By Mary Calahane

We humans are quirky.

You know fundraising is never as simple as asking for donations. Behind your ask is a world of study. We think about our language. We consider exactly what we’re asking for and why. And we keep the language clear and simple. We’re straightforward about the need and use stories to illustrate it.

Understanding humans is at the heart of our work. And for me, it’s endlessly interesting. We are complex characters.

So pulled from my reading over many years, here are 12 human quirks you can use to fundraise better. (You probably already know some of them… experienced fundraiser that you are.)

But hey, repetition works, right?

1. We make decisions based on emotions

I’ve written about this before… and undoubtedly will again. Because while we know this is true, we fight against it. We so dearly want to believe ourselves creatures of logic.

But that’s not how we’re made. Here’s how it works, from an article in Psychology Today:

“When an emotion is triggered in your brain, your nervous system responds by creating feelings in your body (what many people refer to as a “gut feeling”) and certain thoughts in your mind. …That is what emotions are designed to do: to appraise and summarize an experience and inform your actions.”

Using our emotions lets us make a decision faster. But we do quickly rationalize it – either before or after making that decision. So we *think* we’re using our heads.

2. We like to go along with the crowd

Roger Dooley calls this the bandwagon effect. We’re group animals. There’s a tendency to think like the crowd, to conform to the general opinion… and our desire to be right and included.

That’s why inviting people to join other caring people in giving helps. Everyone wants to be part of the kind crowd.

3. Helping others makes us feel good

Whether intentionally or not, you already know this. And thank goodness. It’s how we’ve survived this long. It’s also why we’re able to ask for help to support our good work.

But it’s not just that momentary high of being a helper. This study found that the kind of people who were willing to sacrifice for others were the people who coped better with their own challenges.

4. We’re more likely to help someone if we’ve already helped them

So there’s some logic to thinking that we need to return a favor. That’s the social lubricant that keeps civilization going, right?

But we’re also more likely to help someone we’ve already helped. Huh? Dissonance is why.

Dissonance is caused by a negative feeling toward the other person – contrasted with knowing you just helped them. So we rationalize it. They can’t be a bad person if we helped them.

And there’s this:

“Research shows that people who have rejected you in the past are actually more likely to help you than other people. When I reject you and you offer me another opportunity to help, if I can, I jump at it.”

Don’t give up on your lapsed donors.

5. We’re powered by groups

I love this one, because it’s about the language you use. (That means you can put this to work immediately.)

It seems that using a noun invokes our sense of group identity. You can probably name five things you are right now. I’m a mother, a wife, a fundraiser, a writer, an arts lover… etc. So when you’re writing any donor communications, it’s more powerful to call up that sense of identification by using a noun.

For instance, instead of “donate now,” try “Be a donor.” I’ll be honest, I would have guessed the verb had more power. But this is definitely worth a test.

6. We love a story… and we stay tuned

If you write to donors, you already understand this. But here’s what’s going on inside.

“Our memory is fine-tuned to remember incomplete stories and tasks… Say you’re meeting with a prospective client or recruit, and you’d like her to come back for a second meeting. Tell her a story or assign yourself a task that you’ll complete when she does. Her compulsion for completion will nag at her, which means you’ve got her attention.”

That’s why you don’t give away the happy ending for an appeal.

7. Reach out and touch someone?

I read a blurb about this study years ago and I’m still intrigued by it. It seems touching something rough – like sandpaper – triggers our empathy and motivates us to donate.

What could you do to use this idea?

8. One is the most powerful story

This is another case where we fight “logic” for what’s best for our fundraising. (Along with using stories, not facts.)

It might seem momentous that millions are suffering. But you’ll move more hearts with the story of one person – or maybe one family. Why? Because we feel more for a specific, identifiable person. We connect on a personal level and it makes us want to help.

9. We want to return a favor

Ah… you know those little gifts in a direct mail pack, right? This is why they work – at least enough of the time to make them worthwhile. Even if most people don’t give, enough do.

(But please don’t just pack your envelope full of stuff and hope. The nonprofits who do this have tested carefully. Try something small and look at how it works.)

10. We don’t like too many choices

If you’ve spent time with a small child, you understand this. To avoid a meltdown, you offer a blue or red crayon, not the whole pack.

Well, we’re still like that when we’re grown, it seems.

“More choice requires more time and effort (to go through and compare everything). This can lead to anxiety, stress, unhappiness, high expectations, regret and self-blame if a poor choice is made. It’s hard and it’s difficult to make a good decision when you’re overwhelmed with information and options. You can’t process it effectively.”

11. Loss worries us more than gain

From Scientific American: “…the brain regions that process value and reward may be silenced more when we evaluate a potential loss than they are activated when we assess a similar-sized gain.”

We’re wired to avoid loss. And yes, giving a charity money is a kind of loss. So we have to find ways to overcome that. My guess? We need to really show (not just tell) the great gain – a life saved, a family fed, etc.

12. Yes, thank you letters matter – a lot.

Dr. Thomas de Zengotita, a media anthropologist and author of Mediated, believes that acknowledgement – our need for validation and empathy from others – is one of our most vital needs. “All mammals want attention,” he told me. “Only human beings need acknowledgment.”

https://hbr.org/2015/03/7-ways-to-capture-someones-attention

That need for attention is also why a tax receipt or a stuffy, feelings-free thank you doesn’t have the same power. It takes very little – just some real human emotion – to make the donor feel seen and appreciated. Why in the world would you skip over that?

So, which of these ideas are you already using? Which might you experiment with next?

Understanding how we humans human is at the heart of good fundraising communications. It’s also fascinating stuff. Let me know what you find out.

Mary Cahalane is principal at Hands-On Fundraising where she focuses on improving fundraising results through great communication and a donor-centered mindset. She writes this column exclusively foreach issue of Foundation Magazine.

 

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