As we inch closer to Giving Season, we’re likely to ponder our philanthropy for the year thus far. Our team knows from prior designs that reflecting on one’s values, preferences, and experiences can help donors close the gap between generous intentions and satisfying donations. Moreover, tools that produce personalized recommendations can capture attention and mitigate hassles that often promote impulsivity. 

We wondered: Can themed reflection motivate actual giving? For this, we partnered with 1% for the Planet to explore how a reflection quiz might turn their subscribers’ passion into action.

Part of the appeal of online quizzes is that they’re fun. If I were a Disney villain, who would I be? (During a recent camping trip, my answers unfortunately yielded Cruella de Vil.) Their capacity to surprise and delight with thought-provoking, whimsical questions is a major asset for capturing attention and conferring a sense of authentic output. To us, “authenticity” means that donors should never feel siphoned into a sales pipeline, but rather become inspired to support 1% for the Planet in the way most meaningful to them.

To that end, we developed archetypes to correspond with each of the three engagement pathways of 1% for the Planet: 

• The Builder: Giving directly to 1% for the Planet, to strengthen the giving ecosystem
• The Strategist: Giving to the Planet Impact fund, to funnel resources toward expert-identified solutions
• The Explorer: Exploring 1% for the Planet’s on-the-ground environmental partners

To activate one’s generosity, we opened the quiz with questions that sought to reinforce the participant’s identity as someone who cares about our planet.

Naturally, these introductory questions evoke memories, preferences, and self-perceptions— personal traits that, when made salient, would prime receptivity to our intervention.

Then the quiz slyly assembles the archetypes:

While playful, these questions did the heavy lifting on the back end: We coded each to reflect the unique traits of each giving pathway.

At face value a question about bees, this question really asks, “What action would have the most value for you: building from scratch, or supporting what’s already there?” 

Okay–what it really asks is, “Do you prefer funding direct solutions to environmental problems” (The Explorer) or “Do you prefer helping build the infrastructure for the sector” (The Builder)? Other questions were similarly designed to identify The Strategists, as well as to learn more about the quiz takers. 

Upon completing eleven total questions, participants immediately received their personalized quiz results containing which archetype, and thus which engagement pathway, was their best fit.

The results page that directs donors toward the Planet Impact Fund.

In addition to archetype and call-to-action, 1% for the Planet sent each participant a personalized email containing more detailed results one day after completing the quiz. This email served to reinforce identity factors and remind donors of their commitment to acting on behalf of our planet.

A results email received by the intervention group highlighting preferences and a call-to-action.

Excitingly, our tool facilitated immediate donations; all who donated did so within 24 hours of completing the quiz or receiving a reminder email. In one case, a personalized invitation alone appeared to nudge a donor with a latent intent to give: 1% for the Planet received a five figure donation from someone who received the quiz invitation, yet never opened the quiz itself!

Perhaps this is the most valuable learning of all. An authentic reflection quiz creatively engaged donors and encouraged short-term giving among those who completed it. As it turns out, tools that reduce hassles and ambiguity (among choices), activate identities (as donors), and provide reminders (to take action) can encourage those who might just need a moment to reflect.