英文原文
When is emotion too much in charity fundraising? — Charity Link
If you’ve ever donated to charity, you’ll probably be able to say why you made the decision to do so. We know from experience and research that there are many reasons people give, such as having a sense of moral duty or feeling like you can personally relate to a cause. Regular donors to charitable causes often choose to do so because they believe their gift will make a difference. But to what extent do emotions come into play when people become donors? Is it simply about how kind they are on some kind of compassion-richter-scale, or is it because a fundraiser has ‘sold’ the idea well? We take a deeper dive into how emotional impact can increase and decrease the likelihood of donations.
The desire to act
When charity fundraisers are trying to get people to donate, volunteer, sign a petition or attend a charity event, they know the decision must come from a place of desirability. In other words, people have to want to do it. Unlike essential purchases that people need and have to make - like food or paying energy bills - charitable giving only happens because people want to.
And in order for fundraisers to stoke that desire, the donor must feel moved in some way.
The urge to do things like subscribing to a newsletter or signing a petition could be attributed to a sense of egoism (it’s not that big of a deal being free, easy and feel-good). But asking someone to dig into their pocket to part with hard earned cash takes a different type of motivation.
Emotional responses to charity appeals
It’s fair to say that for the vast majority, emotional responses almost entirely outweigh intellectual ones. This is simply because we’re built to feel before we think.
This is brilliantly explained in the chimp paradox theory, which demonstrates how our emotional brain takes control of situations and responses unless we make a deliberate decision to think rationally. You can read more about that here
When we think about responding emotionally to requests from charity, we’re led purely by our feelings about a topic. It’s often about a gut-wrenching, nerve touching, tangible urge to act. This is not wishy washy or abstract, it’s a certainty that we want to do something to make change.
It’s precisely this reaction that charities aim to provoke. They have worked out that by appealing to someone’s emotional brain and telling personal stories rather than delivering cold hard facts, they’re much more likely to compel the donor to action.
For instance instead of saying:
‘Please donate because we need to rehome as many dogs as possible’
It’s more effective to say:
‘Giving money means that healthy dogs like Rover stand a chance at happiness again after his awful mistreatment. Please help save this little ones life from any more suffering or unnecessary euthanasia. He’s depending on people like you’.
Or another example might be;
‘Help feed hungry children by donating today’
You could say
‘5 year old Nadim wants to be a teacher when he grows up. He dreams of a life where he doesn’t have to think about where his next meal is coming from. With your help, Nadim can spend his days playing and growing into the healthy boy he deserves to be’.
Indeed, the gravity of the right story can have great impact for our charities.
Save the Children’s ‘No Child Born to Die’ campaign centred around exactly that. By showcasing individual’s plight along with their humanity and their aspirations, enabled donors to get up close and personal. As interim chief executive of Save the Children, Tanya Steele said at the time
“If we can tell the story in a way that grips someone emotionally, then we know we have a chance of them hopefully considering supporting our cause.”
Behavioural economist and president of emotional insights consultancy ‘Sensory Logic’ Dan Hill entirely agrees with the philosophy of emotional giving.
In a presentation in 2013 called ‘Irrational Fundraising; The power to read supporter’s minds’ , he said people were primarily emotional decision makers. He said
‘it’s how the brain is wired – emotional responses dictate how successful you are at asking for money’.
He went on to say that to get people to think is not what leads to behaviour change – “none of that will happen unless you make an emotional connection”.
An example was given about a fundraising campaign for children in Africa. While an emotion driven story resulted in an average £1.47 donation, those based on facts and educational statistics drew 71 pence.
A combination approach using both rational and emotion resulted in average donations of 89p.
And research by London’s Institute of Practitioners in Advertising mirrored his theory, showing that adverts with a deliberate emotional pull were twice as profitable as those with a rational foundation.
“If you want to be successful at fundraising, the more you make people think, the less they feel; and the less they feel, the less they are motivated to give”
— Dan Hill
As a side note, Hill also makes some excellent observations about the impact of facial expressions. From his 20 years of research, he highlights how by being aware of minor changes around the forehead and eyes to demonstrate disgust or sadness, meant a desire to make change.
Hill emphasises that just through clever awareness, face to face fundraisers can quickly decipher whether someone would be a willing donor or not.
