Tuesday, January 29, 2008

30,000 children die each day...

So how effective is that stat?

You've seen the technique used many times -- gripping picture with a list of stats that amplify the need. Or does it?

Here's what researchers found.

Donors were shown a photo of Rokia, a 7 year-old girl from Mali who was facing starvation. A second group of donors were shown the same image, given the same information plus they were given significant stats that demonstrated the famine and starvation in Africa.

Seasoned fund raisers aren't that surprised that Rokia -- without the stats -- raised more money.

George Loewenstein, at Carnegie Mellon University says: “It really puts fund raisers in a fix. They want to appeal to the mind and the heart. But if they do, there’s a real risk of undermining the heart.”

We all face the tension. In the ideal world, it makes sense to educate while we raise funds. But, in my experience, multiple messages and the desire to educate always diffuses the real need.

Take the opportunity to educate in loyalty materials -- materials that are not focused on raising funds. Coordinating loyalty and corporate communications to supplement fund raising efforts is much more effective than trying to do both at once. (Thanks to the Stanford Social Innovation Review for providing leading edge research!)

2 comments:

John Lepp said...

Great point Gayle. If I had a dime every time i had to remind a fundraiser that people are moved by emotion not by facts, I'd be a rich man... have a compelling message or story, say it simply and clearly (and honestly), and tell the donor what you want... that's all you need to do. They will do the rest.

As a individual, I can't help 30,000 children, but I know I can help just one.

Philip @ RaisingFundsBlog.com said...

Hi Gayle... I'm not surprised by the research. I learned very quickly in my fundraising career that donors connect with one child rather than, for example, the 14,000 children that will be orphaned in Ethiopia b/c of AIDS (in 2008). As fundraisers, we have to take a complex issues (poverty, disease, etc) and break them down to a singular and relevant focus: the plight of a child, the pain of a dying parent, etc.