Rules Are Made To Be Broken
Rules are made to be broken! Or are they?
A longer version of this aphorism is attributed to General Douglas MacArthur: “Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind.”
There are two sides to this.
On the one hand, our colleague Kevin Schulman at Donor Voice effectively says “Damn the rules” when he rants about ‘best practices’ … the term of preference for ‘rules’ in the business world.
I would say Roger and I also tilt toward the rule-breaking side of the ledger, although both of us would be reluctant to fly blindly against the repeated evidence of hard data.
And on reflection, all of us have indeed seen people (entire companies and organizations) miss opportunities by hiding behind the rules, fearful of exercising judgment or discretion, taking risk, or improvising or experimenting.
On the other hand, consider this advice from Denny Hatch, who writes: Only Fools Ignore Rules. He cites ten basic marketing rules, such as:
- Always make an offer.
- Always make it easy to order.
- Short words. Short sentences. Short paragraphs.
- The principles of psychology are fixed and enduring.
I’m a believer in the last one. You need a mighty good reason to swim against the tide of thousands of years of human continuity!
So, my advice?
Go ahead, break a rule. But when you do, make sure you’re exploring a testable hypothesis. One that can plausibly explain why all those before you were wrong … or in other words, why the rule shouldn’t apply to you and your situation.
What marketing ‘rule’ would you like to break or prove wrong?
On the one hand, it’s OK to be wrong if you’ve learned something. On the other, if you’ve merely re-confirmed what you should have known, Denny wins the point.
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer