The Curiosity Imperative: Designing for the Donor’s Brain

In the age of AI and one-click purchasing, friction is the enemy of decision. Yet, most nonprofit donation forms are designed with high-friction barriers—asking for alumni status, referral sources, and dedications—before the transaction is even complete.

We argue that this approach fundamentally misunderstands the neuroscience of giving. Drawing on our previous discussions regarding the Manifold of Giving and Evolutionary Fundraising, this episode explores how minimizing "free energy" and cognitive load is the only metric that matters.

We ask the question no one else is asking: How can my forms adapt to the donor, rather than forcing the donor to adapt to me?

Listen to learn: 

• Why Behavioral Analysis matters more than Cosmetics.
• How to apply the "Curious, Not Judgmental" framework to UX design.
• Why Cart Abandonment shouldn't exist in fundraising.