Using Incremental Testing To Improve Fundraising!

The Nonprofit Show

Jen Boland, founder of Boland Solutions, talks about the strategic application of incremental testing to enhance nonprofit fundraising efforts. The discussion centers on how nonprofits can use data-driven approaches to optimize their marketing strategies, particularly by employing incremental and lift testing.
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Jen begins this engaging conversation, with host Julia Patrick, by explaining her background and the focus of her work, explaining how many organizations overvalue certain marketing channels, particularly those that are more about demand capture rather than demand generation. She stresses the importance of correctly interpreting data to ensure that fundraising efforts are effectively allocated. Jen says, "Overvaluing channels that really are demand capture channels and not demand generation channels... probably over investing in the wrong tactics and under investing in the right tactics."
The conversation then explores the BEATS model, a framework Jen adapted from the for-profit sector, which stands for Business Financials, Experiments, Analytics, Technology, and Surveys. The model is designed to help nonprofits better understand the incremental value of their marketing efforts. A key part of the discussion is on the role of experiments, particularly lift testing, which involves testing different marketing strategies to determine their true incremental value. This is crucial because traditional metrics like last-click attribution can often be misleading. As Jen notes, "If we don’t test into higher spend, if we don’t test into different types of creative, we will never know the true incrementality of our marketing efforts."
The talk between the two highlights the challenges nonprofits face in accurately measuring the effectiveness of their marketing channels. Jen speaks about the use of simple tools like Excel to conduct these tests, arguing that even smaller organizations can benefit from these insights. She encourages nonprofits to challenge their assumptions by conducting withholding tests, particularly on branded paid search ads, to see if these expenditures are truly necessary or if they could be better allocated to more effective channels.
This informative episode provides nonprofit professionals with a comprehensive overview of how to apply incremental testing to their fundraising strategies. By adopting a data-driven approach, nonprofits can make more informed decisions that ultimately lead to more efficient and effective fundraising outcomes. Learn more from Jen at BolandSolutions.com

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