would be purrfect for me, love the kitty’s. Downton Abbey one of my...What Makes You Give?
Before I took the job as director of our local humane society, my entire fundraising career had been at a private girls’ school and a rather posh botanical garden. The day I walked into my office for the first time, my assistant – a crusty 74-year-old former humane officer who didn’t have much use for people and was plenty bitter about being off the road – took one look at my preppy self (I may actually have been wearing a circle pin) and made it her mission to educate me about my new line of work.
Her method was to join, on my behalf, every humane group, large or small, that sent out graphic pictures of suffering animals. Morning after morning, I’d come in and find some horrific image of a badly injured dog or cat staring up at me with a story that would tear your heart to shreds.
At first, being new to the field and eager to learn, I read everything put in front of me. But soon I began to feel the excitement and determination that had brought me to this new endeavor slipping away. If the situation for animals was this overwhelmingly awful, surely my efforts would do little to change things. I wanted to run back to my clean-cut world of smart girls and beautiful flowers. But, something had brought me to this task and I knew I had to find a way to do it.
So, in one of my very few executive orders, I banished the negative press from my office and started taking a good look at those organizations, in animal welfare and all sorts of other fields, whose mailings compelled me to jump in, or better yet, to reach for my checkbook.
What I discovered was that I didn’t need to be hit over the head with hideous pictures and graphic descriptions to understand when help was needed. In fact, those images and descriptions made me turn away and left me feeling helpless and a little sick to my stomach. It was a feeling I hated so much that I stopped opening those mailings the way I avoid eating oysters.
The mailings I opened with enthusiasm were those that showed me, in upbeat, cleverly written stories and smashing happy-ending photos, the good work the organizations were doing and how I could become a part of it. Those mailings have been the models for my work over the years and those organizations are still the organizations I support.
And yet, day after day, I turn on my computer to find email after email with horrific pictures of animals suffering all over the world (today it was waters off the coast of Denmark running red with the blood of slaughtered whales, several abused dogs from across the country, and downed cows at a slaughterhouse). I care desperately about these animals, but I confess that I cannot deal with those emails. Every morning, I run through the list with my finger on the delete key, scrambling to get the negativity off my computer so I can concentrate on the work I am doing to save the animals I feel I can save. I know I miss opportunities to make a difference just because I cannot face the messages.
But for thousands of others, these emails must work or they wouldn’t keep coming – so my question is, what makes you stop and read? What makes you pull out your credit card? What makes you run the other way? I’ll share your responses in a future blog entry.
Tags: Marketing & Media, Photos, Shelter Management
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Susan Ruderman Says:
Sigh. The eternal struggle in fundraising–head versus heart. Philanthropy comes from both, but as you so rightly ask, where is the line between an image that compels to action, and an image that makes one want to just pull the covers up over one’s head? I’ve chosen in my own appeals to err on the side of caution and avoid images that could cause discomfort. But in doing so, I have doubtless left money on the table in cases where a more “upsetting” image would have prompted giving. But would that person responding to that one sensationalized case actually become a lifelong supporter of my organization? I’m betting no, but I understand the impulse to go for the “easy” gift instead of creating a longer-term relationship that enables giving even without the horrific images. Compassion fatigue affects donors just as it does direct animal care workers, so at the end of the day, I’d rather raise a little less from one appeal and retain the ability to have those recipients open my e-mail and direct mail without worrying that doing so will cause nightmares.
Kathryn Hildebrandt Says:
Sensationalism gets not one penny from me. No one likes to feel manipulated, and gruesome stories and images are an attempt to manipulate my emotions, which I deeply resent. Over my lifetime, I have become quite cynical and jaded with regard to charitable organizations in general, no matter how worthy the cause – especially the large, well-known ones. Their motto seems to be “Let no good deed go unpunished.” If I make any sort of donation, it’s a sure bet my name and address will be sold to dozens of other charities, all of whom will soon be clamoring for attention in my mailbox. If I pay for a “membership” in one of these organizations, within two or three months’ time, I will receive a letter insisting that it is time to “renew” my “annual” membership. Such manipulation and deception cause me to doubt the sincerity of the charity. And knowing that some spend as much as 90% of the donations on commissions for professional, paid fund raisers, or on executive salaries, sickens me.
What makes me want to give? Tell me of your successes. Show me a financial report. Impress me with how well you manage your budget, in order to render the best possible benefit for the most animals in need in your community. Maybe you visit elementary schoolrooms and talk to the children about responsible pet ownership, spaying & neutering, respect, love and care, about a lifetime commitment? Excellent! I will hand you cash on the spot.
Oh, and did I just say “community?” Yes, I am interested in helping those within my reach. So, someone halfway across the continent did something horrific to an animal that will require thousands of dollars worth of surgery to correct, and even then the animal will probably always be in pain, and you want me to contribute? Sorry, but that poor creature should be shown one last act of mercy: to be euthanized. There are too many healthy animals right here in my own backyard, with no pain, absolutely nothing wrong with them, who are going to be euthanized by the local shelter because too many people don’t know responsibility, what it means to commit to a companion animal for life, and not enough people are able to adopt.
Steve Froehlich Says:
I’ve always liked an advertisement produced by the fundraising consultants at LW Robbins which lists the “9 Reasons People Give.” You can find a link here.
Timy Sullivan Says:
Thanks for sharing “Reasons People Give.” Loved the one-word reasons and the commentary. If I think about what motivates me to give and what I’ve always been told by the “experts” motivates others, it all fits nicely into this post. The trick, of course, is finding innovative ways to tap into those basic motivations. A nice way to frame the challenge of reaching out to donors…..