80% of Major Donors give for Emotional Reasons – how to use Emotions in Fundraising

You want to ask a major donor for a donation, so you research the donor, present your project, and cite important facts and figures. All of this is important, but:

80% of major donors donate for emotional reasons.

Below, we explain why this is the case and how you can use this fact to increase your donation volume.

The Role of Emotions in the Decision-making Process

American anthropologist and psychologist Paul Ekman defined seven universal basic human emotions: joy, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise, anger, and contempt.

Although psychology today relies on an expanded taxonomy and tends to ask which emotions are present rather than how many, these seven basic emotions laid the foundation and continue to be an important point of reference.

Emotions are triggered by external stimuli (triggers) or internal needs and are expressed for a specific purpose. One such purpose is decision-making.

Although the rational prefrontal cortex is responsible for decision-making, it is strongly influenced by the emotional centre of the brain, the limbic system. Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio and his colleagues even argue that, in the absence of emotional markers, decision-making becomes virtually impossible.

What does this mean for your fundraising?

How to use Emotions in Major Donor Fundraising

Let’s return to the initial statement that 80% of donation decisions are based on emotions.

This is no longer surprising when you consider the points above regarding decision-making, because major donor fundraising is ultimately about a decision: Will the major donor give to your project or not?

The decision to make a donation is therefore preceded by a decision-making process. This sounds logical, but it is central to the preparation of your project presentation.

Use emotional triggers deliberately to evoke feelings in the major donor that will lead to a positive donation decision.

Consider the following points for your project presentation:

1. Bring emotions into play

When presenting your project, statistics and facts may make the major donor think, but emotions will make them act. Major donors give when they feel an emotional connection to the project, the organisation, or the fundraiser.

Think in advance about which emotions you want to appeal to. Take anger and contempt, for example: these emotions are often triggered when people learn about injustice. Donating can help relieve these feelings.

2. Establish a connection

Create a connection between the major donor and your project. People who feel connected also feel empathy, and empathy is a decisive factor in supporting others.

3. Present a concrete example

Present a concrete, real-life example. Studies show that people are more likely to donate when they have a name, a face, and a story. A real story triggers emotions and compassion in a way that pure facts and figures cannot.

4. Seek personal conversation

Arrange an in-person conversation with major donors. In a one-to-one setting, you can convey emotional cues much more effectively.

Our clients often ask us: “But how do I get a major donor to agree to a meeting?” This and other important relationship-management tips are frequently discussed in our consultations.

5. Let the major donor speak

Once you are face-to-face with a major donor, let them speak as much as possible. People feel most comfortable when they are talking — and comfort is key to making an emotionally grounded decision to give a major donation.

In our workshops, participants practise the 80/20 rule intensively: Let the major donor speak 80% of the time. This alone will bring you a big step closer to securing a large contribution.

Questions? Write us!