Heart Of The Donor
Fundraising giant Russ Reid has released an impressive bit of survey research on donor behavior and attitudes.
Their findings square up exactly against our own DonorTrends research in many areas …
- The strong correlation between religion and giving (i.e., where religion appears more important in individual’s life, there’s a greater propensity to give, and to give more).
- Importance of mail as primary giving medium.
- Age, education and income as correlates of giving.
The study examines questions most fundraisers have:
What helps bring the first gift?
[Answer: #1 is internet research, and not just the organization’s site]
What helps bring a second gift?
[Answer: #1: The group “explained the specific mission of the organization to me”; #2: “Made me feel that my gift really made a difference”; #3: “Gave me information about exactly what my gift helped accomplish”.]
What makes some organizations “Favorites”?
[Answer: “Trustworthiness” measured in a variety of ways. For higher income donors … it tends to mean financial efficiency.]
Lots of insights from this work. Here’s the Executive Summary.
Nice work, guys. You deserve a raise!
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer