Latest / The Nonprofit Podcast / Ep 226| The Science of Giving: Donor Confidence, Decoded

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Ep 226| The Science of Giving: Donor Confidence, Decoded · The Nonprofit Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_02: About half of first-time donors never make a second gift.
0:04
SPEAKER_02: I want you to think about that for a second.
0:06
SPEAKER_02: These are people who cared enough about your mission to give once.
0:09
SPEAKER_02: They took that first step, but something happened between that first gift and the next one, and they didn't come back.
0:18
SPEAKER_02: The good news is that there's actually a lot of research into why this happens and what nonprofits can do about it.
0:26
SPEAKER_02: DonorBox has brought that research together in a new field guide called 10 Principles of Donor Conversion and Retention, the Science of Giving.
0:36
SPEAKER_02: And today we're going to dig into six of those principles, all focused on building donor confidence.
0:43
SPEAKER_00: The Nonprofit Podcast, powered by DonorBox.
0:47
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast.
0:49
SPEAKER_02: I'm Jenna Lynch, Head of Community Engagement here at DonorBox.
0:53
SPEAKER_02: Each week we bring you practical strategies, clear insights, and inspiration to help you raise more, reach further, and take your nonprofit to the next level.
1:03
SPEAKER_02: And joining me today is my co-host and DonorBox fundraising coach, Britt Stucker.
1:09
SPEAKER_02: Britt, I think you're gonna have a lot to say about this one because there's so much of the science we're talking about today that comes up in your coaching sessions, especially this time of year when organizations are putting so much effort into their giving season campaigns.
1:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:27
SPEAKER_01: Well, hey Jenna.
1:28
SPEAKER_01: Hey everyone.
1:29
SPEAKER_01: Giving season, it's exactly when fundraisers need this one.
1:34
SPEAKER_01: I see so many patterns in my coaching every week.
1:36
SPEAKER_01: And this guide that we're going to be sharing with you, it's just released.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: And what it does is it really distills the behavioral science research behind all of this in a very thoughtful, practical approach that any fundraiser, and we're talking to you listeners, can use to test your own donations.
1:54
SPEAKER_01: It really does.
1:56
SPEAKER_02: And that's what I really appreciate about this guide.
1:59
SPEAKER_02: We are not just sharing our opinions about what makes a good donation experience, although I love to do that too, but we are looking at research from some of the biggest names in the sector, examining why donors give in the first place and why they come back and why they sometimes stop giving altogether.
2:19
SPEAKER_02: And across all that research, two things keep on coming up, and that is confidence and friction.
2:26
SPEAKER_02: And Britt, I think it's worth explaining what we mean by those, because I think they're really at the center of everything we're going to talk about today.
2:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so much of this is behavior and psychology.
2:38
SPEAKER_01: So think about this where confidence, it's everything that makes a donor believe that their gift is safe.
2:45
SPEAKER_01: Okay, and that it'll matter.
2:47
SPEAKER_01: Whereas friction is everything that makes giving harder than it really needs to be.
2:52
SPEAKER_02: And there are 10 principles in the guide that address those two things.
2:57
SPEAKER_02: So six help build donor confidence, and four, focus on removing friction from the giving experience.
3:04
SPEAKER_02: We are tackling confidence specifically today, and we'll get into those four friction principles in a separate episode.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: Can I be a little bit honest, Jen, about something?
3:13
SPEAKER_01: Um, donors are not even thinking about any of this.
3:16
SPEAKER_01: Nobody lands on a donation page and then is like wondering about the organization's credibility.
3:22
SPEAKER_01: None of that happens.
3:23
SPEAKER_02: Right.
3:24
SPEAKER_02: I and I think that's worth emphasizing.
3:27
SPEAKER_02: Most donors are not consciously evaluating all the little things that make an organization seem trustworthy, but they absolutely notice when something doesn't feel right.
3:38
SPEAKER_02: And sometimes that's all it takes to make someone reconsider giving.
3:43
SPEAKER_01: Right, which is why we're digging into the donor's journey because we want to uncover where it breaks.
