Online Giving Live A/B Tests!

GiveCampus is focused on finding easy and effective ways for your donors to give to your institution. To continue to stay innovative in this space, we are always looking for platform enhancements that lead for more dollars, while making sure conversion stays top of mind.

To test out our theories, we are running a variety of A/B tests on our online giving solutions.  This article provides additional details and parameters on the three tests that are currently running.

Average Gift A/B Test

Our Hypothesis

If we give donors the option to increase their gift to match the average, then some donors who are unsure of how much to give at that point and have the capacity to give more will accept because they are swayed by social proof.

Relevant Solutions

Social Fundraising only

How the Test Works

If an eligible donor enters a gift on the pre-payment form that is ‘close’ to the average gift size, once they click to proceed to the payment page we prompt the user with the option to increase their gift to match the average. 

Current Parameters

For each campaign eligible for the nudge, several “average gifts” are calculated based on combinations of the different parameters: campaign, time frame, and donors. 

When a donor is prompted with the average gift test, the nudge might say something like..  

• “On average, over the past year UVA donors have given $110 to the school."
• “On average, over the past month UVA alumni have given $75 to this campaign."

A donor is eligible to be shown the nudge if…

• Their gift is not a match or challenge
• Their gift is not recurring
• Their gift is less than $350 in value
• They have not already been shown the recurring nudge
• The “average gift” is no more than $100 greater than the donor’s original proposed gift
• The “average gift” is no more than 45% greater than the donor’s original proposed gift
• They are on a campaign that is not eligible for the Donors Covering Payment Processing test (see below)

Because this is an A/B test, only 50% of eligible users will see the nudge. The other half will fall into the control group, which will not see the nudge. Each treatment group donor is shown the largest average for which they are eligible. 

Latest Findings (as of September 2023)

• When the test was initially run in 2021, roughly 1 in 5 end users presented with the option to increase their gift to match the average choose to do so
• We found that adding the language “Not sure how much to give?” to the beginning of the nudge increased expected value 
• We re-initiated the test in the summer of 2023 and are currently collecting data to update findings

FAQ

What happens if the end user proposes a gift greater than the average? 

This would disqualify that end user from the test. In order for an end user to be eligible to see the test, they must propose a gift with a value less than the average. 

Recurring Nudges A/B Test

Our Hypothesis

If we give donors the option to switch their one-time gift to a lower recurring subscription, then some donors will opt in to a recurring gift because the option is more available and salient to them.

Relevant Solutions 

Giving Forms only

How the Test Works

If an eligible donor proposes a one-time gift on the prepayment page, they will be prompted to consider switching to a recurring gift. 

Current Parameters

There are 2 versions of the nudge that are presented at different times of year.  Based on the data, we found the annual nudge was more effective around Calendar Year End and Fiscal Year End.

In the 6 weeks leading up to CYE and FYE, the nudge prompts an annual recurring gift whose value is the same as that of the original proposed one-time gift. A donor is eligible for this version of the nudge if they are on a form that has indefinite recurring gifts AND annual recurring gifts enabled

At other times of year, the nudge prompts an annual recurring gift. A donor is eligible for this nudge if…

• They are on a form that has indefinite recurring gifts AND monthly recurring gifts enabled
• They originally proposed a one-time gift within the range $25-1000

To determine the value of the monthly recurring gift to nudge, we round up to the nearest $50 of the donor’s original proposed gift, and then take 10% of that number. For example, if a donor was making a one-time gift of $75, we would round up to $100 and then take 10%, which would then suggest a $10 monthly recurring gift.

Because this is an A/B test, only 50% of eligible donors will see the nudge. The other half will fall into the control group, which will not see the nudge. 

Latest Findings (as of September 2023)

• Overall Efficacy: 
  • Overall, the nudge is associated with a 15% lift in expected dollars. 
  • Both versions of the nudge drive a statistically significant lift. 
  • Just shy of 5% of donors accept the nudge, translating to a 6x increase in the amount of recurring gifts
• Variation: The nudge has shown to be especially effective (a) during the second half of the calendar year, and (b) for larger originally proposed gifts.