How do donors make decisions about giving? Taking a look at scientific research on decision-making may offer some insight into how to decipher the workings of the donor subconscious, finds Stephen Cotterill.

The marketing and advertising industries have long been aware of the underlying factors involved in the way people make decisions. It affects everything from the placement of goods on supermarket shelves, to the lighting in car showrooms to celebrity endorsements and the packaging of our food. The implication of this approach for fundraisers is beginning to gain traction and it could help bolster the armoury at the sector’s disposal when it comes to affecting behavioural change in giving. For years, marketing research was based on focus groups and explicit questioning. But still a high percentage of new products launched on the market fail. If the recent election proved one thing, it is that opinion polls can be wildly inaccurate. Why? Because people often say one thing and do another.