3:51
SPEAKER_02: And I think the tricky part is that you probably won't even know it happened to your organization, right?
3:57
SPEAKER_02: Most donors aren't going to send you an email or a phone call and explain why they decided not to give.
4:05
SPEAKER_02: They're just not going to give.
4:06
SPEAKER_02: They're just going to leave, right?
4:08
SPEAKER_01: Right.
4:09
SPEAKER_01: And this is why I like having the research that's going to do the telling.
4:13
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
4:14
SPEAKER_01: So six moments.
4:15
SPEAKER_01: Let's let's go.
4:17
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
4:17
SPEAKER_01: So, first moment, and I'm going to say something wildly unpopular.
4:21
SPEAKER_01: Nobody's going to read the Where Your Money Goes page.
4:24
SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay.
4:25
SPEAKER_02: This is a hot take.
4:27
SPEAKER_02: And I do think there's a difference between someone sitting down to read every detail of your financial reporting and someone simply wanting to know that information is available.
4:39
SPEAKER_02: And that difference matters for sure.
4:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, okay, that's fair.
4:44
SPEAKER_01: So, what does the research actually tell us, Jenna?
4:47
SPEAKER_02: So imagine a donor has just received your fundraising appeal.
4:52
SPEAKER_02: Say they've read the story, they've connected with it and what you're trying to accomplish, and they are seriously considering making a gift.
5:01
SPEAKER_02: But before they donate, they have a pretty reasonable question, which is where is my money actually going?
5:08
SPEAKER_02: And if they can't find a clear answer, even someone who really cares about your mission, they might hesitate, right?
5:16
SPEAKER_01: Hey, then if the answer isn't right there, they don't write a complaint.
5:21
SPEAKER_01: What are they going to do?
5:22
SPEAKER_01: They're going to close the tab and say, Sia, I'm out.
5:25
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, exactly.
5:26
SPEAKER_02: And that's what the research behind our first principle, the principle of transparency, helps us explain.
5:33
SPEAKER_02: So donors are choosing between a bunch of different causes, especially right now during giving season.
5:40
SPEAKER_02: And when they're overwhelmed with options and don't have enough information to make a confident decision, they may hold off on giving altogether.
5:49
SPEAKER_02: And so this is what I find really interesting.
5:51
SPEAKER_02: They don't necessarily need to read every single line of your financial breakdown, but knowing that information is available can help them feel comfortable moving forward so that they don't feel like you're gatekeeping some important information about where their money's going.
6:08
SPEAKER_01: Right.
6:08
SPEAKER_01: What it is about, it's about giving them enough information so that they feel confident and they can move on.
6:14
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
6:15
SPEAKER_02: So we're talking all about confidence here, right?
6:17
SPEAKER_02: And there are a few ways that nonprofits can do that.
6:21
SPEAKER_02: Making your financial reporting easy to find, being clear about how donations are used, and showing donors the progress you're making toward your goal.
6:32
SPEAKER_02: So I think that last one is especially useful because you're not just telling people what you hope to accomplish, you're giving them a way to see their support and how it contributes to that goal.
6:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and this last one, which is progress, you know, it's often the one that fundraisers skip.
6:52
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's a big mistake.
6:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, totally.
6:55
SPEAKER_02: And there's actually a behavioral science principle that explains why progress can be so motivating, and it's called the goal gradient effect.
7:04
SPEAKER_02: And the idea is that people become more motivated as they get closer to reaching a goal.
7:09
SPEAKER_02: So when a donor can see that your campaign is approaching its target, that visible progress can give them an extra reason to act.
7:18
SPEAKER_02: And that's actually part of the thinking behind goal meters on donor box campaign pages, right?
7:24
SPEAKER_02: You're making the goal, the progress toward it, um really, really easy for the donors to understand.
7:31
SPEAKER_02: And now they are a part of this journey that they can actually see.
7:37
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and what I see often is fundraisers are answering where does it go after the gift in the receipt?
7:45
SPEAKER_01: And that's too late.
7:46
SPEAKER_01: The guide is going to show you where it belongs.
7:49
SPEAKER_01: And in it, there's a message that you should send the campaign that isn't an ask at all.
