Floating hearts for you, my friend! This is the 136th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can ​subscribe here for free.)​

In this issue:

✅ 3 ways you can raise more $ by connecting to your donors' identity

✅ Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

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Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Hi Reader,

Honestly, I was more than a bit scared a few weeks ago when I had surgery.

You never know, you know?

I'm so glad to be healing well. I'm feeling much better now.

Soon I expect to receive a "grateful patient" appeal letter from the hospital's foundation. The message will likely invoke my appreciation for the nurses and doctors who helped me. My gratitude will be my motivation for giving.

For fundraisers, understanding the "why" behind a donor's giving is certainly important.

But motivation is only part of the equation, because motivation does not necessarily speak to who a donor is.

If you speak to who I am,

you have my attention... and my heart.

You can do this with your donors by applying philanthropic psychology, aka Phil Psych®. It's the science of how people love themselves and others, and how this informs giving. It's about growing giving by growing love.

Most traditional fundraising training emphasizes donors' motivations alone. It's all about a person's particular WHY when they give.

Philanthropic psychology, on the other hand, looks at what people say about themselves when they donate.

What kind of person are you when you give?

Who do you want to be at your best?

Once you understand this concept, you can write and talk to donors in a way that celebrates who they are rather than what they are doing.

Dr. Jen Shang is the world’s only philanthropic psychologist. You can read about her science and view her education courses. I earned a certificate in Philanthropic Psychology with distinction and served as a tutor in Dr. Shang's incredible Certificate in Fundraising Copywriting program. (Highly recommend!)

Dr. Shang notes,

This means:

• Increased giving amounts
• Higher giving frequency
• Improved donor retention rates

Why is this?

People are wired to seek out enjoyable experiences. When we find them, we want to repeat them.

If you enhance that enjoyable giving feeling
by connecting to your donors' identity, you'll
grow your giving and your donors' well-being.

So, let's!

Here are...

3 ways you can raise more $ by connecting to your donors' identity

According to Dr. Shang, the 3 key components of psychological well-being are autonomy, connection, and competence.

Examples incoming...

Autonomy: Donors want to feel seen and heard for who they are when they're at their best. Autonomy is the ability to choose your best self, to take actions that embody your ideals i.e., the action of giving.)

BEFORE — TYPICAL FUNDRAISING LANGUAGE:

AFTER — BOOSTING AUTONOMY (in red)

Notice how "using your voice" and "standing strong" are physical actions that imply agency and autonomy: choosing to be a certain kind of person — someone who cares enough to take action.

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Connectedness: Donors want to feel connected to something bigger than themselves and to others whom they care about.

BEFORE — TYPICAL FUNDRAISING LANGUAGE:

AFTER — BOOSTING CONNECTEDNESS (in red):

Notice how being "truly special" because you're someone whose "heart beats" for ill patients and their families implies a profound connection.

That "your love is noticed and deeply appreciated" implies a connection between you and those who are grateful for you, including the organization (represented by "me," who wrote to you) and the beneficiaries ("people going through such difficult times").

Highlighting a sense of connection embraces the donor's ideal self as an important member of a community doing good things for a good cause.

Competence: Donors want to feel they are effective in making the world a better place.

BEFORE — TYPICAL FUNDRAISING LANGUAGE:

AFTER — BOOSTING COMPETENCE (in red):

Notice how competence is implied. You are vigilant. You will not let bad things happen "on your watch." This is reinforced in that "you have the power" and "unwavering commitment." You're a competent person who gets things done. That's just who you are.

When you're good, it's good to be you.

Your donors want and deserve that.

So use Phil Psych to help lift them up to their high ideals!

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

For your brain, heart, and funny bone...

• Fundraisingly Informative — 21 and ½ tips for writ­ing bet­ter fundrais­ing materials​ by Lisa Sargent (a SOFII article featuring Sargent's tried and true writing checklist; indispensable tips from one of our sector's best writers)​
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• Philosophically Savory — Hey Claude: garlic bread via Ethan Mollick (an amusing and surreal conversation about garlic bread, connection, and the meaning of life — between a Wharton professor and the AI known as Claude; if you click through the screenshots, don't miss the addendum screenshot in the first comment)
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• Humanely Human — Animal via NYT (a 14-minute podcast episode about how reporter Sam Anderson’s love for animals led him on a journey around the world to encounter all sorts of beloved animals and their people)

Until next time: May you never forget that your donors are people too, and they crave the autonomy, connection, and competence that being their best selves brings.

Grateful,

PS. We wrote a book. It's free.

​You can read it here now.

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