Online Appeals I Like — 2,501
But first … WOW! As I sit down to write this post, I notice that Roger’s article of yesterday was The Agitator’s 2,500th post. No wonder I’m feeling tired.
What’s sad about it is that only two people — Roger and I — have read all 2,500 … and I’m not too sure about Roger.
But I digress (however, it’s Friday and I’ll have a drink to celebrate when I’m done).
I’m sure your email in-box is overflowing, like mine, with year-end appeals.
I just wanted to bring two to your attention that really caught my eye.
The first is from Charity: Water, who generally get things right.
The subject line was perfect: Giving feels good. Pass it on.
That captures everything The Agitator, Jeff Brooks at Future Fundraising Now, and so many of our other favorite bloggers have been saying about what the fundraising role and process is all about — making donors feel good about acting on their best instincts.
And here’s the image — the only content in the email — that invited response …
Simplicity. “Share the giving feeling.” Terrific. And be assured, the ‘mechanics’ behind this Give Now button were well-oiled.
Here’s the second appeal, from WWF. A classic approach. I like it because of the ‘mother/child’ image — appealing in and of itself — that reinforces the well-traveled ‘adoption’ technique. AND because it makes a serious ask — for a monthly gift.
[Sorry, this is all one continuous scroll in my email.]
Gets a great score on technique — time-tested adoption approach, kit, plush animal … and all driving toward a monthly gift.
Got any year-end favs you’d like to share?
Tom
P.S. Now for that celebratory Old-Fashioned. Cheers Roger!
3 responses to “Online Appeals I Like — 2,501”
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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Happy new year Mr. Belford and Mr. Craver. And happy new year to all the Agitator readers. Simone Joyaux
Tom
You mentioned that Charity Water “gets it right”. My son attended their gala in New York. 400 attendees were given very sophisticated virtual reality head gear to “hear and see” a customized view of Charity Water’s work around the world! Every attendee had a completely different experience.
Can anyone top that?
While I’m normally a HUGE fan of Charity Water, when I received that email appeal, I was definitely blown away by the beauty of the photograph they used. But from there, it went downhill for me. It’s “charity” and “water” – I had no idea what was in the bowl and how that related to water. Even after clicking through to their page, I was confused. It took me a moment to realize they were inviting YOU (or me) the donor to think about our table during the holidays. It would make more sense to me if they were an organization that did something related to food… but not water. So in my book, this was a miss. Am I the only one who felt this way?