7:54
SPEAKER_01: That's gonna be in there too.
7:55
SPEAKER_02: So I want to go back to that donor we were just talking about for a second.
8:00
SPEAKER_02: Right.
8:01
SPEAKER_02: So same donor, but maybe this time they arrived cold, right?
8:06
SPEAKER_02: Maybe a friend shared the link, maybe they got an ad on social media.
8:12
SPEAKER_02: So there's one more thing that we haven't considered.
8:16
SPEAKER_02: What if they haven't ever heard of your organization before?
8:20
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's a fair point, Jenna.
8:22
SPEAKER_01: And the first thought is probably like, is this place even real?
8:26
SPEAKER_02: Right.
8:26
SPEAKER_02: Uh, that's a fair question.
8:28
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure you and I both have asked this before when we're uh looking at nonprofit pages, especially if they came across your campaign through a friend or on social, right?
8:39
SPEAKER_02: Or whatever avenue that may be, not a direct email from the organization itself.
8:43
SPEAKER_02: They might really connect with your mission, right?
8:47
SPEAKER_02: But that doesn't automatically mean that they trust your organization.
8:51
SPEAKER_02: And that's where our second principle, the principle of credibility, comes in.
8:57
SPEAKER_02: So research shows that when donors perceive less risk, they're more likely to give consistently and make larger gifts.
9:06
SPEAKER_02: But as a first-time donor, um, they don't have an existing relationship with your organization to rely on.
9:14
SPEAKER_02: So they're looking for signs that you are legitimate.
9:18
SPEAKER_01: And this just all means that if you're leaving a blank space, it's not neutral.
9:23
SPEAKER_01: It's going to create doubt and whatever ask you are trying to share, it's going to end up lost.
9:28
SPEAKER_02: I think one of the ways people can work through that uncertainty is something decision science calls social proof.
9:35
SPEAKER_02: We love social proof.
9:37
SPEAKER_02: When we are unsure about a decision, we naturally look at what other people have done.
9:43
SPEAKER_02: We want to know that we are not the only person putting trust in something.
9:49
SPEAKER_02: So for a nonprofit, that might mean making it easy for a prospective donor to see that your organization is legitimate and that others have confidence in your work.
10:00
SPEAKER_02: And that's the thinking behind verified organization profiles on donor box.
10:05
SPEAKER_02: The proof sits right there where the donor can see it on the donation form.
10:10
SPEAKER_02: So you get a badge that says, yes, this org is legit.
10:16
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I and I like to say this: this is where I see many of my coaching clients.
10:20
SPEAKER_01: They're writing beautifully in their appeals.
10:22
SPEAKER_01: And guess what?
10:23
SPEAKER_01: They're still losing people.
10:25
SPEAKER_01: Why?
10:25
SPEAKER_01: Because the description is long, it's general, it's vague, and the research finding is almost totally rude about it.
10:32
SPEAKER_01: Short and accurate, it's gonna be long and vague any day.
10:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I totally agree.
10:38
SPEAKER_02: I think rude is almost generous here, but I actually think that this is good news for fundraisers.
10:46
SPEAKER_02: Uh, you do not have to write a novel to establish credibility.
10:50
SPEAKER_02: You just need to give people the right information, make it easy to find, and be clear about what your organization does and what a gift will accomplish.
10:59
SPEAKER_02: So, like you said, short and accurate beats a long narrative every time.
11:03
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
11:04
SPEAKER_01: And here's a flip side that I think organizations sometimes overlook what other people are saying about them.
11:09
SPEAKER_01: Because a bad review that's left sitting there, it can push donors away too.
11:15
SPEAKER_01: The guide, it gets into when to address those reviews and the timing might just surprise you.
11:20
SPEAKER_01: Okay, quick scenario.
11:22
SPEAKER_01: Your donor sees a campaign ad, it moves them, they click, they land on a page that looks like it belongs to a different organization, and then what?
11:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I can see how that would immediately make someone second guess whether they're in the right place.
11:38
SPEAKER_02: Again, this has happened to me before.
11:40
SPEAKER_02: Uh, like, hey, hang on, this doesn't look like the ad I just clicked on, right?
