Pew, Pew, Pew!
The Agitator just can't say enough good things about the various Pew Research arms.
If you collect a paycheck from a nonprofit group and do not regularly follow the various studies of these folks on Americans' media habits, on attitudes of various demographic segments about public issues, about trends in media coverage, you oughta be fired!
These studies might not help you construct the best A/B split for your next mailing, or help you pick a better database vendor, or design a better landing page for your website (and we're direct marketers at heart, so we're not knocking the importance of thoughtful execution). But if you want to comprehend the bigger picture and have a clue about the trends about to smack you and your nonprofit in the face, then read them!
Here's just some of the latest from Pew …
Pew's Project on Journalistic Excellence has just issued its inaugural News Coverage Index. The Index, to be released every Tuesday, is an ongoing study of the news agenda of a wide swath of the American media — newspapers, broadcast & cable nets, radio, online sources (48 different outlets in all). The Index will attempt to provide an ongoing look at what the media are and aren't covering, the trajectories of major stories and differences among news platforms. Says Pew: “We believe it is the largest continuing study of the media agenda ever attempted.”
Two other notable recent research reports from Pew:
- A Portrait of Generation Next: How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics — the demographic focus here is 18-25 year-olds
And if you want to look even further into the future …
- Social Networking Websites and Teens — here's the new world, you old-timers … 55% of online teens (ages 12-17) have web profiles, with MySpace the current champ.
The Agitator is still absorbing all this data, but no need to wait on our take.
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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