The right way to experiment in fundraising

I hope you test your fundraising messages often. If you don't, you're flying blind. I also hope you test in ways that will yield meaningful learning.

Seth Godin recently commented on this important topic at Getting serious about experimentation.

The best experiments are experiments on purpose. They are done with rigor and intent. They are measured. They are designed to either fail or create an approach that can be scaled.

Always know what you intend to discover by a test. State a clear hypothesis. Know what will constitute success. Isolate variables, so if something goes right (or wrong), you'll know what caused it.

Do that, and even failed experiment are valuable.