11:45
SPEAKER_02: Especially if they've clicked through because something about the original campaign really resonated with them.
11:52
SPEAKER_02: Landing on a page that doesn't look like it matches that can be jarring.
11:56
SPEAKER_02: It can definitely decrease their competence.
12:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I know this one well too.
12:02
SPEAKER_01: That's the congruence principle.
12:04
SPEAKER_01: And researchers split it into two.
12:07
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: Self-congruence is about whether your donors see themselves reflected in your appeal.
12:13
SPEAKER_02: So does the message connect with their values and the things that they care about?
12:18
SPEAKER_02: Whereas the second type, which is functional congruence, is about whether the experience actually matches what they expected.
12:26
SPEAKER_02: So, like you said, if someone clicks on a campaign ad, does the donation page look and feel like a continuation of that campaign?
12:36
SPEAKER_02: And I think that's where nonprofits can run into a little bit of trouble without realizing it.
12:55
SPEAKER_02: And there's research behind why those inconsistencies matter.
13:00
SPEAKER_02: Decision science calls this pattern processing fluency.
13:04
SPEAKER_02: When something feels familiar and consistent, it's easier for our brains to process.
13:10
SPEAKER_02: And that ease can contribute to a sense of trust.
13:14
SPEAKER_02: But if someone clicks through to donate and suddenly the branding, the imagery, the overall experience looks and feels completely different, it can introduce doubt, even if they can't quite put their finger on why.
13:29
SPEAKER_02: And that's exactly why donor box forms allow organizations to carry their branding through the giving experience from the original ask all the way to the receipt, right?
13:40
SPEAKER_01: Exactly, Jenna.
13:41
SPEAKER_01: And that's why I always encourage organizations to look at their entire giving infrastructure, the experience, not just the donation form itself.
13:49
SPEAKER_01: You want to think about the imagery.
13:51
SPEAKER_01: Jenna, you mentioned the branding colors, pretty much the overall look of the campaign.
13:56
SPEAKER_01: It should feel consistent from the very first click through that entire gift.
14:00
SPEAKER_01: So let me give you an example.
14:02
SPEAKER_01: I was coaching a client a couple months ago, an environmental nonprofit.
14:06
SPEAKER_01: They had this incredible targeted Instagram running, right?
14:10
SPEAKER_01: They set up the audience, they nailed down the criteria, they had a gorgeous, kind of lush Pacific Northwest vibe going on, and people were clicking on it like crazy.
14:20
SPEAKER_01: But hey, guess what?
14:21
SPEAKER_01: The moment that these folks landed on the website, it was a generic white donation page with like a corporate bright blue header, very sterile and just basic text.
14:32
SPEAKER_01: And what happened was donors were getting confused, right?
14:36
SPEAKER_01: Because there was a mismatch.
14:37
SPEAKER_01: The brand positioning, the brand colors, the imagery, all of it.
14:40
SPEAKER_01: So all we did was a tiny thing.
14:42
SPEAKER_01: We swap that header out for the forest photo and we align the colors to match to that same forest vibe.
14:48
SPEAKER_01: Conversions jumped instantly.
14:50
SPEAKER_01: Something so dang small.
14:53
SPEAKER_02: That's a great example of how something might seem pretty minor to the fundraiser, especially if it's functioning, but can have a much, much bigger impact on the donor's experience.
15:04
SPEAKER_02: And like you said, sometimes the fix isn't that complicated at all.
15:08
SPEAKER_02: It is just matching those hex codes with your branding and adding a nice banner and just making sure that when someone clicks through, the landing page feels familiar and it looks and feels like the ad that brought them there.
15:23
SPEAKER_02: And there's actually a five-point check for this in the guide that we're sharing, along with one redirect that can undo all of that work.
15:33
SPEAKER_02: So be sure to check it out.
15:36
SPEAKER_02: Okay, quick pause here because we are halfway through the confidence principles.
15:41
SPEAKER_02: And if this is setting off alarm bells for you, that could be why your last campaign didn't perform as expected.
