Fundraising is a risky business

During my career I’ve had to deal with many inherently difficult communications challenges – massive layoffs, animal disease outbreaks that destroyed livelihoods, public health panics and political shenanigans. Stakes and emotions run high and there is much to lose. So when I think about risk, I think of the specialized body of knowledge introduced by risk communications pioneer Dr. Vince Covello and followed by professionals in environments of high risk and low trust.

While most nonprofits are fortunate to avoid controversy, there is much we can learn from Dr. Covello. Respectfully, his decades of research can be simplified into one key concept: how you say it is often more important than what you say. People judge the messenger before the message, and they judge the messenger in terms of trust. His research shows that in an emotionally charged interaction, where there is low trust, people form their impression on how well they sense empathy from you and that you’re listening to them. This trust factor is assessed in the first 30 seconds of the interaction, and it makes up 50 per cent of their emerging opinion. Knowledge, facts, competence, sense of commitment and transparency register much lower on the scale. If the trust factor isn’t there, and early on, your message will simply not get through.

Why does this matter to us? – Financial decisions are rooted in emotion, not reason. The motivation for giving is highly personal, and individual. The mechanics behind fundraising are full of process, number crunching and assessment but they depend on many individual emotional choices. We expect fundraisers to bridge this gap.

This is a complex business, not solved with one magic pill or tactic. But there are some simple ways to bring emotion into your interactions, and encourage your prospects and donors to care and above all, act.

Guess what? They involve taking a few risks:

Give up – Let go of the misguided belief you can change the world by changing minds. Your mission is to provide opportunities to make a difference to those who believe in your cause enough to give to you. And while their belief may be partly based on rationale, their motivation is almost always emotional. The key is to focus your efforts on the people who are aligned with your organization’s values and work, and not to spend time trying to persuade people who just aren’t interested.

Get out of your comfort zone – it surprises me how many people make recommendations and write important communications documents, from the solitude and stunted perspective of their own four walls. You simply cannot be authentic and sincere if you don’t understand and breathe what you’re writing or speaking about. Like Dr. Covello’s risk communications theory, empathy and trust is key. You need to know what motivates your donors, and translate these anecdotes and personal stories in a way that shows you get it. If they feel you’ve listened to what matters to them, and you understand them, they’ll trust you. Only when they trust you, will they listen to you.

Veto the safe plays – Being compelling and moving is not something you do timidly or tentatively. You must go forth boldly! It’s much easier (and safer) to write a fundraising appeal that covers every possible program, regurgitates your mission in jargon and internal references, and attempts to speak to all shapes and sizes of donors in one fell swoop. These letters, often watered down by committee and board review, end up being weak and lukewarm. They may get you a mediocre result. However a heartfelt letter, appealing to the key emotional trigger you think will appeal (anger, fear, exclusivity, flattery, greed, guilt and salvation are the ones recognized by the direct mail industry for getting results), and written with your specific donors in mind will be worth the work it takes.

Shake the tree to get the fruit – Your organization’s statistics and data, while useful to you, are generally meaningless to most of the people you are trying to inspire. They require context, and quite frankly, are too much work for your prospective donor to decipher. People aren’t statistics – tell the personal stories behind the statistics. What difference did this program make to someone’s life? What problem did it solve? Paint the before and after pictures. One powerful anecdote can replace most background explanation and program description. Talk to staff on the front lines to get these stories. The bonus: involving staff in this, even if they are reluctant, helps you make the link between the “work” of the organization, and the mysterious fundraising department.

Above all, focus on meeting your donors’ needs by respecting their interests and listening to them. Give them cause to trust you and show them how their contributions make a difference. Nothing else matters to them. They give not because of what you said, rationally, but because of how you said it, emotionally.

In the month of March I introduced two seminars that explored lessons learned from the private sector and how to apply the best of them to nonprofits. The second session focused on current trends in communications and marketing. If you missed out, you’ll be able to purchase audio recordings and transcripts directly from the Make It Count website coming soon.

Watch the website for upcoming presentations.

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