Upbeat Fundraising News
Here’s a good round-up of end-of-year fundraising projections, courtesy of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
The Chron’s own polling indicates that nearly six in ten charities expect to raise more in 2011 than 2010, with 28% expecting less.
One out of five in survey said contributions are outpacing their 2010 donations by 20% or more. The Agitator hopes your nonprofit falls in that category … and if you do, please tell us and our readers how you did it!
The Chron article also reports projections from Network for Good, Convio and Atlas of Giving … all trending better than 2010.
Let’s hope that curve keeps rising in 2012!
Tom
3 responses to “Upbeat Fundraising News”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Great question! Here’s how behavioral science can help unpack what might be happening: Pain of Paying: Even a small extra charge can make giving feel more transactional than emotional, potentially reducing generosity. Fairness Concerns: Some donors might perceive donor cover as a surcharge rather than a contribution to the cause. If they feel the charity […]
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The choice between “Your gift CAN…” and “Your gift WILL…” taps into the psychological framing of certainty vs. possibility. Currently, there is no academic research directly comparing these two framings in charitable appeals. However, I suspect no framing is universally better—the outcome likely depends on your target audience and the campaign’s goal. Here are some thoughts: Certainty Framing – […]
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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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We hired a new list broker that helped us increase sophistication in our list selection and analysis (minor improvement so far, but will reap its rewards soon), hired additional fundraising staff, and ECONOMY.
We are going to raise probably 75-80% more this year than we did last year, but it is because we are in crisis, unfortunately. Our students, parents, and teachers have literally been hitting the streets canvassing, attending outreach events, holding fundraisers, asking everyone they know to make a gift, etc. Our faithful donors have really stepped up, too. My challenge has been to keep up with it and keep communicating with everyone in the many different ways they wish to receive information (especially difficult for those who want postal mail communication because of the expense and the time).
We lost almost all of our government funding (public school funding). I’m so grateful that our donors, families, and the community are really stepping up to the need, but it can’t keep up with the loss of the tax dollars. I’m sure it is the same story everywhere. As we know, philanthropy never will never take the place of taxes.
I’m trying to see this as an opportunity. We are going gangbusters on the fundraising, getting people to commit to planned gifts, securing the top decision-makers to join the discussion about solutions, and gathering volunteers by the boatload, so why do I feel so tired? 😉
Happy holidays!
For organizations looking to get the most out of their end of year fundraising (and who isn’t) we have a few tips on our blog. Here’s one post to help make your donor’s experience blissfully simple: http://www.connectioncafe.com/posts/2011/12-december/keep-it-simple.html