Which Pair Belong Together?
How do we foster connection? We need to dig deeper in our understanding of the humans we’re asking for money. And we need to undo our segmentations.
We instinctively start grouping people based on what’s available, convenient and intuitive – income, age, gender, internal donor flag or status (active, lapsed), channel.
The minute our grouping starts with these generic categorizations we’ve got bias and assumptions. Those assumptions include the segmentation 101 variety:
- There is probably as much or more difference within your biased segments (active, old people, young people, channel) than between the biased segments
But the biggest failed assumption? That the attribute you grouped donors by matters to their reason to be connected – and it rarely does.
Instead, we get to segment/group by starting with the individual. If the young black woman and the older white man are both caregivers for someone with cancer, adopted animals from the same shelter or consider themselves activists for the same cause their “why” has them belonging together.
You regular Agitator readers know these are Identities and we all have lots of them. And as reminder,
- Identities are contextually and automatically activated.
- Each Identity has different values and goals attached to it.
- And when a given Identity is activated, we make choices to reinforce those values and goals.
We are what we choose.
Kevin
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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