So should fundraisers just focus on emotion and not fact?
Despite the strong evidence that story telling and emotions are the perfect combination, it’s important not to go overboard.
For example, a pretty bland (but safe) approach might be to appeal with
Children’s health begins with vaccines, please give to ensure as many children have a chance to thrive
An excessively emotional appeal might be
Elijah and thousands of other children like him will die a painful slow death from Malaria, gasping for breath as he lays emaciated and desperate... unless you care.
The Fundraising Code of Practice specifically say fundraisers should avoid laying it on too thick. Causing distress or anxiety tends to make people retreat and have the opposite of the desired effect.
The code says of fundraiser behaviour:
“You and the fundraising materials you use must not mislead anyone, or be likely to mislead anyone, either by leaving out information or by being inaccurate or ambiguous or by exaggerating details”
And of standards which apply to specific fundraising methods:
”Your marketing communications must not contain anything that is likely to cause fear or distress without a justifiable reason. If you can justify it, the fear or distress likely to be caused must not be excessive.
You must not use a claim or image that some people may find shocking merely to attract attention. If you use images that some people may find shocking, you should give warnings about this material.”
So how much emotion IS too much?
Obviously charities must be honest at all times, but it comes down to whether the audience find it palatable. We know there genuinely are horror stories about people dying from preventable diseases and the suffering as a consequence of human rights violations and war. We know that animals are tortured and neglected.
But while controversy does have impact, repeatedly and deliberately shocking and attempting to upset people won’t work in the long term.
Guilt can be a powerful motivator but that’s not to say it engages people. Author of ‘The Influential Fundraiser’ Bernard Ross said
“It’s a knee-jerk response... And then it becomes a contest of how emaciated you can make a child look. Like any drug, you have to turn up the emotion to get a reaction. Short term, the emotive stuff works, long-term it eats itself and becomes counter productive”.
It’s a good point. Apathy is surely a charities worst enemy. The more charities bombard people with the terrible realities, the more numb an audience can become and the more likely they are to turn a blind eye.
The bottom line is to remain respectful when trying to solicit donations and never aim to manipulate with emotional blackmail. If charities can develop a good foundation of trust, then it’s far more likely an audience will stop to listen.
“Fundraising is most successful when it’s based on establishing good relationships with donors and developing a bond of trust between the charity and the donor”
— Daniel Fluskey, Head of policy and research, Institute of Fundraising
So how do we find the right balance with emotion and face to face fundraising?
Of course, there is a middle man approach between the two extremes of guilt-tripping and keeping strictly to the facts. It’s important not to think that using emotion is somehow unethical.
The ultimate fundraising goal has to be to understand that emotion has its place and with skill can be applied in a fair but effective way.
In 2017, Fundraising innovators ‘Sofii’ released findings on a study they’d done called ‘The positives and negatives of emotional fundraising’.
Here, they recognised that while negative emotions like anger, guilt or sadness can help to bring home the importance of a problem, it’s positive emotions like hope and empathy-altruism that create the drive to act.
But how does that translate in professional fundraising?
Using excessive horror stories, guilt tripping and so called ‘poverty porn’ can not only create a sense of disconnect and numbness, it can be borderline offensive.
Its important to meet the needs of the donor which may well mean that, rather than over saturating them with the harsh truth, a positive-negative emotional approach could be the way forward.
By appealing to opposite sides of the emotional spectrum; fear with courage, guilt with hope, pain with benevolence, we might just find we kill two birds with one stone. We get donors attention and sympathy, but we hand the power over to them to decide what’s next.
Once we have lit the fire of outrage at an injustice, we can stoke it with comradery and determination to make it right.
Appeals should be filled with passion and power, offering a wide range of things donors can connect to in all their complexity.
