Psychology and the words associated with it often convey a sense of hazy, mystical hocus-pocus. However, there is much to be learned from psychology when relating with donors and encouraging them to take action.
1) “Frame an action as preventing a loss”
People are more motivated to take action when they are preventing something from being taken away as opposed to receiving something of equal value. (For example, people will put more effort into saving $1 than they will into attempting to gain $1.) So, instead of writing, “Help ensure our children have a better future,” say, “Don’t let them take away our children’s future.”
2) Use deadlines and highlight scarcity
People place more value on items that are seen as scarce or only available for a brief time. Write lines like, “Only five days left to sign this petition.”
3) Show your supporters
The “bandwagon effect” encourages more people to take action because they see other people are doing the same thing. For example, write “Join 9,241 Philips County residents who care about children.”
4) Engage donors and promote awareness
Many people like things simply because those things are familiar (the “mere exposure” effect). Encourage new donors to take small first steps (such as filling out a survey), and eventually increase those tasks. Studies show that people who finish a small assignment are much more willing to participate in larger actions.
5) Get your message out first
People habitually filter out information that disagrees with their current thinking, so it is very hard to target audiences that already have a different perspective on key issues. Therefore, it is a huge advantage to be the first person to announce a message and to frame an issue.
This is just a brief list of psychological influencers that affect donors’ decisions and how they relate with your organization. For a more complete list of cognitive biases,
click here.
Information taken from: Matt Howes. “Using Psychology to Improve Your Communications.” 20 July 2009. Frogloop. 22 July 2009. <www.frogloop.com>.
-- Ashley High is a Research Assistant at Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) which is a subscription database of foundations that provide grants to faith based organizations. iDonate.com is a website (www.iDonate.com) that allows ministries to receive non cash gifts online