Hands-On Fundraising

Donor communications | Annual Giving | Fundraising Plans

  • About
  • Blog
  • Praise
  • Services
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Blog / Do you want to really connect? Show, don’t tell me.

Do you want to really connect? Show, don’t tell me.

Show don't tell me

 

One more about the importance of emotion in your fundraising. This week, let’s look at images, not words.

There is no faster way into our brains than an image.

As Peter Temple explains in this post, “We don’t see words as a series of letters. We see them as pictures.”

He goes on to say that our brains read words as a series of images. We’re able to quickly (milliseconds) put them together when we read. But what we’re doing to read is hard work. We’re constantly translating. (And remember your donors aren’t going to work hard to understand you.)

Images, however, are instantly and easily read. He says that “people can remember more than 2500 images with at least 90 percent accuracy for days after initial exposure.”

People can remember more than 2500 images with at least 90 percent accuracy for days after initial exposure.

So, yes, pictures are powerful. But how to use them?

Lisa Sargent warns us against feel-good pictures here.

Why? They’re not as motivating. She cites “emotional contagion” – sad images are catching. (Lisa also links to a post from Jeff Brooks with research reported in the AMA Journal of Marketing Research. The upshot? Sad faces raise more money. Read both these posts for lots of great detail and advice).

Resist the urge to show only happy pictures of your work. What you’re communicating is that the problem is solved and the donor is no longer needed. That’s not what you want to say, is it?

I used to drive colleagues crazy, reminding them that our photos needed “eyes and teeth” as Tom Ahern says.

Look for photos where your subject is looking directly into the camera. Eye to eye contact, even from the page or screen, is more effective.

boy poor afraid

Finally, some advice from Getty Images (they should know from images, right?). They’ve identified four factors that make an image powerful.

1. Authenticity is more important than perfection.

Think about this when you’re choosing your images. It’s more important that they be believable and feel real, even if the photo quality is a little lacking. Some grainy photos that might not even make it into your scrapbook have raised a lot of money. Because they feel real.

2. Cultural relevancy

Here, Getty cites those Cheerios ads featuring a mixed race family. Cheerios experienced quite a backlash. (So sad – it’s 2014, folks!). But for a larger segment of their audience, the ads made a powerful statement. Know what moves your donors and prospective donors. Don’t be afraid to take a stand.

 

Helping hands
You don’t just see the clay – you FEEL the clay.

 

 3. Sensory currency

This one is interesting, because the same idea works with words as well. Getty mentions the desire for human contact. That urge draws us to images that show hands-on activities and professions. Words or images that stimulate our tactile senses translate well.

4. Classic storytelling archetypes

Archetypes are those classic characters that we see in stories over and over again. Getty mentions one that’s particularly important in fundraising – the hero. Just remember who the hero is – your donor. This is where a positive photo can work – show people doing what you want your donor to do. Frame the heroic work you’re displaying as an invitation for your reader to join in.

 

Batman and Joker
Remember, your donor gets to play the hero.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal letters, appeal writing, emotional contagion, fundraising appeals, fundraising images 3 Comments

Fundraising advice served fresh to your inbox

Get yours here:

Comments

  1. adriansalmon says

    August 12, 2014 at 5:46 pm

    Really good stuff Mary!

    Reply
    • Mary Cahalane says

      August 12, 2014 at 7:30 pm

      Thanks, Adrian!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Looking for new donors? 5 things to think about – Hands-On Fundraising says:
    October 27, 2015 at 11:49 am

    […] your letter about stories and feelings. This is not the place for logical arguments, this is the place to touch […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fundraising advice served fresh to your inbox

Get yours here:

Search

Recent Posts

  • Why is an annual giving program so scary?
  • 3 Smart Strategies to Boost Online Giving for Your Nonprofit
  • Do you have a cause worth joining?
  • Your donors want to know: will you still love me tomorrow?
  • The case of the disappearing donor
small divider

One of Bloomerang’s 100+ Fundraising Blogs You Should Be Reading in 2017

Top Fundraising Blog Feedspot
Best Fundraising Blogs 2018

Work with me!

Let's talk about how I can help your organization raise more money.

Contact

  • Annual Giving
  • Donor communications
  • Fundraising plans

Copyright © 2018 · Mary Cahalane · Hands-On Fundraising · P.O. Box 183 · Plantsville, CT 06479

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.