Giving Donors Data on a Charity’s Impact Doesn’t Always Lead to More Gifts

By Cassie Moore

Providing data on a charity’s impact doesn’t necessarily translate into more gifts from prior donors, says a new report.

The report details an experiment in which Freedom From Hunger, a California charity, sent direct-mail appeals to its supporters. All of the fundraising appeals included a narrative story about how its programs benefited an individual. Some appeals also included scientific data on the impact of the charity’s work.

Donors who had given $100 or more in the past were more likely to give again when they encountered the data on the charity’s impact. But donors who had given less than $100 were actually less likely to donate when the appeal included the data.

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