funeral in Atlanta, Donald Trump issued a contemptible and foreboding Tweet suggesting the U.S. “Delay the Election […]

Learn More July 31, 2020

The Path of Continuous Improvement

Test ideas should, among other things, work backwards from the behavior one is trying to influence. Sure, the brown kraft test envelope might do better than the plain white control, but why? And is it going to increase response rate or average gift? And is it better with everyone or just a select group and […]

Learn More July 29, 2020

What Impact Messaging Works Best? The Goldilocks Finding

One of humanity’s basic psychological needs is a sense of competence or efficacy. Putting time in on something, feeling like you suck at it and are getting no better, and then receiving no feedback or negative feedback undermines your motivation to keep doing it. This includes charitable giving. The donor’s sense of competence and efficacy […]

Learn More July 27, 2020

The World’s Greatest Fundraising Letter, Made Better

Ok, maybe not the greatest, but one of the greatest according to Denny Hatch, who built a business collecting, analyzing and reporting on decades of direct mail controls called “Who’s Mailing What?”. You’ll find the full and fascinating story on this letter, its author and a great lesson in crisis management in the Denny Hatch […]

Learn More July 24, 2020

Donor Acquisition in the Pandemic

In the midst of the economic uncertainty around the pandemic my guess is there will more than the usual furor over “high costs of fundraising” and spending money on acquisition on the part of boards, CFOs and CEOs. One thing won’t change: the discussion and debate will stem mostly from ignorance Ignorance about what “acquisition” […]

Learn More July 22, 2020

Is the Donor Missing From Your Giving Equation…And Your Fundraising?

Stick with this post. By the end –following a somewhat wonky start –you’ll feel more control over your fundraising and relatedness to your donors. This is what the vast majority of giving formulas, albeit never expressed, look like: Giving = solicitation + random error (difference between your budgeted number and reality) (Remember algebra? Don’t stop reading; […]

Learn More July 20, 2020

Just Gimme Your Money

Kevin’s post on Getting Your Copy from Good to Better focuses on improving and optimizing direct response copy—generally understood by most fundraisers as the body copy of a direct mail letter or a digital appeal. Today’s post spotlights the most neglected—yet in many ways the most valuable—part of a fundraising appeal: The Response Form. Know […]

Learn More July 17, 2020

Getting Your Copy from Good to Great (or at least Better)

I was thumbing through a canary yellow, three ring binder, found while Covid cleaning. It had that musty paper smell and more than a few cobwebs. This book in binder is, 86 tutorials on Creating Fundraising Letters and Packages, and the author is Jerry Huntsinger, who we’ve brought in on a client gig or two […]

Learn More July 15, 2020

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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Direct mail

Death of the US Postal Service Exaggerated

The “Intention to Give” Giving Gap

Let Freedom Ring

The Path of Continuous Improvement

What Impact Messaging Works Best? The Goldilocks Finding

The World’s Greatest Fundraising Letter, Made Better

Donor Acquisition in the Pandemic

Is the Donor Missing From Your Giving Equation…And Your Fundraising?

Just Gimme Your Money

Getting Your Copy from Good to Great (or at least Better)

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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