Innovation Series #2: What Causes Innovation
In this 2nd of our series on “Innovation” drawing from the Agitator vault here’s a post How Does Innovation Occur we wrote eight years ago. Still seems current and if you didn’t read the interview the first time around here’s your second chance.
The Editors
Here’s an interview courtesy of Guy Kawasaki of Mac marketing fame, with Scott Berkun, author of The Myths of Innovation.
Interesting points:
- “Epiphanies” or “magic moments” are really the culmination of dozens of smaller observations, inquiries, mistakes and comedies that occurred to make the “Eureka” possible.
- Finding support for a big new idea depends on abilities — like persuasive skills and emotional endurance — that have nothing to do with intellectual prowess or creative ability.
People who earn the label “creative” are really just people who come up with more combinations of other ideas, find interesting ones faster, and are more willing to try them out.- Innovation is a practice, a set of get-out-there-and-try-it habits, not fantasizing in an ivory tower.
- Often new ideas come from re-defining or reformulating the problem — asking new questions — rather than searching for solutions.
Good stuff. We’ll try the book.
Roger & 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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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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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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