People don’t give to websites…people give to people. The more we can humanize our communications, the more effective it is.
How Can You Optimize Your Fundraising?
What drives people to give? And what stops people from giving?
That’s what Tim Kachuriak and his team at NextAfter have made their mission to discover.
They’ve put a nonprofit spin on behavioral science by turning the nonprofit donation landscape into their research lab, and it’s fascinating.
Since fundraising is one of the biggest efforts in nonprofit work, I sat down with Tim to find out his top tips to help you optimize your fundraising.
Key Takeaways:
- How Tim learned to leverage his network and get comfortable talking to people
- Invite people to be a part of the cause
- How they run experiments, conduct mystery donor studies, and map the journey from the donor’s perspective
- What motivates people to give
- Tactical and strategic tips for emails and creating your unique value proposition
- 4-part framework: Appeal, Exclusivity, Credibility, Clarity
- Speak the donor’s language, not your organization-speak
Two Types of Research:
- Forensic research – The team collects large amounts of data to look for patterns
- Applied research – The live samples are treated as a lab to figure out what works
Related Resources:
- Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization Summit
- The Brainy Business Podcast with Melina Palmer
- Book: Neuro Web Design: What Makes them Click?
Meet Tim Kachuriak:
Tim Kachuriak is the founder and Chief Innovation and Optimization Officer for NextAfter, a fundraising research lab and consulting firm that works with businesses, nonprofits, and NGOs to help them grow their resource capacity.
A nonprofit thought leader, Kachuriak is the author of the book Optimize Your Fundraising, lead researcher and co-author of the Online Fundraising Scorecard, Why Should I Give to You? (The Nonprofit Value Proposition Index Study), and The Midlevel Donor Crisis.
Kachuriak has trained organizations in fundraising optimization around the world and is a frequent speaker at international nonprofit conferences. Connect with Tim:
- Website: NextAfter
- Twitter: twitter.com/NextAfter
If you’re ready to step up your nonprofit game in 2022, join me on the Fast Track to Grant Writer. The world needs you.