An intriguing but impractical tip about what inspires giving
- Wed, March 06 2013
- Filed under: Fundraising essentials
As the so-called Snowquester flakes fall outside my window here in Washington, DC, I thought I’d share a timely piece of research about storms.
The wonderful team at Influence at Work this week covers a study with surprising findings about inspiring disaster relief donations.
Apparently, people are more likely to donate to storm relief efforts if their name sounds similar to the name of the storm. I am not making this up: “People were more likely to donate if the initial of their first name matched the name given to the hurricane. For example, those whose names began with the letter R, such as Robert or Rosemary, were 260% more likely to donate to the Hurricane Rita relief appeal than those whose name didn’t begin with the letter R. A similar effect was noted after Hurricane Katrina with folks whose name starts with a K significantly more motivated to donate.”*
In addition, says Influence, Adam Alter, a Professor of Marketing at NYU’s Stern Business School, suggests, “If people are more likely to donate to hurricane relief programs that share their initials, then the World Meteorological Organization which is responsible for naming hurricanes has the power to increase charitable giving simply by giving hurricanes more commonly occurring names.”
Anyone have contacts at the WMO?
This research reminds me of studies I read that people choose professions close to their names. There are apparently many dentists named Dennis.
So maybe it’s impractical to start naming hurricanes John Smith, but in all seriousness there is a lesson here. As Influence points out, we always pay more attention to anything involving our name. You’ve experienced this in a noisy room where you’re tuning out conversation - until you hear your name mentioned.
I think it’s therefore useful to test using people’s real names in fundraising appeals (better than Dear Valued Supporter) or naming initiatives or campaigns after common names or initials. It’s easier to try out than naming storms!
(By the way, I donated to Katrina but not Rita relief so there you go.*)
Comments
Katya - interesting comments about the role of names in giving. To me this represents less about their actual name and more about the fact that in cause marketing (and in most marketing) the value proposition HAS to be about them. They have to see themselves in the cause, in the topic, in the action. If they don’t, they won’t bite. The fact that the name plays a role is simply because it’s ABOUT THEM and all about them. You said as much in your Robin Hood Marketing book.
This information may not actually be impractical. Has the time come to name relief efforts and not just the weather events that cause the damage? Donors could submit ideas for the name, or corporations could bid to be the official corporate sponsor of a relief campaign.
Thanks, Katya, for drawing a connection between an interesting (and documented: Margaret Heffernan refers to several similar findings in her excellent book “Willful Blindness” http://www.mheffernan.com/book-wb-summary.shtml) psychological phenomenon, and a suggestion for practical applications.
I would feel ultra bad and donate more if a Hurricane Darren devastated an area.
I know that when we put supporters names in the title of emails or even in the interior greeting more people open them AND respond to them. It works with me too - when companies send me an email with my name it in I usually open it. Even though I KNOW it’s a marketing ploy…