As fundraisers, we want to be armed with as much information as possible to reach our donors effectively. Determining whether to appeal to donors rationally or with an emotional appeal is a question that we have all struggled with.
Depending on the mission of your non-profit, it might seem that an emotional appeal is a no-brainer; schools, homeless shelters and pet rescues are prime examples of non-profits who might find success with an emotional appeal. So, what’s the problem with appealing to donors on an emotional level? Nothing…except you aren’t reaching all of your potential donors.
Just as donors have different “giving pockets” or projects that grab their attention, donors also have different interests in the feedback they receive from your organization. While an appeal of a homeless or battered pet may spur one donor to give, another donor wants to know how their money is used, what the numerical results are and, what your goals for growth in the next year are before they decide to invest in your organization. For that rational giver, a broad range of factors can affect their decision to give; do you offer convenient giving opportunities through automatic withdrawal or a giving app, is your organization highly visible in the community, are results readily available and communicated well.
You are likely to find that most donors are somewhere in the middle of these two. To effectively reach both types of givers, the important facts and figures that your rational donor wants and needs to see before giving, can easily be woven into your emotional appeal story. By making use of the many tools available to communicate, such as social media tools, you can keep a literal picture of who you serve, or your “results”, in front of the potential donor at all times, while also feeding them the information they need through frequent updates and even client testimonials.
While the question of appealing to the emotional giver or the rational giver may never be truly answered, we can find ways to target both by making use of the information we have available and communicating it well to our donors and potential donors.