We Re-did the DonorVoice Website. Why Should You Care?
You shouldn’t…unless you’re interested in understanding why people give and using the insight to make your fundraising better. There is a case study here.
You shouldn’t…unless you’re interested in using behavioral science to get beyond one size fits all fundraising. There is a case study here.
You shouldn’t…unless you’re considering changing your own website and are curious about how to use user/audience input in the process.
We made the decision to hire outside experts in,
- Qualitative user feedback – In a former life I did lots of user feedback research – observational, ethnographic, etc. It’s been years and I’ve got a huge blind spot and bias being part of the company. Those are bad combinations.
- Web design – Everyone has a design opinion. We screened this company to make sure they relied on design theory and principles and could explain (and defend) decisions. Our company is built on moving from we think to we know by stating the first as a hypothesis and designing tests to reject or confirm.
- A Sherpa. We wanted someone to guide us in ferreting our individual views about the company and bringing us together as a team to discuss. If someone in senior management led this we’d run the high risk of sucking all the oxygen out of the room and stifling dissent.
- The user experience researcher interviewed past, present and (hopefully) future clients learning how the company was viewed and separately, ‘jobs-to-be-done’ by an agency and its website.
- We built a prototype.
- We tested it.
- We wrote and rewrote and rewrote. As Hemingway noted, writing is a lot of mechanics, don’t get discouraged.
We launched the site with the view that more user feedback will guide us beyond the horizon we see to those we can’t.
Kevin
P.S. We’re further incenting Agitator readers to check out the site with a reciprocal offer. The first 3 Agitator readers to comment with one of Kiki Koutmeridou’s hobby based Identities (hint: check bios at bottom of page) will get a free, behavioral science audit of your main donation page.
8 responses to “We Re-did the DonorVoice Website. Why Should You Care?”
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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Great offer! And, even though it may take me three months just to finish one, I too am a bit of a jigsaw puzzler.
Great website! As well as clearly being brilliant, Kiki is a climber.
Looking Nice! I also am a dog owner. 🙂
Hi Renee, I couldn’t find you on LinkedIn so getting in touch here. As you were so quick to comment and locate my dog-owner identity, you’ve won a free audit of your donation page! Drop me an email (kkoutmeridou@thedonorvoice.com) with a link to the donation page you’d like us to audit and we’ll take it from there.
OMGoddess, look what DonorVoice did!
Though don’t get me wrong … I thoroughly enjoyed your old website. It was a time machine to 2005 (pre-Facebook, pre-iPhone) web design. I’d cue up some “Sting Does Sinatra”; grab a bag of pretzels + a jar of artisanal mustard; then paddle my canoe down memory lane.
NOW!>?!?!? … wow, ZOWie. It’s an EXPERIENCE!!!!!!! Warning: will be stealing elements of your new website (my personal praise doesn’t go any higher).
Tom, thanks for the feedback and yes, more than a bit past due to banish the old one to wherever old, clunky websites go
This might be a user issue on my end but where did your white papers go? I can’t find them on the new site…
Tina, those are on the agitator site