Dollars and Sense for Donors: How Behavioral Economics Affects Donor Decision-Making

What constitutes happiness and how much happiness can someone buy?

 

We don’t often think of charitable donations as “buying happiness” but every dollar we donate generates some amount of happiness because it makes us feel like “heroes,” connecting our behavior with our ego.

 

While behavioral science has been used by brands and nonprofits to motivate people into action, this session will explore how donors make decisions about which nonprofit to support, and how their decisions can be both more thoughtful and more satisfying.

 

We’ll challenge conventional wisdom about why and how donors give. We’ll look at the donor mindset and the heuristics they should be aware of in making decisions about how they spend their money. And we’ll provide a framework for donors to use in determining their philanthropic priorities in order to get the most for their philanthropic investment.

“Thank you for the informative, thought-provoking and entertaining presentation!”

 

— Dan Wasserburg

“We recently had the pleasure of a presentation and discussion led by Howard at the Behavioral Economics NYC Meetup. His presentation, “Dollars and Sense for Donors” demonstrated a deep understanding not just of the nonprofit fundraising industry but also the application of behavioral science to fundraising and giving. He’s an enthusiastic and knowledgeable speaker who engaged our members from the start. He fielded many wide-ranging and challenging questions with aplomb and advanced our thinking on the topic.”

 

— Brett Whysel