Would Your Nonprofit Have The Guts?
To produce this PSA?
A few days ago I asked for advice on how to make a nonprofit sexy (since this is advice experts give us on marketing to Boomers). Maybe this isn’t a bad example from the American Jewish World Service!
Tom
6 responses to “Would Your Nonprofit Have The Guts?”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Thanks so much for raising this. Yes, capturing donor information can be helpful for stewardship like newsletters, thank-you letters, impact updates. But how you ask matters. Forcing full data capture introduces friction that can significantly depress conversion, many donors may simply abandon the process. Beyond the friction itself, required fields also shift the emotional experience […]
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Unlike holidays that everyone already knows, Giving Tuesday is a created event. Many donors recognize the name but not the exact timing, so referencing it becomes a helpful cue. It serves as a reminder and taps into social norm activation (“everyone’s giving today”), which boosts response. However, we still want it paired with the mission, […]
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When a subject line leads with the match (“Your gift matched!”), it risks triggering market-norm thinking: the sense that giving is a financial transaction rather than an act rooted in values, identity, and care. This shift reduces intrinsic motivation and, over time, can weaken donor satisfaction and long-term engagement. It also makes the email indistinguishable […]
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There’s no evidence that QR codes suppress mid-value giving; all available research suggests they either help or have no negative effect. In fact, behavioral and usability research consistently shows the opposite: reducing friction at any point in the donation process increases completion rates and total response. And that has nothing to do with capacity and […]
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What you’re experiencing is very common. Resistance often isn’t about capability, but about motivation quality. If board members feel pushed into fundraising, that triggers controlled motivation (low quality motivation) i.e. obligation, guilt, or fear of judgment, which often results in avoidance. Instead, we need to create conditions for volitional motivation (high quality motivation) by satisfying […]
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That’s a really thoughtful question, and you’re not the first to raise it. Many of our clients have been cautious about placing the ask at the very end. To address their concern, we’ve tested both approaches, and the results are clear: when the ask comes last, even if that means it appears on the second […]
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Love it! Going to check their website to find out more about what they do right now! (Never really heard of them before.)
How’d they get such a roster of celebrity spokespersons? They’re not exactly a household name.
I am with Joan above…the number of celebrity spokespersons was amazing! I will remember who they are now, and am interested in what they do.
The message shows that you don’t have to create only short messages if you can capture people’s attention Still don’t know exactly where my money would be going if I donated to them – but I will check out their website!
Genius! Pithy, attention getting & makes it clear what they do.
Can’t wait to hear how wildly successful this campaign – bet my next paycheck they knocked it out of the park.
Tom, thanks so much for writing about AJWS! And thanks to the commenters for your kind words and your interest in AJWS’s work. We’re so glad you enjoyed the video. Please stay connected to AJWS by joining us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/americanjewishworldservice – and by following us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/ajwsdotorg.