8 face to face fundraiser tips for effectively use emotion in fundraising
* Above all, donors need to feel good about giving. Fundraisers should compliment and praise generosity and speak highly of donors in general, * Herd mentality goes a long way. Humans seek out others who feel and act like they do for validation. Fundraisers should aim to create a ‘community’ that cares about their cause – such as ‘dog lovers’ or ‘compassionate people’., * Guilt tripping is not okay and will only ever result in short term gain, if any. Rather, f2f fundraisers should work on using positive emotions such as hope and ‘hand the power’ to the donor to make the happy ending possible, * Remember that it’s common for people to give as a way to show they’re ‘good’ which is different to them genuinely caring about a cause. Asking a donor if they have supported other charities and noting the ‘why’ is a great way to gage how to move forwards with your own request, * Gratitude and appreciation are essential. The more thoughtful and heartfelt the thanks, the more loyalty the donor will have moving forward, * Mistakes such as not remembering the donors name or ignoring details they’ve given is an own goal. Pay attention to everything the donor says and respond personally, not generically, because this is what helps them feel like they matter, * Emphasise the difference their gift will make. Make sure you tell them what their donation does and who it affects., * Recognise when someone isn’t ‘feeling it’ and try a simple switch to a more factual pitch. Sometimes, you might just appeal to their logical brain instead, * Ask them if they have any questions and be sure to answer exactly what they’ve asked.,
It’s important that fundraisers understand the potential donors in front of them and try to gage their needs rather than impressing a pre-recorded script on to them. That means carefully listening!
The truth of the matter is that no single message will resonate with everyone. A carefully thought- out opening question could help establish whether a fundraiser should go for ‘heart’ or ‘mind’ type of pitch. Having both prepared would make a professional fundraiser even more savvy.
