Fonts and readability

Fonts may seem simple, but a debate about them can get heated; some people are passionate about fonts.

Many people say that the easiest fonts to read on paper are serif fonts (such as Times).   And there is some research showing that online, since most fonts are sans-serif (for example, Arial), people have grown accustomed to reading them.  So when creating your website and e-newsletters, you may want to choose a sans-serif font.

This post on Neuromarketing discusses the studies that show that people deem a task to be easier when it is written in a clear font vs. one that's harder to read. 

You don't want people to think that making a donation is difficult.  Anything that stands in the way between a person an a task has the potential to divert them from doing it—I am obsessed with this study about leaving the door to a cooler of ice cream open.  That resulted in more than double the amount of people taking ice cream than when it was closed.  (It's just a door!  And ice cream is delicious!)

Also, you should use a very dark font against a white or very light background.  Don't use a white font on a dark background (except sparingly), or a lighter-colored font on a white background.  

I will continue writing about small things you can do to increase the readability of your communications, so stay tuned...

Two important words

Copyblogger isn't nonprofit-focused, but we can still learn a thing or two from there to apply to our world.  This post is about two very important words:

• you

• because
   

Let's start with the word you.  The fundraising community talks a lot about being "donor-centered;" that means making it all about your donors.

So instead of "We removed 600 pounds of trash from the river this year," write "Thanks to your donations, 600 pounds of trash were removed from the river this year."  Use "you" and "your," instead of "we" and "our." 

On to because.  In one chapter of Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive, the study about cutting in line for a copy machine is discussed.

In this study, when a stranger asked someone if he or she could cut in line, 60% of people agreed.  When he/she added, "...because I'm in a rush," the number of cooperators grew to 94%!  So powerful is the word "because" that even when the reason given was "...because I have to make copies," (what a weak reason—of course you're there to make copies) the percentage was still 93%!

You need to explain, clearly, what your organization does (thanks to its fabulous, kind, generous, caring, wonderful donors).  But don't tell, show—make it jump off the page and pull your donors' heartstrings.

Write about your donors, give them a compelling "because," and they will support your cause.

Donating money makes people happy!

Good news for fundraisers, the data are in and they show that spending money on others makes one happier than spending money on oneself!

Why?

"It's partly because giving to others makes us feel good about ourselves. It helps promote a view of ourselves as responsible and giving people, which in turn makes us feel happy."

So when crafting your next appeal, think about how you can cultivate those feelings in your donors. Can you remind them of what a strong supporter they've been to your organization, so they can think of themselves as a caring, generous person, feel good about it, and want to continue that feeling? How about showing them the difference their support makes, so they feel responsible for something important?

But: don't talk too much about money.  There is a reason we fundraisers use words like "support," and I think it's because we intuitively know what another study proved (mentioned in same link as above), that

"the simplest reminder of money has all kinds of negative effects...It makes us...less likely to help others, less likely to donate to charity..."

That reminds me of another study that showed that people spent more at a restaurant if the menu didn't have dollar signs.  Can you use this information, say, when designing your reply envelopes?

Some science behind persuasion

Fundraising communications professionals aren't the only ones who want to influence people; so do business marketers, salespeople, politicians...the list goes on.  Thanks to the diversity of folks who want to sway others, there is a good amount of research devoted to the science of persuasion.  There is an article in Business Week about scientifically-proven principles for influencing others, which includes:

• Liking: People like those...who like them.
  Or, be friends with your donors.  This is why fundraising letters should sound like a letter from a pal—a pal who really appreciates everything you've done for him, of course.
  
  
• Reciprocity: People repay in kind.
  The Business Week article actually uses nonprofit fundraising in this example, the good old "free personalized address labels included" tactic.  I would be interested to see some more recent research about this technique, as I wonder if it is starting to turn donors off due to the market being saturated with it.  People may tire of getting items they didn't ask for, but the idea of reciprocity (you helped me, now I feel compelled to help you) in humans is timeless.
  
  
• Social Proof: People follow the lead of similar others.
  Katya Andresen's blog has a great article about what happened when researchers put a clear donation box in the entrance to a gallery.  You should read the article if you haven't, but in (very) short: people gave more when there was money in the box than when the box was empty.  Takeaway: people want to fit in, and most people don't want to be first.  So, if you have a sign-up sheet, sign a few people in at the top so that no one has to be first.  If you want to use a thermometer showing how far along you are in your goal, don't share that thermometer until you have received some money already.  If you are going to have a live auction, make sure you have someone in the audience who is willing to be the first to bid.
  
  
• Authority: People defer to experts who provide shortcuts to decisions requiring specialized information.
  Good fundraising materials tug at the heartstrings, but donors have to trust that you know what you're talking about.  The best way for this to happen is for your organization to become a trusted authority on your subject(s)—think of the reputations of the ACLU or the World Wildlife Fund.  You can also quote other respected sources discussing your organization or the problem it aims to solve.