NY Times on Giving
The latest NY Times special section on giving is, as usual, a "must-read" comprehensive review of the state of the philanthropic and charity universe.
Whatever your field of interest — medical research, alleviating poverty, arts & culture, education, international humanitarian assistance, and much more — and whether you are a donor or a recipient, there’s something in this superb compendium of articles for you. Oddly the one area not covered is the behavior in these troubled times of the small gift donor.
For the best overview, read Stephanie Strom’s article on the impact of the economic downturn on giving. Her report, prepared with assistance from James Freed, gives a surprisingly upbeat picture, given the circumstances. Foundations, with conservative investments and rolling multi-year portfolio values driving grant levels, will not have as much immediate downturn as the major market indices. Super-wealthy individual donors and corporate foundations say they might stretch out their giving a bit, but they don’t talk in terms of major cutbacks.
As noted, however, there are no articles in the compendium on the expected behavior of your basic direct mail or online small gift donor.
For insight into that, at least as proferred by nonprofit fundraisers and their consultants, you’ll need to read The Agitator’s Vital Signs 1 Report, based on our recent canvas of the community and posted last Friday. An updated Vital Signs 2 Report will be posted November 21st. Stay tuned!
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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