{"id":21820,"date":"2020-02-20T14:25:40","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T14:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virtuous.org\/raise\/2020\/02\/20\/4-ways-to-increase-the-desire-to-give-in-the-mind-of-a-donor\/"},"modified":"2020-02-20T14:25:40","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T14:25:40","slug":"4-ways-to-increase-the-desire-to-give-in-the-mind-of-a-donor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/virtuous.org\/raise\/4-ways-to-increase-the-desire-to-give-in-the-mind-of-a-donor\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Increase the Desire to Give in the Mind of a Donor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Success in online fundraising depends on your ability to increase the desire to give in the mind of your donor. But how do you do that?\u00a0 Our research has revealed four reliable ways.<\/h3>\n

While it\u2019s simple to connect the dots between an increase in desire to an increase in how much is raised\u2014it’s quite a different challenge to understand how to make that happen.<\/p>\n

So often we start with a gut feeling\u2014a sense of intuition about what might work and what won’t; what will be good and what will be bad.<\/p>\n

But what if you had research showing you what to do? What if you were being guided by facts rather than just a feeling?<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there is compelling evidence for how to increase the desire to give in the mind of a donor. <\/span><\/p>\n

In partnership with our friends at NextAfter, we conducted a comprehensive study<\/a> on the online giving experiences of 200+ nonprofit organizations.<\/p>\n

And what we discovered was that across the board\u2014the most critical contributing factor to success<\/strong>\u2014is how effective an organization communicates their value proposition.<\/p>\n

What is your value proposition?<\/h2>\n

Your value proposition is the reason why people should give to you, rather than some other organization, or not at all.<\/p>\n

When someone arrives on your donation page, do they understand why they should give to you? How their gift makes an impact? Why it matters?<\/p>\n

The good news is that you have full control over communicating your value proposition.<\/p>\n

The bad news is that it\u2019s also one of the hardest parts of marketing to get right.<\/p>\n

For example… nonprofits often make the mistake of crafting an entirely logical<\/i> value proposition.<\/p>\n

The core of their proposition ends up being that we should give to them because\u2026<\/p>\n

    \n
  • It makes sense,<\/li>\n
  • It\u2019s practical, and<\/li>\n
  • It\u2019s the most effective way to solve the problem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    While this feels like a solid argument to those already sold on the mission\u2014it\u2019s not as compelling to someone on the outside who is considering all of their options.<\/p>\n

    Why, you ask? Because donors don\u2019t primarily give for logical reasons.<\/p>\n

    Donors give for <\/b>emotional<\/b> reasons.<\/b><\/p>\n

    Donors give because something inside them is moved with compassion, fear, anger, or pride (or some variant of these powerful emotions).<\/p>\n

    Logic and reason are<\/strong> important, of course. Your value proposition needs to be reasonable. It needs to make sense.<\/p>\n

    But the way you express your value proposition must produce a strong emotional response in the donor in order to increase their desire to give.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Think of it this way: for every gift a donor considers, they weigh “the cost” of making the donation against the value.\u00a0 If the cost is too high, they won’t give.\u00a0 And so it goes, that it is essential to increase the perceived value of the donation.<\/p>\n

    When you clearly communicate value through emotional connection\u2014you increase the desire to give in the mind of the donor.<\/p>\n

    It’s at this point, when it is important to lay out the logical support for making a gift.\u00a0 This provides donors with assurance that their emotions have lead them to the best decision they can make.<\/p>\n

    But only after<\/strong> you\u2019ve stoked their giving desire through an emotionally compelling value proposition.<\/p>\n

    So how do you craft a powerful value proposition?<\/h2>\n

    When it comes to communicating value, you must answer a question in the mind of the donor, “If I am your ideal donor, why should I give to you rather than some other organization or not at all?”<\/p>\n

    There are four essential ways to answer this question.<\/p>\n

    #1. Desire<\/h3>\n

    Does the donor want what you\u2019re offering? Are they clear on the impact their gift will make? Do they believe the work you are doing is important enough?<\/p>\n

    If a donor is ambiguous on answering these questions, we shouldn’t expect them to exchange their money for what we are offering.<\/p>\n

    When donors hesitate to give, it’s often because the message is not articulating the impact well enough. The exchange is becoming all cost and no value.<\/p>\n

    A great way to build value is by being specific about the impact a gift can make. Donors must understand… how a life is changed, a crisis averted, a family is fed, the ocean is cleaned… you get the idea.<\/p>\n

