Every day, leaders in the nonprofit sector invest valuable time, energy, and money into educating and spreading awareness of their mission in the hopes that this will increase support for their nonprofit. They assume that if only more people knew about a school’s budget cuts, for example, or about the rapidly accelerating environmental catastrophe, then they would surely donate! So, they bombard potential supporters with grim statistics or complex arguments. However, that’s not how the human mind works.
People give money to nonprofits for a variety of reasons, from personal to political, but tapping into the psychological motivations of your constituency sheds light on how your donors think. Understanding what’s really important to your supporters helps you create better fundraising events, improve your donor communication strategy, and raise more cash. In this article, we explore the psychology of giving and how to make it work for your nonprofit.
We Give Because it Makes Us Happy
Why do people donate to charity? While it’s true that donors and volunteers are motivated to make the world a better place because it’s the right thing to do, that’s not the entire—or even the primary—reason for their generosity. Research shows that the number one motivator for charitable giving is the all-too-human quest for reward and social attachment. In other words, we give because it feels good and that good feeling connects us to others in ways that we find satisfying. While that might sound selfish, all it really means is that people are wired to feel happy when they’re being kind. Pretty cool, right?
Make it work for you
If your supporters are motivated by the quest for happiness and connection, then the best way to encourage their generosity is to invest in your donor relationships and make your donors feel deeply satisfied when they contribute. Studies have found that when donors feel neglected or ignored by a nonprofit they’ve supported, they lose interest fast, no matter how noble or progressive the cause is. Remember that, at base, all philanthropic work is fundamentally a social act, so aim to make your donors feel like they’re a part of a broader community in which they are included, valued, and seen.
Stay positive
While stats and figures are important, make sure that your messages to your donors are upbeat and optimistic. Nobody wants to read yet another article about how the world is falling to pieces. Emphasize the good that’s being done at your organization so that your donors feel empowered, not depressed.
Build community
Since we give in part because it solidifies our connections to others, make sure that your communication with your donors is personal and specific (i.e. begin correspondence with “Dear Anna,” not “Dear Donor”). Prioritize community by finding ways to connect with your supporters on a personal level and give them the opportunity to interact with each other, whether it’s through a monthly video call or a donor appreciation night. The more human ties your donors have with your organization and with each other, the more committed they’ll be to your mission, which means they’ll feel that it’s their mission, too!
Polish your communication strategy
Speaking of corresponding with donors, you can help them feel both happy and connected with regular, personal updates, phone calls, and posts. In other words, if you’re only hitting up your supporters to ask for more money, you’re doing it wrong. Share regular news and successes with your contributors and ask them for feedback so that there’s no doubt in their mind that their participation matters a great deal.
Use magic words
To kick your donor correspondence up a notch, use the right language in your communications. Research indicates that when nonprofits address women, aiming for the following words in correspondence boosts giving: kind, caring, compassionate, helpful, friendly, fair, hard-working, generous, and honest. If your donor is male, try to incorporate the words strong, responsible, and loyal.
Be transparent
The more your donors trust you and your nonprofit, the more connected to it they’ll feel. Don’t be secretive, non-committal, or evasive about how funds are used. Introduce your donors to your board of directors and your volunteers and send regular financial reports so that all your supporters feel included in your day-to-day operations.
Be grateful
You know that post-donation buzz we were talking about? It turns out that if you thank your donors immediately after they give, they’re more likely to keep on giving! In other words, hit them up when they’re still feeling “high” from the impact of their gift! The best way to do it is by phone call. Why? Because in an age of texting, a phone call is authentic and personal. Use their name, thank them warmly, and tell them how their donation will be spent. If you can’t call, give them a personal shoutout on social media ASAP. And after you’ve thanked them, thank them again and again. It’s simple: people don’t get tired of hearing how awesome they are. After all, your donors are why your organization exists in the first place, so make sure they know it.
We Give Because of Who We Are
When we donate to charity, sometimes it’s a spur-of-the-moment decision. The most reliable donors, however, are those whose donations are closely connected to their identities. Experts indicate that people go to bat for the causes that reflect their own concerns, goals, and inner sense of justice, committing to organizations when that commitment is meaningful to who they are as individuals. What does that mean, exactly? Simply that a nonprofit’s cause isn’t external to a donor’s sense of self, and that the donor feels that the very core of their being is reflected in the activities of the organization that they elect to support.
If you’re passionate about the environment, for example, you’re much more likely to feel a stronger attachment to conservation projects than to literacy initiatives (unless you happen to be a strong supporter of education, too, since plenty of people have multiple passions). If you find a conservation group that does really good work and begin to donate to its projects, you’ll soon start to feel that the group’s successes are your personal successes. At that point, supporting the organization, attending its events, and spreading its message will just become an inseparable part of who you are.
Make it work for you
So, how can you inspire your donors to forge strong, identity-based links with your cause? By always emphasizing the meaning and purpose behind the values and initiatives of your organization, and how that meaning and purpose is reflected in our donors.
Focus on your supporters
If your organization is dedicated to a noble cause and is very successful, that’s great! Now ask yourself how you express and describe your organization’s mission and successes. For instance, if your website, social media posts, newsletters, and donation pages are all about how fantastic your nonprofit is, then you’re not focusing on your donors. Make sure that how you talk about yourself to the world shines a light on your supporters, not on you. They’re the heroes. The goal is to make your donors feel not just appreciated, but like they’re a core aspect of your organization. And guess what? They are!
Show impact
It’s much easier to align charitable activities with a sense of higher purpose if you know exactly what you’re supporting. People respond much more strongly to a clearly identifiable beneficiary than to either general requests or statistics. In other words, if your organization rescues stray cats, it’s more effective to share high-quality pictures of a specific litter of kittens than it is to ask people to help offset operation costs. Even if operation costs are exactly where most of the money goes, that’s not what makes people feel like they’ve done something meaningful with their donation!
Don’t mislead your supporters, of course. Simply remember to always emphasize the actual, touchable, huggable beneficiaries of their generosity. To really drive home how important a contribution is, when you thank a donor in emails, via phone call, or on social media, be sure to describe exactly how their donation was used.
Be strategic about automation
While it might be tempting to make contributions automatic, be thoughtful about incorporating automated giving into your fundraising structure. The psychology of giving enables donors to really feel that rush of doing something kind when they’re conscious of it. Think about it. If you agree to part with $10 to help send a young girl to school, would it feel better to see a picture of her face and to make an active choice to support her education today, or to have $10 deducted from your bank account sometime next month? Deliberate giving often results in more thoughtful—and bigger!—donations, contributing to a donor’s sense of meaning and purpose. While automation certainly has its place, when collecting contributions remind your donors who or what they’re supporting and why it matters, so that they continue to feel like your mission is an intrinsic part of the kind of humans they choose to be.
The Psychology of Giving and Fundraising
And there you are! By tapping into the powerful psychological motivators that inspire people to donate, you can attract and retain a more passionate and committed base of supporters. One of the best ways to make donating a fulfilling and enjoyable experience for your constituency is to plan fun, memorable fundraisers that everyone will love!
RallyUp is an online fundraising platform that gives you the tools and functionality to create, promote, and manage exceptional fundraising experiences, from sales and events to crowdfunding campaigns and customizable donation pages! We understand that passionate donors are the key to nonprofit success, and we’re here to help you keep your donors engaged.
