What’s your biggest fundraising challenge? What did you set out to solve last year (or the year before, or the year before…) only to be facing it again in 2018?

At last !   Behavioral scientists unite to solve your major fundraising problems.

Why as a sector are we forever undermined by perennial problems like low conversion, and falling retention?

Governments have seen improvement in big, seemingly intractable problems like people paying their taxes on time, making healthier lifestyle choices and not littering. And, in an increasingly crowded marketplace, corporations have found ways to get us to buy more and stick with them longer.

So, what are they doing that we aren’t?

They’re looking beyond ‘best’ practice to find better answers. Specifically, putting together ‘Nudge Units’ of behavioral scientists.

Our nonprofit sector ‘discovered’ behavioural science much later than others. And, in the rare cases where we’ve tried to apply it, the ‘science’ is almost never practised by a scientist. Instead, it’s agencies, consultants and well-intentioned amateurs who’ve read a handful of popular books like ‘Influence’, ‘Nudge’ and ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’.

It’s great they’re raising awareness of the principle. But, without years of formal scientific training, they’re simply not qualified to practise.

There’s a huge difference between reading about any given behavioral principle and knowing how to specifically apply it in a robust, scientific way. And of course, different situations require different principles and executions.

This explains why as a sector we have little, if anything, to show by way of behavioral science success. Which in turn compounds the problem of our slow adoption of a science that’s transforming other sectors.

The good news is our sector now has its very own bona fide Nudge Unit.

Under my guidance, seven leading behavioral scientists have come together to focus on, and try to fix, fundraising’s biggest problems. AND… they want to hear from you.

Whatever that stubborn fundraising problem (i.e. poor open rates, low average gift, people not making second gifts etc.) ask them the question, via the Agitator’s Ask a Behavioural Scientist feature, and they’ll offer you their answers.  There are already a range of Questions and Answers on The Agitator here.

Next post, you’ll meet our Nudge Unit, and learn exactly how they can help you find better answers to those stubborn questions. If you don’t want to miss out on this expert content and support, subscribe for free to our emailing list.

Kiki