Right-Sized Asks That Raise Profit

What?

“At a large nonprofit, the team tested personalized donation suggestions on a 30,000-person mailing. They tried several calculation models and mailed asks tailored to each donor. Response rose while average gift also grew. Because more people gave—and gave slightly more—revenue per letter and profit per letter increased. The uplift was statistically significant, showing that precise ask amounts can improve results without adding complexity for donors.”

Personalized donation suggestions = each donor sees ask amounts tuned by a model.

Profit per letter = (donation income − costs) ÷ letters mailed.

So What?

Personalization often helps by nudging more people to act, not only by raising gift size. The input notes a common pattern: bigger lift on response than on average donation, with an overall ROI gain for a 30k group.

A common assumption is that tailored asks only shift gift amounts. Here, the main driver was more donors saying “yes,” which strengthened unit economics.

Now What?

Try this sequence this week:

1. Test a few ask models (recent gift, capacity, recency/frequency) and pick the top performer.
2. Show a ladder of three asks per donor (target, stretch, safety).
3. Track response, revenue/letter, and profit/letter; keep the model that wins on profit.

Results

• 30k test group; uplift was statistically significant.
• Multiple ask models tested; the winner prioritized overall value.
• Detailed percentage changes are summarized in the highlight cards at the top.

Key Takeaways

• Personalized asks grow profit, not just response.
• Expect larger response lift than gift lift.
• Keep the model that wins on profit.

Curiosity Spark

Which three-amount ladder would your file respond to best?