The delicate balance of offering choices

If you have ever had a craving for iced tea, or chips, only to feel like giving up when faced with all the options in the store's cooler or aisle, you will understand this post on Neuromarketing about choices.

That post sprang to my mind when I was reading this article from Fundraising Success with a list of ways to be donor-centric.  Number 4 is "Let donors choose where their money goes."

You may feel hesitant about offering a choice like that to donors, for any reason from concern about a program not getting enough funding, to the added difficulty in financial recordkeeping it can bring.  But read on—according to Fundraising Success, "When you make 'where most needed' an option, most donors choose it."

So where does that leave you, the fundraiser?  You have to judge (or determine through testing) the number of choices to offer that will result in the greatest amount of money raised for your cause.

Does your organization have a lot of programs?  If so, group them into categories.

For example, a social services agency might use:

• Housing
• Healthcare
• Legal aid 
• Where it is most needed

And a community youth organization might offer:

• Arts programs
• Sports activities
• Academic tutoring
• Where it is most needed
  
  

Ideally, these choices should be in line with the branding of your organization and the way you try to summarize your work to the world.

In sum: offer your donors choices.  But not too many!