15:50
SPEAKER_02: Everything we are covering today comes from one place: donor boxes, field guide, 10 principles of donor conversion and retention.
15:58
SPEAKER_02: And better yet, it's free.
16:01
SPEAKER_01: And it's built to be used because every principal has research behind it with the steps a fundraiser can actually implement immediately.
16:09
SPEAKER_02: So if you are building or reviewing a Giving Season campaign right now, I'd especially encourage you to download it and keep it handy.
16:17
SPEAKER_02: You can actually work through the recommendations as you're reviewing your donation experience, which is uh really great.
16:23
SPEAKER_02: So we'll be sure to link it in the show notes.
16:26
SPEAKER_02: Okay, well, so now the critical payment step.
16:29
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so at this point, let's say our donor is feeling pretty confident, right?
16:35
SPEAKER_02: Again, they believe your mission, your organization seems credible to them, and everything about the campaign has felt consistent, but now they're being asked to enter their payment information, and that can introduce a whole new set of concerns.
16:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and you know what, we've all been there.
16:53
SPEAKER_01: Is my card actually going to be safe here?
16:55
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
16:57
SPEAKER_02: And that is the principle of security.
17:00
SPEAKER_02: That's pretty simple.
17:01
SPEAKER_02: Uh, handing over financial details online is a real point of hesitation.
17:07
SPEAKER_02: And a donor who doesn't know you is looking for warning signs, even unconsciously.
17:13
SPEAKER_02: The research shows visible security cues ease that anxiety before completing your gift.
17:19
SPEAKER_01: And a reason to stop can be tiny.
17:21
SPEAKER_01: That might be an unexplained field.
17:23
SPEAKER_01: It might be even a form that asks for more than it really needs.
17:27
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
17:27
SPEAKER_02: And there is a behavioral science principle that helps explain why those small things have such a big impact, and it's called loss aversion.
17:36
SPEAKER_02: Basically, the fear of losing something can be more powerful than the positive feeling we get from gaining something.
17:43
SPEAKER_02: So even if a donor feels really good about supporting your mission, the possibility of having their payment information compromised can really outweigh that feeling.
17:53
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
17:53
SPEAKER_01: I mean, because if someone's worried about fraud, there is a true anxiety that is going to instantly wipe out any good feeling that they had about donating.
18:02
SPEAKER_02: Every time, which is why the foundation matters so much.
18:06
SPEAKER_02: DonorBox uses Stripes payment infrastructure and PCI compliant payment processing.
18:12
SPEAKER_02: So the technical security part is covered, but nonprofits still need to make sure that it's visible and that the donor can recognize that they're giving through a secure process.
18:23
SPEAKER_01: Visible and in the right place.
18:25
SPEAKER_01: A lot of reassurance signals end up where no one looks.
18:29
SPEAKER_02: And I do get questions about payment security, uh, actually a fair amount in webinars and on the conference floor.
18:36
SPEAKER_02: I think that one thing that's easy to overlook is that donors shouldn't have to go looking for reassurance, right?
18:42
SPEAKER_02: You don't need to overwhelm them with all the technical jargon and all of the security acronyms, but you do want to make it easy for someone to recognize that their payment information is being handled securely, especially at the point where they're being asked to enter it.
18:59
SPEAKER_02: And the guide gets really specific about where those cues should appear, along with one thing on your form that you may want to remove altogether.
19:10
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so Jenna, I am going to upset every fundraiser out there who loves a good old spreadsheet.
19:17
SPEAKER_01: Oh boy.
19:17
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
19:18
SPEAKER_01: I'm listening.
19:18
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so let's talk about it.
19:20
SPEAKER_01: Campaign totals.
19:22
SPEAKER_01: Those numbers we all love to use, right?
19:24
SPEAKER_01: But they don't move your donors.
19:26
SPEAKER_01: People do.
19:27
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
19:28
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I do love a good fundraising number, Britt, but yes, we spend so much time talking about our campaign goals, right?
19:38
SPEAKER_02: Our deadlines, how much money we need to raise.
19:41
SPEAKER_02: And of course, those things matter, but they're often things that we're focused on internally, not necessarily what motivates someone to make a gift.
