Last week both Tom and I dealt with the issue of ‘consistency’. My post Yawning All the Way to the Bank  emphasized the importance of being consistent as follows:

• Do Not abandon proven channels like direct mail in favor of the unknown or unproven. (And, of course, at the same time staying alert to new opportunities and channels.)

• Do Be consistent, regardless of channel, in your messaging regardless of how bored you and the rest of the gang grow tired and would love to substitute some shiny new and different message.

The next day in Does The Agitator Have A Split Personality Tom questioned whether this focus on “consistency” is at odds with “innovation”– a frequent Agitator topic.

• “So, what’s a poor reader to conclude? Do we want you to innovate? Or stay the course and be as boringly consistent as possible?”, asked Tom.

• He concluded that the answer to this seeming dichotomy is all about balance, and offered 8 guiding principles to keep you on track for the future. (The top principle being, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”)

[In the Comments section to both posts veteran Tom Ahern weighed in with the thought there should be a new wing of his Museum of Nonprofit Knuckleheads to house “all the great stuff that worked that didn’t get repeated.”   And to Tom’s post gave an example of the type of thorough, thoughtful R&D required to make significant change.]

Please don’t think that Brother Belford and I just toss this stuff at each other between games of Candy Crush. No, we rely on science.

In the case of ‘consistency’ we’re relying the findings of behavioral scientists and studies of what they term ‘Confirmation Bias‘. Take a moment to read the Wikipedia piece I’ve linked to and you’ll see it’s broadly defined as “the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s beliefs or hypotheses, while giving disproportionately less consideration to alternative possibilities.”

So what does this have to do with fundraising — and most especially delivering the best possible experiences to your donors?    

Mark Neigh of the Masterworks fundraising firm explains why in a helpful post  titled  Confirmation Bias: Make your donors feel awesome.

[ For those readers who really want a great illustration of confirmation bias take a couple of minutes and watch this You Tube video recommended by Mark and you’ll see the bias at work as folks seek a solution to the problem posed by the narrator.]

What the video clearly demonstrates is that folks have a hard time searching for information that is inconsistent with their current beliefs or hypothesis. Their ‘answers’ or reactions will usually be something that fits their belief rather than violates it.

Here are 4 Tips from Mark for using confirmation bias in your fundraising:

• “Don’t try to change your donors’ minds. It’s incredibly difficult to avoid confirmation bias (he suggests these tips from Warren Buffett), and nearly impossible for you to change your donor’s preconceptions.

“If your work is fighting domestic hunger you know that many malnourished Americans are overweight, but it’s a losing game to try to prove that to donors who believe overweight means too much food.

“Education is a worthwhile goal, but your fundraising is not the best place to do it.”

• “Reinforce donor loyalty. At the heart of confirmation bias is the idea that the rationale for your choices is correct; anything that confirms that belief will be warmly welcomed.

“You can reinforce this for your donors by reminding them of their commitment to your organization. Test sending an email on their First Gift Anniversary. Open a letter or email with a reminder of their past generosity.”

• “Make your donors feel awesome.

‘Try this: open your organization’s website and make a gift. Each time you make a decision on your way to the checkout, look for opportunities to be recognized and rewarded.

‘These are opportunities to make your donors feel awesome, further confirming that they made the right choice by giving to you.

• “Ask donors to tell their friends.

“Now that your donors feel completely validated in their decision to give to your mission, ask them to tell their friends. This is an excellent way to acquire new donors and a way to further build loyalty.”

Are you aware of ‘confirmation bias’?  If so, how are you using — or avoiding — it to help your fundraising and make your donors feel awesome?

Roger

P.S.  While we’re on the subject of behavioral science, or ‘decision science’ as we sometimes refer it, to Readers who attend the free Agitator, DonorVoice, SOFII Webinar on April 12^th on how to Reduce F2F Attrition in the First 90 Days  we’ll present a ‘can’t miss’, lightening round of free, use-them-now–at-virtually no cost techniques based on decision science.

You’ll learn why people do what they do (when they themselves don’t know why) from DonorVoice’s resident expert and newest team member, Dr. Kiki Koutemeridou, Behavioral Science Strategist.

You can register free of charge right here.