Fundraising is emotional work
We are made for it. We need it, from the most introverted to the most outgoing. There’s a reason solitary detention is such a painful punishment.
We are social creatures.
So, why, oh why, are so many fundraisers falling in love with the magic shortcut (said in sarcasm, a language I’m fairly proficient at) of AI?
We in the nonprofit fundraising world are often looking for the tips and tactics that will make our work easier. I’ve shared many of mine here. But there’s a difference between showing people how to do something and using a new, still-clunky technology.
Have you tried to write something full of feeling and run it through ChatGPT or another AI tool? If you’ve been lucky, you’ve gotten something well-organized and “professional” back. (Professional meaning emotion-free is awful for fundraising communications!)
I imagine one day, a bespoke AI will be able to mirror emotional human communications more accurately. And today, if you’re a good writer, it can serve as a first, organizing draft.
But that’s not the real point I’m attempting to make.
My real beef is taking the human out of our communications.
I understand we all love work that’s faster and easier. I’m old enough to remember the days before computers were an office tool. Believe me, I don’t want to go back to index cards and typewriters!
We can’t take the human out of fundraising, please!
When we experience social pain — a snub, a cruel word — the feeling is as real as physical pain. That finding is among those in a new book, Social, and it is part of scientist Matthew Lieberman’s case that our need to connect is as fundamental as our need for food and water.”
The things that cause us to feel pain are things that are evolutionary recognized as threats to our survival, and the existence of social pain is a sign that evolution has treated social connection like a necessity, not a luxury.” (Both quotes from: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-are-wired-to-connect)
Remember, “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.” AI can mirror human feelings (though not very well yet). But it cannot feel them. That’s a big difference.
Donors make emotional choices to give or not to give
Fundraising is built around those choices. No amount of well-researched points will persuade someone to give when they don’t feel like it. And while we may think we’re making a logical choice, we’re kidding ourselves. We only cover those messy emotions to assure ourselves we’d made a sensible decision.
Knowing that donors respond to their feelings first is powerful. It helps us communicate in the way we’re wired to communicate. And it builds those donor relationships we all talk about. Can you build a relationship on paper? Absolutely.
Fundraisers need to be emotionally fluent
Tools are good things. And we all take advantage of them in our daily lives. I have a big list of writing apps and tools that I turn to. But I create first, then use them. And I have the last say – and the experience to know whether what I’m being told makes sense.
We fundraisers also need connection
It’s easy to think of our communications with donors as one-way. We send something, and either get a response or don’t. We hope to move donors’ hearts, so they’ll want to help.
But keeping things human is also good for us. Those connections work best when they go both ways. Of course, you can’t personally know everyone on your list. But communicating with feeling is good for you, too.
You may occasionally get a note back from a donor, telling you how moved they were. But even if you never hear that directly, you still know that the work you do… even when it’s hard, even when it takes time and effort, even when it makes you cry… matters very much.
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