Boost Your Fundraiser with Psychological Techniques
Why will some people give to your crowdfunding fundraiser, while others won’t? The psychology behind why people give provides some clues. According to scientists, giving makes us feel good. When we give, we experience a “helpers high” as it stimulates your brain’s mesolimbic pathway, or reward center and releases endorphins. This can boost self-esteem, elevate happiness and even combat feelings of depression.
According to psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD: “When we do things for other people, it makes us feel much more engaged and joyful…That’s good for our health and our happiness.”
It’s important to think about the psychology of giving when launching your fundraiser. You can use the following insights to help you create or refine a fundraising pitch that appeals to the greatest number of potential donors and inspires them to donate, giving them a helper’s high they won’t forget in a hurry.
What motivates people to donate?
Several studies carried out in the last ten years have proven that when we give we experience higher levels of happiness. One study study led by investigators at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, carried out an experiment whereby researchers gave 50 people $100, and instructed half of them to spend it on themselves, and the other half to spend it on someone else over the next four weeks.
Scientists studied the brains of the participants and found that those who spent money on other people had more meaningful interactions with other people and reported higher levels of happiness after the experiment was over.
But what actually motivates people to donate?
Having skin in the game
People are more likely to offer support when they believe they can help solve a specific problem. Merely feeling sorry for someone isn’t enough to inspire action. Even if they empathize with you, if people have no stake in solving the problem, they’ll be far less likely to make a contribution.
What gives someone a personal stake in your cause? It comes down to three things.
How much difference can I really make?
Donors usually take into account perceived benefit to the recipient, as well as any personal cost to themselves. When you ask for support, always add a cost breakdown to give donors a clear idea of where their funds will go and how they’ll be used. Seeing the impact of one’s donation can be a compelling reason to give.
Do I know you?
People help people in their social circles—friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, community members. That’s why it’s so vital to share your fundraiser with your own social network—the people most likely to donate to your fundraiser.
You’ll know if I do (or don’t) donate
Sharing your fundraiser on social media isn’t enough. When asking for a donation, reach out directly to friends and family. “Knowing that you know that they know” boosts their sense of personal responsibility. Psychologists studying why people donate to charity found that the primary reason is simply “because they were asked by someone”—someone they knew, who asked them directly.
Getting that warm glow
Beyond having a stake in the outcome, people want the warm, fuzzy feeling you get after doing a good deed. We’re wired for that warm glow. It’s a feedback mechanism for prosocial behavior, a combination of empathy and pride.
Surprisingly, those with a lower personal stake in your cause can actually get more of this feeling when they donate. If you want people outside your immediate circle to give to your fundraiser, this can be an important motivator. Make the promise of that feeling more obvious, and you can increase the chances that someone, somewhere, will donate for a hit of the warm fuzzies.
Avoiding guilt
According to Neurensics, people don’t like to feel guilty. In fact, we dislike feeling guilty so much that we will try very hard to take action to rid ourselves of guilt. You can use this information to help you get more donations but there is one important factor to consider. Feeling guilty alone will not make someone donate. In order to take action they need to know that their donation will make a difference. The better you explain how their contributions will help, the greater their sense of personal responsibility—and the more likely they’ll be to rally to your cause.
Four psychological tools to boost donations
1. Frame the ask
Donors’ willingness to give is dependent on the frame of mind, which in turn is determined by how you ask for a donation. It might seem simple but how you ask for help matters. A recent paper published by John Costello and Selin Malkoc, investigated whether or not people preferred to be asked to donate their time or money. They found that the majority of people preferred to donate time. Their reasoning for this was that they found that people liked to have control over their donation. Once someone donated money, they lost control over where that money was spent, however by donating time they could remain part of the donation journey and control the outcome.
If you are someone who needs monetary donations and not time, don’t worry, all is not lost. Costello and Malkoc concluded that you can encourage more monetary donations by giving people more control over where the money would be spent, for instance by telling them that they can choose the specific activities their money will support. When they tested this intervention in one of their studies, they found this method effective. Interest in money donations increased from 51% to 74%.
The takeaway: How you pose a question can have a significant impact on someone’s intent to give. When making your ask, try to frame it in a way that triggers donors’ philanthropic impulses – even if you’re asking for money.
2. Be direct with your ask and get specific
A study carried out by a Stanford student called Xuan Zhao, found that most acts of giving are made after a specific request has been made of the donor. This is not because people don’t want to give, it is because oftentimes people don’t realize that their help is needed.
This is why when asking for donations, it is important to get personal and be specific about why you need help. Give as many details about yourself or the beneficiary as possible, to help donors feel emotionally invested. If your fundraiser is for multiple victims of a tragedy, try to relay as much as you can about each person involved.
3. Let them know you’re almost there
Another study found that the closer a fundraiser is to meeting its goal, the more likely people are to donate. This idea of tangibility increases perceived impact, “the perception that one’s involvement will make a difference”—and motivates people to donate.
To increase your fundraiser’s momentum, ask those closest to you to make their contributions early on. Setting your fundraising goal relatively low can also give your fundraiser a tangibility boost. Remember, you can always increase your goal at any point.
4. Complete the circle of empathic joy
To retain donors, it’s vital to post updates to your fundraising page. Updates make donors feel valued, allow them to follow your progress, and see how their contributions are helping. It all adds up to what researchers call empathic joy.
Include a breakdown of costs with each update, so donors can see how their funds are helping. And make sure to thank your donors. Your gratitude will heighten their emotional reward, increasing the likelihood that they’ll give again.
When you’re creating your fundraiser or optimizing your crowdfunding strategy, use these insights and tips to tap into your largest potential pool of donors, then activate them in an effective and meaningful way.
Start your fundraiser today
Ready to start your fundraiser and put your new found knowledge into practice? You can start a GoFundMe today. GoFundMe is on hand to answer and crowdfunding questions you may have and offers helpful tips to make you fundraiser a success and provides a helpful guide on mistakes to avoid when fundraising.