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The Heritage Foundation

How defaulting the monthly tab on an instant donation page affects recurring conversion rate

Experiment ID: #198222

The Heritage Foundation

Experiment Summary

Timeframe: 06/19/2025 - 07/18/2025

This experiment was conducted as a split test on the instant donation page immediately following the Heritage Foundation’s Vote of Confidence offer. The test was live for one month, with 50% of traffic randomly assigned to each variation (control vs. treatment). The primary goal was to determine whether defaulting the donation format to monthly giving (rather than one-time giving) would influence the recurring conversion rate.

This experiment is a classic behavioral nudge test—leveraging default bias by changing which giving tab a donor sees first.

The idea to run this test stemmed from two core insights:

  • Behavioral Economics Research:
  • People tend to go with the default option presented to them. When monthly giving is presented as the default tab, it subtly frames that behavior as the norm or recommended path.
  • Organizational Goal: Boost Recurring Revenue:
  • Like many nonprofits, Heritage is invested in growing their base of recurring donors. Monthly gifts provide more predictable, long-term revenue.
  • While past tests may have encouraged recurring giving through messaging or pre-selecting a checkbox, this test directly adjusted the default donation modality itself.

By making “Make a Monthly Gift” the default selection (as seen in the treatment version), the hypothesis was that donors would be more likely to choose that option simply because it required no extra clicks or decisions to get there.

Research Question

We believe that defaulting to the monthly tab for potential donors will achieve an increase in recurring conversion rates because it reduces friction by aligning with the donor’s default behavior, subtly encourages sustained giving through visual anchoring, and reframes the donation as an ongoing commitment rather than a one-time gift. because .

Design

C: Control
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T1: Monthly Tab First
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[thumb_128_128-height] => 128 [thumb_122_67] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-67x67.png [thumb_122_67-width] => 67 [thumb_122_67-height] => 67 [thumb_153_153] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-153x153.png [thumb_153_153-width] => 153 [thumb_153_153-height] => 153 [thumb_130_163] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-130x130.png [thumb_130_163-width] => 130 [thumb_130_163-height] => 130 [thumb_232_177] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-177x177.png [thumb_232_177-width] => 177 [thumb_232_177-height] => 177 [thumb_272_325] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-544x545.png [thumb_272_325-width] => 544 [thumb_272_325-height] => 545 [thumb_271_346] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-271x271.png [thumb_271_346-width] => 271 [thumb_271_346-height] => 271 [thumb_271_271] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-271x271.png [thumb_271_271-width] => 271 [thumb_271_271-height] => 271 [thumb_272_172] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-172x172.png [thumb_272_172-width] => 172 [thumb_272_172-height] => 172 [thumb_372_461] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-372x373.png [thumb_372_461-width] => 372 [thumb_372_461-height] => 373 [thumb_372_500] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-372x373.png [thumb_372_500-width] => 372 [thumb_372_500-height] => 373 [thumb_385_270] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-270x270.png [thumb_385_270-width] => 270 [thumb_385_270-height] => 270 [thumb_416_241] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-241x241.png [thumb_416_241-width] => 241 [thumb_416_241-height] => 241 [thumb_448_410] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-409x410.png [thumb_448_410-width] => 409 [thumb_448_410-height] => 410 [thumb_448_410_retina] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13.png [thumb_448_410_retina-width] => 600 [thumb_448_410_retina-height] => 601 [thumb_574_382] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-381x382.png [thumb_574_382-width] => 381 [thumb_574_382-height] => 382 [thumb_776_395] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13-394x395.png [thumb_776_395-width] => 394 [thumb_776_395-height] => 395 [gform-image-choice-sm] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13.png [gform-image-choice-sm-width] => 300 [gform-image-choice-sm-height] => 300 [gform-image-choice-md] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13.png [gform-image-choice-md-width] => 400 [gform-image-choice-md-height] => 400 [gform-image-choice-lg] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Monthly_Tab_First-13.png [gform-image-choice-lg-width] => 599 [gform-image-choice-lg-height] => 600 ) ) )

Results

  Treatment Name Conv. Rate Relative Difference Confidence Average Gift
C: Control 0.00% $25.66
T1: Monthly Tab First 0.87% 100.0% 99.9% $20.95

This experiment has a required sample size of 438 in order to be valid. Since the experiment had a total sample size of 2,738, and the level of confidence is above 95% the experiment results are valid.

Flux Metrics Affected

The Flux Metrics analyze the three primary metrics that affect revenue (traffic, conversion rate, and average gift). This experiment produced the following results:

    0% increase in traffic
Ă— 100.0% increase in conversion rate
Ă— 18.3% decrease in average gift
63.3% increase in revenue

Key Learnings

The key learnings from this experiment suggest that defaulting to the monthly giving tab can significantly impact donor behavior and increase recurring conversion rates. By aligning with the donor's default behavior, visually anchoring the idea of sustained giving, and reframing the donation as an ongoing commitment, the treatment version achieved a 0.9% increase in Transactions - Monthly for All Traffic with a 99.9% statistical level of confidence.

In future experimentation, these learnings should be considered to optimize donation pages and increase recurring revenue for the Heritage Foundation:

1. Default to Monthly Giving: Based on the success of defaulting to the monthly giving tab in this experiment, consider implementing this strategy on other donation pages or communication materials. This can help nudge donors towards becoming recurring givers.

2. Visual Anchoring: Use visual cues and language that emphasize the benefits of sustained giving. Highlighting the impact of monthly donations and showcasing the value of recurring contributions can further encourage donors to choose the monthly giving option.

3. A/B Testing: Continuously test different strategies, messaging, and default settings to identify what resonates best with donors. A/B testing allows for data-driven decision-making and can uncover new insights to optimize donation processes.

4. Donor-Centric Approach: Consider donor preferences and behaviors when designing donation pages. Making the giving process convenient, personalized, and aligned with donor values can increase engagement and support.

Overall, the success of this experiment highlights the importance of behavioral nudges and strategic design in influencing donor decisions. By leveraging default bias and emphasizing the benefits of recurring giving, nonprofits can potentially increase their base of recurring donors and secure more predictable, long-term revenue.

Experiment Documented by NextAfter

Question about experiment #198222

If you have any questions about this experiment or would like additional details not discussed above, please feel free to contact them directly.