How to Persuade New Donors to Join Your Nonprofit Mission
In 1984 Robert Cialdini wrote a groundbreaking book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, outlining principles of influence that affect human behaviors.
These principles are well documented, and can be incredibly useful to fundraisers.
Even someone inclined to support your cause may not give unless you push the right buttons.
Here are five triggers — with a few suggested strategies (I’m sure you can come up with more) — to use these principles in your offline and online relationship building with prospective supporters:
1. Social Proof (also known as ‘Word of Mouth’)
When folks believe their peers approve of you they’ll be more likely to approve of you as well. It’s a built-in decision-making shortcut.
Offline tips:
- Invite prospects to events where they can rub shoulders with their peers.
- Better yet, ask board and committee leaders and existing donors to invite friends to attend with them. People will more likely say “yes” to people they know and like.
- At events, have current supporters give testimonials as to how they first got involved with your organization and why they continue to support you. In other words, have them show your new guests why they are very much like them.
Online tips:
- Ask current supporters to “talk” about you in their personal social media channels.
- Encourage current supporters to share your e-newsletters and blog posts with friends via email and social media.
- Sprinkle supporter testimonials throughout your website (e.g., “This is the greatest investment I ever made. The staff really knows what they’re doing and they use my money wisely. I know it goes directly to help people in need and I always receive reports demonstrating the impact of my giving.”).
2. Loss Aversion (also known as the Scarcity Principle or ‘FOMO’)
When folks believe they’re going to miss out on something they are wired to do anything they can to avoid this loss. They want more of what there is less of. Scarcity adds value.
Offline tips:
- Create a sense of scarcity by noting space is extremely limited and that it’s first come/first served. Perhaps mention that previous events sold out.
- Create a sense of exclusivity by sending an event invitation that offers an intimate meeting with someone desirable.
- Let appeal letter recipients know the first 100 $1,000 donors will get plaques with their names on the new theater’s chairs.
Online tips:
- Suggest the first 25 people who retweet your advocacy alert will be entered into a raffle to win a prize from your sponsor.
- Suggest that everyone who pins a photo of themselves wearing or displaying anything with your name on it will be eligible for a prize.
3. Anchoring
The human brain compares subsequent options with the one that came first and uses this as a means to get the best deal.
Offline tips:
- Secure a one-to-one matching grant for this year’s appeal and say “This year your $100 goes twice as far!”.
- For your event, consider doing the opposite of what most nonprofits do. Instead of increasing your event ticket prices this year, get a larger venue and a sponsor — and reduce the price. Then point out you’re thankful to the sponsor for making it possible for folks to attend this year at a discounted rate.
Online tip:
- Offer a bonus to folks who subscribe to your newsletter (e.g., a tip sheet, reading list or recipe booklet that’s somehow tied to your mission) so it’s now a “deal” to sign up.
4. Commitment and Consistency (also known as ‘Foot in the Door’)
Folks are social creatures bent on creating and sustaining social bonds. If they’ve said “yes” to you once, they’re more likely to do so again to demonstrate their consistency and commitment. Truly, donor cultivation is all about the “foot in the door.” You guide prospects through a series of “moves” or “touches” that request gradually increasing levels of commitment.Smaller “yeses” turn into larger ones.
Offline tips:
- The simplest thing you can do is remind folks they’ve engaged with you in the past — donated, volunteered, attended an event, participated in a program, signed a petition, and so forth.
- Thank people for their previous actions. When folks are reminded they’ve already gone through this decision process, they’re more likely to do the same thing again — and maybe even take the next step.
Online tips:
- Begin with asking for “likes” and “follows,” but don’t stop there.
- Once they’ve said “yes” to following you, ask them to share your message, photo or video.
- Then ask them to do something else, like take a pledge or contact their congressperson.
- In between asks, be sure to provide them with valuable content so it’s not all about you.
5. Authority
Folks inherently trust authority figures. These may be folks perceived as experts on a subject or as having social status.
Offline tip:
- Invite respected authorities to attend your events and address the crowd.
- Ask admired celebrities to make cameo video appearances at events or on your website.
- Invite important program people — doctors; professors; artists; scientists; activists — to address your constituents.
Online tips:
- Establish your organization as a thought leader in your field by initiating discussions on platforms like LinkedIn and YouTube.
- Include your staff’s credentials in listings on your website, and perhaps include a short bio of each of your senior staff.
- Link to published articles and research papers written by your staff.
- Seek out influencers in your community or area of work and expertise; ask them to promote your content.
If you use these principles of influence they will significantly increase the likelihood that your constituents’ responses to your call to action will be “yes.”
Do you have tips for using principles of influence to persuade folks to say “yes?” Please share in comments, below.
Show Your Donors What’s In It For Them
A few simple tweaks to how you’re doing things can make a huge difference in your results.
Get The 7 Clairification Keys to Unlock Your Nonprofit’s Fundraising Potential. You’ll receive simple worksheets and exercises to help you (1) articulate what’s special about you; (2) figure out who else might care; (3) determine where your best prospects can be found; (4) establish measurable objectives; (5) clarify which resources are essential to reaching your goal, and more! Sometimes just some simple tweaks to your modus operandi can make all the difference. If you don’t find it useful, tell me. I offer a 30-day, no questions asked, money-back guarantee.
Photo: Gustavo Fring on Pexels