    Show your donors, specifically…<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. …what you can do with their gift.
      \n(ex: $100 sends life-saving medicine to a family in need.<\/em>)<\/li>\n
    2. …the impact a gift makes when it meets a specific need.
      \n(ex: Your gift keeps families from having to take on second and third jobs\u2014which means they can be together, care for each other, and focus on getting healthy.<\/em>)<\/li>\n
    3. …the ultimate outcome.
      \n(ex: Your gift provides peace of mind and less stress to a family as they are finally able to take this positive step in their lives.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Specificity builds your credibility as it demonstrates your ability to connect a donor with the impact they want to make in the world.<\/p>\n

      2. Exclusivity<\/h3>\n

      Exclusivity means, \u201cI can\u2019t get this anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

      So… can their gift make the same or greater impact anywhere else? Are there other organizations doing the same thing?<\/p>\n

      What makes your organization unique?\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

      For example, do you work from a different perspective or a specific reason? Have you been doing it longer or in a new way?<\/p>\n

      Make no mistake, every nonprofit (especially yours!) is unique in some special way. You might have\u2026<\/p>\n

        \n
      • A beloved leader<\/li>\n
      • A fascinating history<\/li>\n
      • A landmark building or property<\/li>\n
      • An innovative approach or out-of-the-box method<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        If you dive into this, you will find plenty about your organization that sets you apart.<\/p>\n

        Just keep in mind: when communicating exclusivity, there is no need to draw direct comparison to other organizations. You only need to highlight ways in which your organization is different.<\/p>\n

        3. Clarity<\/h3>\n

        Is explaining what you do complicated?\u00a0 Do donors understand why it matters? Do they understand the impact their gift makes?<\/p>\n

        The answers to these questions are all a function of clarity.<\/p>\n

        If donors are confused about what you offer, they\u2019ll look past you for somebody who can communicate with clarity.<\/p>\n

        Now don’t misunderstand\u2014clarity is not<\/strong> about persuasion.\u00a0 Donors aren’t looking to be persuaded.\u00a0 They are seeking to understand.<\/p>\n

        So instead of worrying about putting together a clever and persuasive message\u2014focus instead on answering the essential question of your value proposition:<\/p>\n

        Why should someone give to you, rather than some other organization, or not at all?<\/strong><\/p>\n

        No one will understand the impact their gift can make through your organization until you tell them the right way.<\/p>\n

        So as you think about the message you communicate\u2014keep in mind that your primary goal isn’t to generate a creative masterpiece.\u00a0 It is, above all else, to be clear.<\/p>\n

        4. Credibility and Believability<\/h3>\n

        Do donors believe you?<\/p>\n

        Maybe you haven’t asked yourself that question.\u00a0 Perhaps you’ve just assumed that people will inherently trust what you proclaim.<\/p>\n

        But that’s just not reality.<\/p>\n

        While often the work of nonprofits is perceived through the lens of philanthropy and humanitarianism\u2014it is also quite frequently met with skepticism, uncertainty, and doubt.<\/p>\n

        Saying you do good work doesn\u2019t necessarily make donors feel they should believe you. In all of your marketing materials, look for ways to show proof of your credibility and expertise.<\/p>\n

        When you speak about your organization, try using quantitative instead of qualitative statements. For example, you can say that you found forever homes for over 10,000 dogs and cats\u2014but when you say you’re the best at rescuing dogs and cats… people get suspicious.<\/p>\n

        Give donors facts that they can believe, but let outside voices tout your achievements. Third-party testimonials, trustmakers, or statistics can all build credibility so donors feel good about giving you their money.<\/p>\n

        Plus… you don’t end up sounding like a braggy know-it-all. <\/span><\/p>\n

        Tactics vs. Essentials<\/h2>\n

        While there are many tactics you can use to get a donor’s attention (like compelling photography, cool videos, or cutting edge technology)\u2014these four items are the essentials you must have in place to increase desire.<\/p>\n

        Raising donors isn\u2019t about having the best technology, the coolest website, or the newest tactics.<\/p>\n

        Raising donors is about building trust.<\/p>\n

        If donors don’t understand, they cannot trust. So invest your time and resources into communicating your value.<\/p>\n

        When donors understand your value, they will want to invest and become a part of the story you are telling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Success in online fundraising depends on your ability to increase the desire to give in the mind of your donor. But how do you do that?\u00a0 Our research has revealed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":21822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[818],"tags":[],"types":[],"ppma_author":[816],"class_list":["post-21820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-donation-page-optimization","author-stephen-boudreauvirtuous-org"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t