Loading...

6 Heuristics Of Generating Donor Interest

We learn something new every day. For example, the word “heuristic,” which does not usually occur in everyday conversation, refers to something that aids learning or causes learning.

So it was that at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Fundraising Conference, an article by Bernard Ross of the Management Centre and Omar Mahmoud of UNICEF offered six heuristics for fundraising. There are many, but these are considered the key ones. They are:

* Anchoring. If people are willing to make a gift and are asked for a larger gift, they are likely to give at a higher level. So the larger initial number “anchors” the result.

* Framing. The context or frame in which something is experienced makes a difference to the result.

* Hinting. Offering a “nudge” to people can help them make a preferred choice.

* Progressing. People like to see progress toward a result and contribute to it. Donors like to contribute more at the very start and very end of any campaign.

* Normalizing. If something seems normal to people, they are more likely to take part. The article cites a campaign in which employees of a company were offered a small gift and a personal email from the CEO. The company improved participation from five percent to 17 percent.

* Empathizing. People like to identify with those they are being asked to help.