Q: We’re having an internal debate over the use of Dear Friend v Dear ACLU Supporter (where we cannot use name). Is there any research that supports one over the other?

September 24, 2019      Kiki Koutmeridou, Chief Behavioral Scientist, DonorVoice

I’m not aware of any research testing specifically “friend” against “charity supporter” but here are some thoughts based on other insights:

  • As part of several projects we’ve done on consent with different NGOs, we found that in most cases “CHARITY supporter” was a message that was highly preferred by their supporters.
  • In addition to being favoured by the supporters themselves, such a message plays another important role; it primes or activates the person’s identity as a supporter of that specific charity. This solidifies their relationship with the organization and it can lead to consistent behavior i.e. if I am a supporter of that org, then I will support it.
  • The word “friend” while it intuitively feels that it’d create feelings of closeness, it might actually backfire because it might feel “salesy”. Too many businesses are using it, and it might be now engrained in people’s minds as a marketing trick.
  • Finally, thinking on our social lives, we don’t really call a friend “Friend”, unless we’re introducing them to someone else “here’s my friend, Name”. What we do is call them by their name. So, if you do consider your supporter as your friend, the appropriate way to call them is by their name and not by the definition of your relationship.

Based on all this, I’d opt for ACLU supporter. Of course, my top recommendation is always to test this for yourself, with your audience to see what actually works best.