Alaska’s residents are allowed to share in the revenue the state enjoys from investments in mineral royalties. In order to get their dividend they have to apply for Permanent Fund Dividends.

Why am I telling you this? As residents apply for the money, they also get asked to donate to help Alaska. So far this year they have raised over $3 million from over 33,000 Alaskans. In order to determine the core message for the campaign, the residents were split into 2 groups with different copy:

• Option A: "Make Alaska Better"
• Option B: "Warm your heart (image of heart icon)"

The winner? Option B performed better with 30% more people giving to the cause along with gift amounts 55% higher than the “Make Alaska Better” respondents.

Honestly, I'm not impressed with the message and I think the design is weak. But who cares what I think? It won! People gave more!

So the MarketSmart takeaway here is: "Warm glow" messages are more powerful. If you want to raise more money, remind your supporters that they can feel good if they give.