19:51
SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, a donor wants to understand what their support is going to make possible.
19:55
SPEAKER_02: They simply want to know that their contribution actually matters.
19:59
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
19:59
SPEAKER_01: And that's where I think nonprofits can make a truly meaningful shift in how they write their appeals.
20:06
SPEAKER_01: Instead of leading with what the organization needs to raise, why not start with what the donor can help accomplish?
20:13
SPEAKER_01: This is the principle of impactful messaging because research shows human stories connect donors to a cause way more effectively than those raw numbers, both when someone makes their first gift and when we're trying to build a lasting relationship.
20:28
SPEAKER_01: So I love my coaching client stories.
20:31
SPEAKER_01: I was working again with a global housing group here in the US and their draft appeal.
20:38
SPEAKER_01: Guess what?
20:38
SPEAKER_01: It opened with a big countdown clock and a gold tracker.
20:43
SPEAKER_01: Think about what that does when you lead your appeal with something like numbers.
20:47
SPEAKER_01: It feels so transactional.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: Again, what we did is we shifted the whole focus to a woman who just bought her first home.
20:55
SPEAKER_01: She was so excited to share what that stability just meant for her and her family, but she wanted to keep her face private.
21:02
SPEAKER_01: So we followed her lead.
21:03
SPEAKER_01: We featured her exact words alongside a photo of that new front door.
21:08
SPEAKER_01: And guess what?
21:09
SPEAKER_01: This was an ethical way to tell the story.
21:12
SPEAKER_01: It wasn't transactional.
21:14
SPEAKER_01: Donors rallied around her achievement instead of that kind of savior trope that we're so used to.
21:19
SPEAKER_01: And conversions for that appeal really just took off.
21:23
SPEAKER_02: Oh, I love that.
21:25
SPEAKER_02: I love that deeply human element.
21:28
SPEAKER_02: And I especially love that you were able to tell such a compelling story without showing her face, right?
21:35
SPEAKER_02: I think sometimes nonprofits feel like they have to share every detail or put someone's photo front and center to make an appeal personal.
21:43
SPEAKER_02: And that's just not true.
21:45
SPEAKER_02: And so you respected what she was comfortable sharing and kept the focus on her accomplishment, but you still gave donors something really meaningful to connect with without a gigantic countdown clock, right?
21:57
SPEAKER_02: And I think that's such a good reminder that talent.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: Telling someone's story well isn't just about what will resonate with donors.
22:03
SPEAKER_02: It's also about making sure that the person whose story we're telling has a say in how it's shared.
22:09
SPEAKER_02: But again, going back to the point about numbers, yes, we love a stat.
22:14
SPEAKER_02: We love something that reinforces facts, but that's not something that you necessarily should lead with.
22:22
SPEAKER_01: Totally.
22:22
SPEAKER_01: And decision science, it calls this pattern the identifiable victim effect.
22:28
SPEAKER_01: One named person generates more giving than any statistic can about many people in the same state of need.
22:35
SPEAKER_01: It's a bit of an indictment of, I think, the current human condition, but scale dulls emotion that drives a gift.
22:44
SPEAKER_02: Which is probably not what you want to hear after spending weeks of pulling together all of your campaign numbers, right?
22:52
SPEAKER_02: But I do think that this is such a useful reminder that numbers and stories serve different purposes.
22:58
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
22:58
SPEAKER_01: And before any of our listeners delete their data, you know, there's a little bit of a twist.
23:04
SPEAKER_01: When to use a story and when to use numbers, it changes with the message.
23:10
SPEAKER_01: And that's in the guide too.
23:11
SPEAKER_02: And something else I'd encourage organizations to think about is what happens to the story after the gift.
23:17
SPEAKER_02: So with donor boxes, story-driven campaign pages and email marketing, you can carry that messaging from your original appeal to the donation experience and into your follow-up communications.
23:30
SPEAKER_02: And thank you for this continuity in this experience that your donors are really looking for.
23:36
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so last moment, and this is the one that bothers me the most.
23:41
SPEAKER_01: Quick test.
23:42
SPEAKER_01: Now be honest.
