Model Behavior

Before going into specific cases where modeling can benefit your program, it is important to remember that there are things modeling will not do:

1. Modeling does not mean you can ignore direct-response best practices. For example, if you are modeling to eliminate donors from a mailing, test a sample of people you would have included had the model not eliminated them.
2. Modeling does not make up for a weak case for support. When times are tough, your case for support must be stronger as you are competing with many groups for limited dollars.
3. Modeling cannot capture the emotional element that leads to a contribution. The model can tell you who is more likely to give, but you still need to make a connection between that donor and your cause to motivate him to give.

These specific cases help illustrate some good uses of modeling. Each case begins with a simple question that an organization was trying to answer.