But whatever the approach, to appeal to anyone’s best nature and make that deep felt request means to bring honest and open communication to the table.
To gain respect and trust by presenting the story of those you’re representing. With most charitable causes, there doesn’t need to be over the top exaggeration – the recipient’s stories should already have enough behind them for the right people to want to engage.
Are you interested in a career as a professional fundraiser? Our award winning fundraiser training means almost anyone with the right personality traits can make fundraising a successful career. Paired with our innovative approach, passionate back office team and generous benefits, Charity Link is one of the best fundraising agencies to work for.
To register your interest, why not reach out to our recruitment team today? Even if we’re not hiring in your area, we make space for real potential!
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中文翻译
慈善筹款中何时情感过度？——慈善链接
如果你曾向慈善机构捐款，你或许能说出为什么做出这个决定。根据经验和研究，我们知道人们捐款的原因有很多，比如有道德责任感或感觉个人与某个事业相关。慈善事业的定期捐赠者通常选择这样做，因为他们相信自己的礼物会带来改变。但当人们成为捐赠者时，情感在多大程度上起作用？这仅仅是关于他们在某种同情心尺度上有多善良，还是因为筹款人“推销”得好？我们深入探讨情感影响如何增加和减少捐赠的可能性。
行动的欲望
当慈善筹款人试图让人们捐款、志愿服务、签署请愿书或参加慈善活动时，他们知道决定必须来自欲望。换句话说，人们必须想做这件事。与人们需要并必须进行的必要购买（如食物或支付能源账单）不同，慈善捐赠只发生在人们愿意的情况下。
为了让筹款人激发这种欲望，捐赠者必须以某种方式被感动。
订阅新闻通讯或签署请愿书等行为的冲动可能归因于自我主义感（这没什么大不了的，免费、容易且感觉良好）。但要求某人掏腰包、放弃辛苦赚来的钱则需要不同类型的动机。
对慈善呼吁的情感反应
可以说，对于绝大多数人来说，情感反应几乎完全压倒理智反应。这仅仅是因为我们天生先感受后思考。
这在“黑猩猩悖论理论”中得到了精彩解释，该理论展示了我们的情感大脑如何控制情境和反应，除非我们刻意决定理性思考。你可以在这里阅读更多相关内容。
当我们考虑对慈善请求做出情感反应时，我们完全由对某个话题的感受引导。这通常是一种令人心碎、触动神经、切实的行动冲动。这不是模糊或抽象的，而是我们想要做些什么来带来改变的确定性。
正是这种反应是慈善机构旨在激发的。他们发现，通过诉诸某人的情感大脑并讲述个人故事，而不是提供冷酷的事实，他们更有可能迫使捐赠者采取行动。
例如，与其说：
“请捐款，因为我们需要尽可能多地重新安置狗”
更有效的说法是：
“捐款意味着像罗弗这样的健康狗在遭受可怕虐待后有机会再次获得幸福。请帮助拯救这个小生命免受更多痛苦或不必要的安乐死。他依赖像你这样的人。”
或者另一个例子可能是：
“通过今天捐款帮助喂养饥饿的儿童”
你可以说
“5岁的纳迪姆长大后想成为一名教师。他梦想着一种不必担心下一顿饭从哪里来的生活。在你的帮助下，纳迪姆可以度过玩耍的日子，成长为应得的健康男孩。”
确实，正确故事的重要性可以对我们的慈善机构产生巨大影响。
拯救儿童的“没有孩子生来就死”运动正是围绕这一点展开的。通过展示个人的困境、人性和抱负，使捐赠者能够近距离接触。正如拯救儿童临时首席执行官塔尼娅·斯蒂尔当时所说：
“如果我们能以情感上吸引人的方式讲述故事，那么我们知道我们有机会让他们考虑支持我们的事业。”
行为经济学家兼情感洞察咨询公司“感官逻辑”总裁丹·希尔完全同意情感捐赠的哲学。
