20-Question-FINAL-2016-r2

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15 Which will raise more money? Answer: Pictures of sad kids NOTES AND ASSUMPTIONS… This is a question you can easily get both right and wrong. Your gut tells you that sad kids probably raise more money. But then your mind reasons, “Yeah, but if we show real-life happy kids, donors will see that our programs are successful.” Makes perfect sense. Yet it’s not even close. Consider this research from the American Marketing Association 2011 Journal of Marketing Research, reported by Jeff Brooks: In other words, a photo of a sad child, like Jenny (below), will likely raise 50% than a photo of a happy or neutral child. Agency: Ask Direct, Ireland. 38 20 Questions RE Donor Communications © Tom Ahern, 2016
There’s a biological reason why bad images raise more money. We all have a lump of neurons popularly called “the lizard brain.” It’s early software. It was wired in at the start of the human evolutionary journey. When we blinked primordial mud from our eyes, two alarming thoughts dominated our primitive processors, both survival messages: (1) “Can I eat it?” (2) “Will it kill me?” In your modern skull and mine, that original “lizard brain” has become what science calls the amygdala (pronounced “ah-MIG-duh-la”; named for its almond-ish shape). “Shown to play a key role in the processing of emotions, the amygdala [a cluster of neurons] ... is linked to both fear responses and pleasure,” Science Daily says. And here’s a fun fact: “Its size is positively correlated with aggressive behavior across species. In humans, it ... shrinks by more than 30% in males upon castration.” Food for thought, peaceniks. As NYU neuroscientist, Joseph LeDoux, states in Emotionomics, “Negative emotions are linked to survival — and are much stronger.” I hope you smell as much opportunity as I do in Dr. LeDoux’s statement. Steven Screen, principal at Seattle-based The Better Fundraising Co., owns more than 20 years of successful fundraising experience. His clients range from WorldVision to Food For The Hungry to Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. Steven follows a simple guideline: use negative imagery in your appeals; use positive imagery in your newsletters. Negative imagery drives giving. Positive imagery reassures donors that something good has happened. 39 20 Questions RE Donor Communications © Tom Ahern, 2016
Page 1 and 2: 20 Questions The Donor Communicatio
Page 3 and 4: There are exceptions to every rule.
Page 5 and 6: 1. How old is the typical donor? [
Page 7 and 8: 20 Answers 7 20 Questions RE Donor
Page 9 and 10: You think you’re speaking to ever
Page 11 and 12: Older donors are better. Why? They
Page 13 and 14: Roger Craver, co-editor of The Agit
Page 15 and 16: 5 Is direct mail past its peak? Ans
Page 17 and 18: 6 What’s the best length for a fu
Page 19 and 20: Of course, if you mention that you
Page 21 and 22: 8 How often can you ask in a year w
Page 23 and 24: The end-of-year results surprised e
Page 25 and 26: 9 Does “raising awareness of our
Page 27 and 28: Raising awareness is a passive, wai
Page 29 and 30: What exactly is the Domain Formula
Page 31 and 32: That’s the brain’s true state.
Page 33 and 34: Fundraising that works is emotional
Page 35 and 36: 13 How quickly should you thank a n
Page 37: Keep an open mind. Angel Aloma, exe
Page 41 and 42: 17 Which is typically larger? Answe
Page 43 and 44: As you’ll note, in Australia, beq
Page 45 and 46: 18 “If we educate our donors abou
Page 47 and 48: 19 Who’s the real hero in fundrai
Page 49 and 50: Between one issue and the next, giv
Page 51 and 52: I’m picking on men a little bit b
Page 53 and 54: Acknowledgements Easily a thousand
Page 55: Good ideas are both born AND made.

20-Question-FINAL-2016-r2

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