23:44
SPEAKER_01: How long does your thank you take to go out?
23:47
SPEAKER_01: Britt, I think you're putting everyone on the spot with that one.
23:52
SPEAKER_01: I'm just asking for a friend, Jenna.
23:54
SPEAKER_01: That's all I'm doing.
23:55
SPEAKER_02: Sure, sure.
23:56
SPEAKER_02: Um, it's a good question.
23:59
SPEAKER_02: We spend so much time thinking about how to get someone to make that first gift right, but what happens after they give?
24:07
SPEAKER_02: Are we putting that same amount of thought into making sure that they feel appreciated afterward?
24:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and unfortunately, a lot of donors aren't getting much of anything.
24:16
SPEAKER_01: They're not getting much of a thank you at all.
24:18
SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's an automated receipt, but nothing beyond that.
24:22
SPEAKER_02: And research action facts that up.
24:25
SPEAKER_02: Only 39% of donors are thanked or recognized at all, which is pretty shocking when you think about how much work goes into getting a donation in the first place.
24:36
SPEAKER_02: Six in 10.
24:38
SPEAKER_02: Never.
24:39
SPEAKER_02: I know.
24:39
SPEAKER_02: I was really surprised by that one as well.
24:42
SPEAKER_02: And this is actually where our final principle, reciprocation, comes in.
24:47
SPEAKER_02: The guide actually identifies this as the single biggest untapped opportunity in the entire framework.
24:55
SPEAKER_01: Oof.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: You can ask any of my coaching clients.
24:57
SPEAKER_01: I love the word reciprocity for whatever reason.
25:01
SPEAKER_01: So, what that means, okay, another story.
25:04
SPEAKER_01: I coach a woman's advocacy group.
25:06
SPEAKER_01: They used to send generic receipts late, right?
25:10
SPEAKER_01: What happens?
25:11
SPEAKER_01: Total crickets.
25:12
SPEAKER_01: So we overhauled it.
25:14
SPEAKER_01: And the moment a gift came in, donors get a warm receipt.
25:19
SPEAKER_01: They outlined expectation, what's ahead, plus a simple non-monetary invite where they asked their supporters to sign a petition.
25:28
SPEAKER_01: You want to use your receipt as a very first relational touch point.
25:31
SPEAKER_01: It is not an accounting or transactional touch point.
25:34
SPEAKER_01: It very much is a relational.
25:36
SPEAKER_01: And then what we did is we paired it with this beautiful three-part welcome series.
25:41
SPEAKER_01: It was a thoughtful lead up.
25:42
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
25:43
SPEAKER_01: The first email was built on empathy.
25:45
SPEAKER_01: And we asked, What inspired you to give today?
25:48
SPEAKER_01: The second email was a moment to educate, where we had like a brief policy video.
25:53
SPEAKER_01: They could see the cause in action.
25:55
SPEAKER_01: And then finally, was up non-monetary belonging and invite to a virtual community chat.
26:00
SPEAKER_01: You see, relationship building when done right, when you treat donors like humans instead of cash machines, it works.
26:08
SPEAKER_01: And when that next campaign launched, they were able to get those second gifts and retention shot all the way up.
26:14
SPEAKER_01: Love, love, love that.
26:16
SPEAKER_02: You're speaking in my heart here.
26:18
SPEAKER_02: And honestly, I think that question, what inspired you to give today, is something every single nonprofit listening should borrow because you're not just thanking someone and moving on, right?
26:30
SPEAKER_02: You're actually inviting them into a conversation.
26:33
SPEAKER_02: And now instead of guessing what matters to that donor, you have an opportunity to hear it directly from them.
26:40
SPEAKER_02: And also that the next two emails weren't fundraising appeals.
26:43
SPEAKER_02: They should not be fundraising appeals.
26:45
SPEAKER_02: You gave those donors other ways to get involved and feel connected to the work before asking them to give again.
26:51
SPEAKER_02: So that is just such a great example of how donor retention starts before we make the next ask.
26:56
SPEAKER_02: So it's all about reciprocity.
26:58
SPEAKER_01: It really is.
