Did You Say A Half Billion?! – II
Behavioral Science Q & A
Thanks so much for raising this. Yes, capturing donor information can be helpful for stewardship like newsletters, thank-you letters, impact updates. But how you ask matters. Forcing full data capture introduces friction that can significantly depress conversion, many donors may simply abandon the process. Beyond the friction itself, required fields also shift the emotional experience […]
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Unlike holidays that everyone already knows, Giving Tuesday is a created event. Many donors recognize the name but not the exact timing, so referencing it becomes a helpful cue. It serves as a reminder and taps into social norm activation (“everyone’s giving today”), which boosts response. However, we still want it paired with the mission, […]
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When a subject line leads with the match (“Your gift matched!”), it risks triggering market-norm thinking: the sense that giving is a financial transaction rather than an act rooted in values, identity, and care. This shift reduces intrinsic motivation and, over time, can weaken donor satisfaction and long-term engagement. It also makes the email indistinguishable […]
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There’s no evidence that QR codes suppress mid-value giving; all available research suggests they either help or have no negative effect. In fact, behavioral and usability research consistently shows the opposite: reducing friction at any point in the donation process increases completion rates and total response. And that has nothing to do with capacity and […]
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What you’re experiencing is very common. Resistance often isn’t about capability, but about motivation quality. If board members feel pushed into fundraising, that triggers controlled motivation (low quality motivation) i.e. obligation, guilt, or fear of judgment, which often results in avoidance. Instead, we need to create conditions for volitional motivation (high quality motivation) by satisfying […]
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That’s a really thoughtful question, and you’re not the first to raise it. Many of our clients have been cautious about placing the ask at the very end. To address their concern, we’ve tested both approaches, and the results are clear: when the ask comes last, even if that means it appears on the second […]
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Back in June, I asked Gene Austin at Convio whether he would go out on a limb and predict a half-billion year in online fundraising revenue for Convio’s clients. He bravely took up the challenge, offering me a bet that they would … wise man (coward) that I am, I declined the bet.
Last week, Gene shared Convio’s 2008 numbers in a Comment he posted to the original June article. But I wanted everyone to see — and be heartened by — what he reported. So here’s his Comment.
Tom – I wanted to follow-up on the June discussion. While the identity of “don’t tell” remains safe (for now) our clients crushed the $550 million in online revenue in 2008 hitting $777 million. We’d still love to see you at Summit 2009 too. Here’s some overall data from the Convio system in 2008:
Our clients used Convio to:
Nice year for our clients.
Gene
I’ll say! Gene, you deserve a raise.
I have no idea what Convio’s "market share" is in the nonprofit online fundraising universe. But I’ll wager that if Convio’s clients raised $777 million online, then perhaps all nonprofits topped $2 billion.
What would you say to that, Gene?
Tom Belford