在2013年名为“非理性筹款；读懂支持者思想的力量”的演讲中，他说人们主要是情感决策者。他说：
“这是大脑的运作方式——情感反应决定了你在要钱方面的成功程度。”
他接着说，让人们思考并不会导致行为改变——“除非你建立情感连接，否则这一切都不会发生”。
举了一个关于非洲儿童筹款活动的例子。情感驱动的故事平均捐款为1.47英镑，而基于事实和教育统计的捐款为71便士。
结合理性和情感的方法平均捐款为89便士。
伦敦广告从业者协会的研究也反映了他的理论，显示有意识情感吸引的广告利润是理性基础广告的两倍。
“如果你想在筹款方面成功，你让人们思考得越多，他们感受得越少；他们感受得越少，他们捐款的动机就越少”
——丹·希尔
顺便提一下，希尔还对面部表情的影响做出了一些出色的观察。根据他20年的研究，他强调了通过意识到额头和眼睛周围的微小变化来表现厌恶或悲伤，意味着改变的欲望。
希尔强调，仅通过巧妙的意识，面对面筹款人可以快速解读某人是否愿意成为捐赠者。
那么筹款人应该只关注情感而不关注事实吗？
尽管有强有力的证据表明讲故事和情感是完美组合，但重要的是不要过度。
例如，一个相当平淡（但安全）的方法可能是呼吁：
儿童健康始于疫苗，请捐款确保尽可能多的儿童有机会茁壮成长
过度情感化的呼吁可能是：
以利亚和成千上万像他一样的孩子将因疟疾痛苦缓慢地死去，在他消瘦绝望地躺着时喘息……除非你在乎。
筹款行为守则特别指出，筹款人应避免过度渲染。引起痛苦或焦虑往往会使人们退缩，产生与预期效果相反的结果。
守则关于筹款人行为说：
“你和使用的筹款材料不得误导任何人，或可能误导任何人，无论是通过遗漏信息、不准确、模糊还是夸大细节”
关于适用于特定筹款方法的标准：
“你的营销传播不得包含任何可能无故引起恐惧或痛苦的内容。如果你能证明其合理性，可能引起的恐惧或痛苦不得过度。
你不得使用可能让某些人感到震惊的主张或图像仅仅为了吸引注意力。如果你使用可能让某些人感到震惊的图像，你应该对此材料发出警告。”
那么多少情感才算过度？
显然，慈善机构必须始终保持诚实，但这取决于观众是否觉得可接受。我们知道确实有关于人们死于可预防疾病以及人权侵犯和战争带来的痛苦的恐怖故事。我们知道动物被虐待和忽视。
但尽管争议确实有影响，反复故意震惊和试图让人们不安在长期内不会奏效。
内疚可以是一个强大的动力，但这并不意味着它能吸引人们。《有影响力的筹款人》作者伯纳德·罗斯说：
“这是一种膝跳反应……然后它变成了一场你能让孩子看起来多消瘦的比赛。像任何药物一样，你必须增强情感才能得到反应。短期来看，情感化的东西有效，长期来看它会自我消耗并变得适得其反”。
这是一个好观点。冷漠无疑是慈善机构最大的敌人。慈善机构越是向人们轰炸可怕的现实，观众就越麻木，越可能视而不见。
底线是在试图募捐时保持尊重，绝不旨在通过情感勒索来操纵。如果慈善机构能建立良好的信任基础，那么观众更有可能停下来倾听。
“筹款最成功时，是基于与捐赠者建立良好关系，并在慈善机构和捐赠者之间发展信任纽带”
——丹尼尔·弗拉斯基，筹款协会政策与研究主管
那么我们如何在情感和面对面筹款之间找到正确的平衡？
当然，在内疚诱导和严格遵循事实这两个极端之间存在中间方法。重要的是不要认为使用情感在某种程度上是不道德的。
最终的筹款目标必须是理解情感有其位置，并且通过技巧可以以公平但有效的方式应用。
2017年，筹款创新者“Sofii”发布了一项名为“情感筹款的积极和消极面”的研究结果。
在这里，他们认识到，虽然愤怒、内疚或悲伤等负面情绪有助于强调问题的重要性，但希望和同理心-利他主义等积极情绪创造了行动的动力。
但这在专业筹款中如何转化？
使用过度的恐怖故事、内疚诱导和所谓的“贫困色情”不仅会造成脱节和麻木感，还可能近乎冒犯。
重要的是满足捐赠者的需求，这可能意味着，与其用残酷的真相过度饱和他们，不如采用积极-消极情感方法可能是前进的方向。
通过诉诸情感光谱的对立面；恐惧与勇气、内疚与希望、痛苦与仁慈，我们可能一举两得。我们获得捐赠者的注意和同情，但我们将权力交给他们来决定下一步。
一旦我们点燃了对不公正的愤怒之火，我们可以用同志情谊和决心来煽动它，使其正确。
呼吁应充满激情和力量，提供捐赠者可以以其复杂性连接的广泛事物。
8个面对面筹款人有效使用情感的技巧
* 最重要的是，捐赠者需要对给予感到良好。筹款人应赞美和赞扬慷慨，并总体上高度评价捐赠者，* 从众心理大有帮助。人类寻求感觉和行为与自己相似的人以获得验证。筹款人应旨在创建一个关心他们事业的“社区”——如“爱狗人士”或“有同情心的人”。，* 内疚诱导不可取，只会带来短期收益（如果有的话）。相反，面对面筹款人应努力使用积极情绪，如希望，并将“权力”交给捐赠者以实现快乐结局，* 记住，人们通常通过给予来展示他们是“好人”，这与他们真正关心事业不同。询问捐赠者是否支持过其他慈善机构并注意“为什么”是衡量如何推进自己请求的好方法，* 感激和欣赏至关重要。感谢越周到和真诚，捐赠者未来的忠诚度越高，* 错误如忘记捐赠者姓名或忽略他们提供的细节是自毁行为。注意捐赠者说的一切，并个性化回应，而不是泛泛而谈，因为这有助于他们感到重要，* 强调他们的礼物将带来的改变。确保告诉他们他们的捐款做什么以及影响谁。，* 认识到某人没有“感觉”时，尝试简单切换到更事实性的推销。有时，你可能只是诉诸他们的逻辑大脑，* 询问他们是否有任何问题，并确保准确回答他们的问题。，
