What’s Working In Fundraising Today?
Our always-thoughtful fundraising colleague, Lisa Sargent, recently interviewed a dozen plus nonprofit execs re the fundraising issues they’re facing today. She publishes her observations in this report, What’s Working in Donor Fundraising and Development Today?
It’s definitely worth a read.
These execs, at nonprofits ranging from $2 million to $2 billion in annual revenue, talk about:
- The extremely crowded and competitive nonprofit marketplace, with groups getting more sophisticated at marketing, which raises the bar for all aspects of fundraising performance;
- The silo-style organization (with different, isolated units handling direct mail versus online fundraising versus social media versus communications) that still afflicts so many nonprofits and curbs their fundraising effectiveness;
- The still-dominant fundraising role of direct mail; and,
- The superior results that flow from integrated offline/online fundraising programs.
All themes you’ve heard The Agitator harp on.
But in case you don’t believe me and Roger, read Lisa’s report.
Tom
4 responses to “What’s Working In Fundraising Today?”
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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I think the link to the report is broken.
Tom, the link isn’t working.
I don’t know what to say/do … it works when I try it. Tom
http://www.lisasargent.com/free_resources/what%27s-working-in-donor-fundraising-and-development.htm
For some reason the link works from the website, but not from the email/Outlook (for me).
Thanks Tom.