Real Fundraisers Don’t Whine, Worry or Wait
That’s why today we’re launching a new feature: The Agitator Toolbox of Innovation.
There’s simply too much good stuff going on out there to spend time dithering about whether or when the economy will rebound, for boards to come to their senses … or whatever folks spend their time worrying about. Usually, things over which none of us has any control.
Agitator Readers are special and we sure don’t want them looking back on 2012 wishing “If I had only known” about this innovation or that innovation.
Equally, we have no desire to tout, hype or otherwise go overboard on the latest New, New Thing. Too much of that going around already.
Rather, our goal with the new Agitator Toolbox is to serve up innovations that have been tested and proven. And we’ll also focus on innovative approaches and processes that build on basic and sound fundraising and donor relationship practices.
Some of these tools, applications and case histories will come from our colleagues at DonorVoice, DonorTrends and TrueGivers. Others from serendipitous discoveries we make while attending conferences and reading mounds of research reports. Still others from alert readers. We hope you’ll share your discoveries with us.
Because a large number of Agitator Readers find themselves dealing with direct mail, our first entry for the Toolbox is about a proven tool designed to identify likely direct mail package winners and losers – without having to waste needless time and money on waiting for ink to dry and the postal service to deliver. It’s all explained by Kevin Schulman, the CEO of DonorVoice.
WARNING: You won’t find the Toolbox in your daily email feed; rather it’s a feature that will appear on the homepage of The Agitator’s website along with other features we hope prove helpful. Features like our Jobs section … an Archive now Searchable by Categories … and some older favorites like Comments, a constantly updated listing of The Agitator Community, and our popular Blogroll.
We’ve added or rearranged others in response to requests and guidance provided by Agitator Readers in our recent survey.
We hope you’ll pass along any discoveries involving tools, applications and processes you think are innovative and helpful. Help us fill the Agitator Toolbox. Together we can explore a fundraising world that’s filled with opportunity.
Roger and Tom
P.S. A Webinar on the Direct Mail Pre-Test Tool will be held on Thursday, February 9 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Registration is FREE, but attendance limited on a first come basis. Sign up here.
One response to “Real Fundraisers Don’t Whine, Worry or Wait”
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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I love the toolbox idea! A question/concern about today’s feature — focus groups typically measure what people say they’re doing to do rather than what they actually do. For instance, direct mail copy that donors scoff at is often the most successful. We don’t want to think we’d respond to such messages when, in reality, we do when they hit our mailboxes. How does this tool factor this in?