重要的是，筹款人理解面前的潜在捐赠者，并尝试衡量他们的需求，而不是将预先录制的脚本强加给他们。这意味着仔细倾听！
事实是，没有单一信息能与每个人产生共鸣。一个精心设计的开场问题可以帮助确定筹款人应该采用“心”还是“脑”类型的推销。两者都准备会使专业筹款人更加精明。
但无论采用何种方法，诉诸任何人的最佳本性并发出深切请求意味着带来诚实和开放的沟通。
通过呈现你所代表的人的故事来获得尊重和信任。对于大多数慈善事业，不需要过度夸张——受助者的故事本身已经足够，让合适的人愿意参与。
你有兴趣从事专业筹款人的职业吗？我们屡获殊荣的筹款人培训意味着几乎任何具有合适个性特征的人都可以使筹款成为成功的职业。结合我们的创新方法、热情的后台团队和慷慨的福利，慈善链接是最佳筹款机构之一。
要注册你的兴趣，为什么不今天就联系我们的招聘团队？即使我们在你的地区不招聘，我们也会为真正有潜力的人留出空间！
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慈善筹款捐赠心理学捐赠者慈善筹款工作筹款行为守则
文章概要
本文探讨了慈善筹款中情感使用的平衡问题。文章指出，情感是驱动捐赠的关键因素，通过个人故事和情感吸引可以显著提高捐款效果，例如情感驱动的故事平均捐款额高于基于事实的呼吁。然而，过度使用情感，如内疚诱导或恐怖故事，可能导致捐赠者麻木、退缩，甚至产生反效果。文章强调，筹款人应避免情感勒索，建立信任关系，并采用积极-消极情感结合的方法，如用希望平衡内疚。同时，文章提供了面对面筹款的实用技巧，包括赞美捐赠者、创建社区感、个性化沟通等，以有效利用情感而不越界。最终，成功的筹款依赖于尊重、诚实和情感与理性的恰当平衡。
高德明老师的评价
用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容
这篇文章就像在说，当慈善机构想让大家捐款时，他们可以用故事来打动你的心。比如，讲一只小狗被虐待后需要帮助的故事，比只说“请捐钱救狗”更有用。因为故事让你感觉难过或想帮忙，你更可能掏钱。但文章也提醒，如果故事太吓人或总是让你觉得内疚，就像总说“你不捐钱，小孩就会死”，你可能会觉得烦，不想再听，甚至关掉耳朵。所以，筹款人要像交朋友一样，让你感觉好，信任他们，而不是用可怕的事情逼你捐钱。他们可以既讲难过的事，也给你希望，比如“你的捐款能让这个孩子快乐成长”，这样你更愿意帮忙。
TA沟通分析心理学理论评价
从TA沟通分析心理学理论来看，这篇文章深刻揭示了慈善筹款中成人自我状态（Adult ego state）与儿童自我状态（Child ego state）的互动。筹款人通过情感故事激活捐赠者的儿童自我状态，激发自然儿童（Natural Child）的同情和冲动，或适应儿童（Adapted Child）的内疚感，从而驱动捐赠行为。例如，讲述个人困境的故事直接诉诸情感大脑，促使捐赠者从儿童自我状态做出反应，而非从成人自我状态进行理性分析。然而，文章也警告过度依赖儿童自我状态的风险，如使用内疚诱导或恐怖故事，可能导致捐赠者从适应儿童状态退缩，产生叛逆儿童（Rebellious Child）的抵抗或麻木，破坏信任关系。这体现了TA理论中自我状态平衡的重要性，筹款人需要引导捐赠者从成人自我状态进行理性决策，同时尊重其情感需求，避免操纵。文章提到的建立信任和社区感，正是通过成人自我状态的沟通，促进健康的“我好-你好”（I'm OK, You're OK）心理地位，增强捐赠者的自主性和参与感。
在实践上可以应用的领域和可以解决人们的十个问题
在实践上，这篇文章的见解可应用于多个领域，如非营利组织筹款、营销沟通、心理咨询和人际交往。基于TA沟通分析心理学理论，它可以解决人们的以下十个问题：1. 如何在不操纵情感的情况下有效募捐，通过平衡成人自我状态和儿童自我状态，建立真诚的筹款策略。2. 如何避免捐赠者情感麻木，通过适度使用情感故事，防止过度激活适应儿童状态。3. 如何增强捐赠者信任，通过成人自我状态的诚实沟通，培养“我好-你好”关系。4. 如何提高筹款活动的参与度，利用自然儿童状态的积极情感，如希望和同理心。5. 如何减少筹款中的冲突，避免触发叛逆儿童状态的抵抗，通过尊重捐赠者自主权。6. 如何个性化筹款沟通，通过关注捐赠者个体需求，从成人自我状态进行定制化互动。7. 如何创建社区归属感，利用从众心理，强化捐赠者的社会连接和认同。8. 如何管理捐赠者情绪反应，通过情感光谱的平衡，如用勇气缓解恐惧。9. 如何提升筹款人的沟通技巧，培训他们识别和回应不同自我状态，优化面对面互动。10. 如何促进长期捐赠关系，通过持续的情感支持和理性反馈，维持成人自我状态的主导。