26:59
SPEAKER_01: And there's actually a behavioral science principle behind why that kind of recognition and connection matters.
27:05
SPEAKER_01: It's called the reciprocity norm.
27:08
SPEAKER_01: And what that means is when people feel genuinely appreciated, they're naturally going to be more inclined to give back.
27:14
SPEAKER_02: The research on this is pretty compelling as well.
27:17
SPEAKER_02: Donors who were thanked were willing to give again and increase the value of their gift by 21%.
27:26
SPEAKER_02: That is a whopping difference, especially when you consider that thanking someone is something every nonprofit should already be doing.
27:35
SPEAKER_01: Jenna, you had mentioned this.
27:46
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
27:46
SPEAKER_02: And again, I think your example, Britt, is just a great reminder that personalization doesn't necessarily have to be a lot of extra work, too.
27:54
SPEAKER_02: I get a lot of questions all the time about how smaller nonprofits, especially, can make donors feel appreciated when they don't have a huge team or a lot of time.
28:04
SPEAKER_02: And my answer is always that automation doesn't have to mean impersonal, right?
28:11
SPEAKER_02: So you can automate these bits of appreciation.
28:14
SPEAKER_02: You can automate when a message goes out and still put thought into whatever it says.
28:18
SPEAKER_02: You can acknowledge someone and what they supported.
28:21
SPEAKER_02: You can make that language warm and specific, and you can give them an opportunity to engage with your organization beyond making another donation.
28:30
SPEAKER_02: And that's where tools like donor boxes, automated thank you flows, and supporter timeline can really help.
28:36
SPEAKER_02: You can make sure donors are recognized consistently while also keeping track of their history with your organization.
28:43
SPEAKER_02: So future interactions feel more personal.
28:46
SPEAKER_01: And it has rules.
28:47
SPEAKER_01: There's really a window, I think you need to land.
28:50
SPEAKER_01: And there's one thing that should never be in it.
28:54
SPEAKER_02: And we cover both of those things in the guide, along with practical steps for putting these principles into action.
29:00
SPEAKER_01: So that's a six principles.
29:02
SPEAKER_01: And I think the big thing here is that building donor confidence, it doesn't necessarily require a complete overhaul of your fundraising.
29:11
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes it's about recognizing the little things that can make someone hesitate.
29:16
SPEAKER_01: And you want to address them before they become a problem.
29:19
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
29:20
SPEAKER_02: And especially again, heading into giving season, I would encourage all of you to go through your own donation experience, look at it from the perspective of someone who's never given to your organization before, and ask, would you feel confident in making that gift?
29:36
SPEAKER_01: And the guide, it's going to go further than we can today.
29:40
SPEAKER_01: It has all the research behind every principle.
29:42
SPEAKER_01: It's going to walk you through all the steps that you want to act on immediately.
29:46
SPEAKER_01: And hey, coming up soon, we're going to have an episode on the four friction principles.
29:51
SPEAKER_01: Yes, I'm really looking forward to that one.
29:53
SPEAKER_02: So grab your free copy of the 10 principles of donor conversion and retention, the science of giving.
30:00
SPEAKER_02: Again, it is linked in the show notes.
30:02
SPEAKER_02: And Britt, thanks so much for joining me today.
30:04
SPEAKER_02: Always a pleasure, Jenna.
30:06
SPEAKER_02: And if this was useful, subscribe and share it with a fundraiser who would really benefit from the guide.
30:11
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for being a part of the nonprofit podcast community.
30:14
SPEAKER_02: Your work matters, and we are honored to support it.
30:18
SPEAKER_02: If you enjoyed this episode, share it, leave a review, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
30:23
SPEAKER_02: Until next time, take that first step and stay inspired.
30:28
SPEAKER_00: That warm feeling when you help someone, it's not just happiness, it's fulfillment.
30:33
SPEAKER_00: And we believe it should be available to everyone from frontline heroes to first time fundraisers.
30:39
SPEAKER_00: Our tools empower you to help others.
30:42
SPEAKER_00: This is our mission.
30:43
SPEAKER_00: This is Donorbox, helping you help others.