Getting People on Board – The Psychology of
Fundraising
Fundraising
is such a major part of our lives these days. From the
individual in the workplace trying to raise money for a local good cause;
through to charitable and self-funding organizations which depend
on the goodwill and donations of the public for their existence. Very often the
clincher is engaging people in an activity, stimulating their interest and
participation through an event outside their
every day experience. There can be nothing worse than
going to great lengths to organize a fundraising event, only to find that
everyone you know has already supported exactly the same kind of event within
the past few weeks or months.
A
Positive Experience
A
successful fundraiser is much more than the mechanics of
organization. The people who are attending the fundraising event
want to have a positive experience. Key strategies are to allow your guests to feel at ease and
physically comfortable in the environment you are inviting them into. You need
to communicate effectively with your prospective donors about the cause you are
supporting and what you hope to achieve. People can quickly lose focus if you
dwell too much on statistics, so using more descriptive dialogue will keep them
interested in what you are telling them.
Asking
for Donations
Dealing
with the aspect of donations, using the right language will relax and encourage
your attendees. Letting them know what the average size of donation is will set
a marker for people to give accordingly. Show them what results are being
achieved with the fundraising done previously; this gives hard evidence that
money received is put to good use and does end up exactly where it
is intended to go. Having a target can be helpful, as people then want to play
their part in reaching this and gain immense satisfaction from knowing that they
have made a difference. Making it clear that people do not have to give allows
them the freedom of choice. This removes the threat of obligation and the
pressure that people often feel when faced with the prospect of making a
donation.
Allowing
People to Feel Good about Themselves
Fundraising
gives people the chance to find meaning in their lives; re-connecting with their
humanity, their core values and their sense of generosity. People give when
their feelings are engaged; when they understand or can put themselves in the
shoes of the recipients of the benefits obtained by fundraising. Getting people
involved in what is happening and then giving them positive feedback about their
actions or performance makes them feel good about themselves. When people are
feeling good about themselves, their focus becomes externalized and their
positive characteristics come to the fore; feelings of tolerance, love and
generosity towards others. Guiding people in the right direction is
a delicate and important part of creating a great atmosphere and making a
success of your event. It doesn’t matter whether you are holding the event in
aid of famine or flood in Africa or fundraising for a local mental health
charity; supporting conditions such as bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic
depression and affecting around 5.7 million people in the US); or promoting
understanding of schizophrenia (a highly treatable brain disease affecting
around 3 million people in the US and which falls into three categories:
positive/psychotic; negative; or disorganized). When people are in two minds about participating, their
feelings are not engaged and this will reflect in the level of
donations you can expect from the event.
Connecting
with people’s feelings can also be affected by their political beliefs. Liberals
tend to respond well to themes around nurturing, caring and protection of the
vulnerable; whereas Conservatives are more likely to respond to stimuli based on
moral guidelines, respect for authority and the priority of the group over the
individual. Any fundraising event which is likely to incorporate guests from
both sides of the political divide will need to address how to get both on board
without alienating either.
Choosing
a Crowd Pleaser
Perhaps
almost as difficult as addressing the issues around encouraging people to give,
is the decision as to what sort of fundraising event to stage. Understanding
your audience is imperative and may make the difference between a successful
outcome and a disappointment. There are so many possible events to choose from
that it can be hard to narrow that down and make the right decision.
From
selling T-shirts to charity raffles, there are quite literally hundreds, if not
thousands, of ideas out there. Many large organizations rely on fundraisers
hosted by celebrities with show-stopping music acts to round off a sumptuous
meal. Smaller organizations do things on a smaller scale but still pull out all
the stops to attract potential donors.
A
quite unique and engaging possibility is a murder mystery dinner show. Many
people will not have had the opportunity to attend this kind of fundraiser
before and it brings something entirely new to the fundraising arena. The Killing
Kompany has been specializing in providing fundraiser
entertainment since 1993 and have a long track record of achievement in making
these events both enjoyable and successful. With members of the cast interacting
with the guests in your chosen setting, audience participation is virtually
guaranteed. Creating a wonderful atmosphere with humor and artistic skills,
their expertise will have your guests on the edges of their seats, rocking with
laughter and full of the feel-good factor.
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