Category: Donor Psychology

It doesn’t make sense! That’s the cry that has crushed a thousand fundraising campaigns that might have raised a lot of money the good works of the world. If you demand that your fundraising completely “make sense,” you are going to hit the wall. And you are completely out of step with all forms of…

One fundraising mistake that’s so tempting to make: Telling donors that hardly anyone is supporting your cause … thus their gift is extra important. It seems like a good idea. It’s not. It’s basically proof that only a few weird people care about your cause. It’s much better to let donors know others are already…

A common belief in fundraising is that donors need to take a rest from giving for some time after they donate. Seems intuitively correct. It’s not correct. It’s one of the most destructive things you can do to your revenue and to your donor retention. Read about this on the Better Fundraising blog, at Never…

All the things we say about fundraising come down to just a couple of facts about human beings, says the Boomerang Blog, at Why Donors Give: The Deep Human Need to Matter. Here’s the point: Human beings, all of us, are hardwired to… To raise more money, you need to speak into this reality. And…

It’s one of the top killers of philanthropy: The assumption that donors don’t like to give and should be asked as little as possible or as indirectly as you can. Not even close to the truth. Here’s why, from Clairification, at Do You Assume Donors Don’t Want to Be Asked? Donors want to give, and…

Want to improve your fundraising revenue? Boost average gift by a few dollars. It really adds up. Here are some simple, cost-free ways to encourage people to give just a bit more, from the Masterworks Blog, at 3 Behavioral Science Hacks That Lead to Bigger Gifts:

If you’ve read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, you probably enjoy the character Mr. Collins. He’s a well-meaning but seriously awkward clergyman who shows up intending to marry one of the Bennet daughters. When he decides Elizabeth is his choice, be basically corners her and proposes: My reasons for marrying are, first, that I…

The most needless, pointless, counterproductive thing that fundraisers stress about: We’re talking to our donors too much! You almost certainly are not. It’s far more likely you aren’t talking to them enough to stay on their radar and build a relationship with them. If you must stress about things, put this near the top of…

If you ever took a psychology class, you may remember Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It looks like this, with “low” physical needs at the bottom and “high” emotional and spiritual needs above. I’m not going to argue with Dr. Maslow. But I do have a problem with the way his pyramid is often interpreted…

Some organizations take it as an article of faith that their donors are different. Even unique. In some ways they’re right. But mostly they’re wrong. Here’s how any group of donors is different: it’s a purpose-build assembly of people who care about some cause. They share values (at least some values). They know and care…