Three fourths of all donors give by habit, some with the rhythm and regularity of piano teacher’s metronome. Tick, tock, tick, tock — same time, same amount, same method, same organizations.

Other equally habitual donors manage their giving with a systematic approach that suggests their giving has simply been put on automatic pilot. Some begin with a small gift and methodically increase it over time. Others start out with a large gift that diminishes each year by a predetermined percentage.

People who have been giving for many years develop their own systems, guidelines, or formulas. Many of those habits are rooted in some good or bad previous giving experience. For corporations and grant-making organizations that receive numerous requests, habits can be defense mechanisms established to avoid being overwhelmed with the large task of evaluating and selecting recipients. Habits and systems are easier than investigation and deliberation.

Those mechanics simplify their…