Roger wrote last week about the new ‘opt in’ criterion being used by Charity Navigator to qualify nonprofits for its full blessing. His bottom line: “Here at The Agitator we’d advise you to not waste any energy or concern on this latest from Charity Navigator for the simple reason they really don’t matter. At least not when it comes to influencing donors’ behavior.”

His reasons for that advice:

• A 2010 study 0f 4,000 plus donors by Hope Consulting titled Money for Good (you can download here) found that “few donors do research before they give, and those that do look to the nonprofit itself to provide simple information about efficiency and effectiveness”. In short, ain’t many donors checking Charity Navigator.

• And for those donors who do some research, according to the Hope Consulting study, they look for “information on the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization … and donors typically look to the organization itself to collect information”. And this is true even among the givers of major gifts.

So Roger seems to minimize the amount of research donors do before giving.

But then today I came across this assertion in Consumers Like Direct Mail, an article in Target Marketing mag:

“So what do people do after they get a direct mail piece? (“Consumer study reveals ‘direct mail matters’ in connected world,” July 11, 2013):

44 percent visit a brands’ website
34 percent search online for more information about the product”

Granted, whatever this study was, it focused on consumer purchases, not fundraising pitches. But isn’t it unlikely that consumers trained and accustomed to readily researching online when they’re purchasing, would not do the same when pitched by a nonprofit … particularly in the context of prospect mailings, where the nonprofit might well not be very well known to the prospect?

Just saying, Roger!

Of course, that’s still not a reason to jump through hoops for Charity Navigator.

But it does mean that you should pay attention to your cross-channel consistency.

The pitch you make in your letter should direct your prospect/donor to a dedicated online landing page that’s fully replicates and supports the offer you’re making in the mail.

Furthermore, if your landing page is promoted uniquely by the mail piece (i.e., and not otherwise visible), you have a way of claiming more credit for the fundraising performance of your mailing!

Integrated Marketig 101.

Do you think donors do much research, or is it all about the emotional impulse?

Tom