Trust And Transparency
Regular Agitator readers know the high value we place on trust as the essential core attribute of any brand, including your nonprofit.
And the doorway to trust is transparency. For wherever a donor, a customer, a constituent sees or senses a veil or a curtain, their visceral reaction is suspicion, distrust.
If you doubt the importance of trust, just reflect on the recent self-destruction of GiveWell, the folks who were advocating transparency — indeed nakedness — in foundation decision-making and evaluation. Whether they can regain trust and be viable remains to be seen.
From a different perspective, here is a piece from a consultant and blogger who specializes in “trust,” on the transparency of John McCain, at least as that author sees it, and the benefits of this trait to his candidacy.
To be sure, McCain is not the favorite cup of tea for many (most?) Agitator readers, but it's hard to deny his unique accessibility and straightforwardness.
And it's impossible to deny that trust isn't at the bottom of successful selling, whether you're selling a cause, a candidate, or a product.
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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