We like to think that philanthropy is driven by pure intention. We assume that if someone has the means and the desire to give, the rest will just… happen. But if you’ve spent any time in this space, you know the reality is much messier, and a behavioral science approach helps address this reality. Donors get overwhelmed by choice, distracted by the day-to-day, and even when they manage to make a gift, there is limited feedback and follow up.

At ideas42, we’ve spent over a decade looking at this through the lens of a behavioral science approach. Our driving philosophy is: Intentions are fragile. Context is king. Donors do care; but the context in which they give is often fraught with friction, confusing choices, and a lack of clear signals.

The old way of thinking asks: "How do we motivate donors to care more?"

A behavioral science approach asks: "How do we clear the path so it’s actually easy for them to act on the care they already have?"

That’s why we’re so excited to launch our Generosity by Design guides, which pull back the curtain on how donor behavior can be shaped through better design using a behavioral science approach.

This behavioral science approach isn’t just another PDF full of "best practices." It’s a roadmap for designing the donor experience to work with how people behave, rather than against it. We’ve taken years of field testing and condensed it into four strategic pillars that tackle the most common behavioral bottlenecks in the donor journey:

  • Attention & Discovery uses a behavioral science approach to explore how to capture donors’ limited attention and help them discover effective organizations—without making it feel like a chore for donors or adding burden to nonprofits.

  • Curation & Personalization offers strategies for narrowing choices and tailoring options so donors can more easily find and fund causes and organizations that resonate with their values.

  • Framing & Choice Architecture uses a behavioral science approach to examine how the way information and options are organized influences decisions, confidence, and satisfaction.

  • Reflection & Feedback focuses on shaping norms and creating opportunities for learning and feedback that strengthen donors’ giving practice over time, and make it more rewarding.

Read the full article about encouraging donor generosity with behavioral science by Julie Toffoli at ideas42.