Hallelujah!
Some Agitator readers might have noticed that I was on vacation recently.
However, what some call ‘vacation’, I call ‘field work’ as my visit to the States included very high level strategic and editorial planning with co-editor Craver, as well as some on-the-ground research.
I can’t discuss the former … deep corporate secrets and commercial sensitivity, you know.
But I can tell you about my grassroots research.
I was chatting with a family friend, a young woman who’s now worked in the fundraising business (her first and only post-grad job) for about seven (happy) years … on the agency side of the table … across a range of clients most of you would recognize.
First of all, seven years with the same agency was great news. Reflected growth on her part and steady accumulation of institutional knowledge. To the benefit of her agency and her clients.
I inquired into whether her firm did both direct mail and online fundraising. Yes indeed she said, then volunteering that their fundraising plans integrated the two. Another point scored.
She also noted that online giving for their clients was growing very strongly. I voiced skepticism that many organisations counted as online fundraising monies that were generated via other channels, like mail. Her response: we’re careful to source our online gifts (Bingo!).
Adding: And we see our best donors to be people who give both online and through the mail (Bingo! Bingo!)
Finally, I asked the question I knew Roger would want me to ask: Do you focus much on retention with your clients? Yes, we do. We focus on lifetime value (Bingo! Bingo! Bingo!). She added that one of her clients in particular “obsessed” over lifetime value, naming the well-known client.
Hallelujah, I thought.
This still relatively fresh young fundraiser ‘got it’ … and had clients who did as well.
I hope she’s emblematic of the next generation of fundraisers.
In your experience, is she?
Tom
Behavioral Science Q & A
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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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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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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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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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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