Meet the Practitioners
Erica Best, Associate Director, Direct Response, No Kid Hungry
Larissa Peters
Larissa Peters is the Digital Giving Manager at Catholic Relief Services. She received a BA in English at Simpson University and an MA in Intercultural Ministries at Canadian Theological Seminary. Prior to Catholic Relief Services, she worked in the marketing department at World Relief and was a case manager for refugees in Atlanta.
Larissa joined CRS six years ago and is responsible for raising online revenue for the Annual Giving program through digital channels including web, email, ads, social media, text/SMS and search. She develops strategic initiatives regarding donor acquisition, email response and donor retention, and therefore delving into behavioral science and a/b testing is a must in her role.
Derek Roberts
Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people. We are dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change. Our innovative education, employment, housing and well-being services address individual needs and help homeless people to transform their lives.
As Direct Marketing Executive, Derek is responsible for communicating the message of the charity to warm and cold donors through year-round appeals as well as the annual Christmas Appeal. His focus has been to develop the online experience and journey that the donor has with Crisis and has become a key point of reference in the Fundraising Team not only for online/email developments but also for the application of behavioural science insights that the Direct Marketing Team utilises in their offline and online appeal creative.
Rami Sarakbi
Rami Sarakbi has worked with the Canadian Red Cross since 2014 where he has assumed a variety of roles from frontline aid worker during the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe, to a national coordination role during the Alberta Wildfires in 2016.
Currently, Rami works with the fundraising team as part of the Customer Experience (CX) Unit. The CX Unit develops donor journeys based on analytics and market research, viewed from the donor’s perspective. The purpose of these journeys is to deliver increased net revenue and optimize channel use and cadence use. When a donor is at risk or is going down a path/journey associated with a negative outcome, the CX team searches for ways to intervene proactively
Behavioral Science Q & A
Whether “help” is more engaging or not really depends on the framing and context. The word help can sometimes weaken the perceived agency of the supporter, making their role feel secondary rather than central (your point). On the other hand, help can also signal collaboration rather than implying full ownership of the outcome, which might […]
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Great question! Here’s how behavioral science can help unpack what might be happening: Pain of Paying: Even a small extra charge can make giving feel more transactional than emotional, potentially reducing generosity. Fairness Concerns: Some donors might perceive donor cover as a surcharge rather than a contribution to the cause. If they feel the charity […]
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The choice between “Your gift CAN…” and “Your gift WILL…” taps into the psychological framing of certainty vs. possibility. Currently, there is no academic research directly comparing these two framings in charitable appeals. However, I suspect no framing is universally better—the outcome likely depends on your target audience and the campaign’s goal. Here are some thoughts: Certainty Framing – […]
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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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