a boy jumping over a group of kids in the '70s — A '70s kid jumping a group of other '70s kids, heroically.

Welcome! Kick out your kickstand and find yourself a happy place to park. It's the 52nd issue of the Fundraising Writing Newsletter. Please forward this to someone swell. (They can subscribe for free!)

In this issue:

Fundraising half-empty or half-full? (Depends on the donor!)
Readably and audibly yours: free learning content you'll love...

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Hi Reader,

Brett here:

Have you ever noticed that segmenting your fundraising appeals is like bike riding in the '70s?

(No? Is it just me?)

Okay, let me explain . . .

When I was a small boy in the '70s, Evel Knievel was an American hero:

Evel Knievel jumps his motorcycle over a row of cars — Evel Knievel jumping over a series of vehicles in the '70s, heroically.

My friends and I all had this Evel Knievel toy:

Evel Knievel stunt cycle toy — If you're heroic enough, they might turn you into a toy.

And, in my mind, I was jumping over people, cars, buses...

But in reality, I looked about like this:

a boy jumping off of a ramp on his bike — Barely clearing the ground — feeling like a hero.

Still, that was pretty good progress from three years earlier, when I looked about like this:

boy standing beside a bike with training wheels — In need of training wheels and a push. You gotta start somewhere!

And here's where the fundraising comes in . . .

Fundraising half-empty or half-full? (Depends on the donor!)

New donors are like the kid in the photo above, standing beside a bike with training wheels. They need a push.

Regular donors are more like Evel Knievel. They're ready to clear huge gaps with a single, heroic jump.

Now, with all this in mind, what do you think is a better fundraising framing device:

glass-half-empty?

glass-half-full?

I submit to you: it depends on the person . . .

New donors need a push. For them, "the glass" should be framed as half-full.

Regular donors are ready to clear gaps. For them "the glass" should be framed as half-empty.

The research done by Dr. Ayelet Fishbach on this subject I think you'll find very helpful.

You can listen to her speak about it here or read the transcript below:

Let me tell you of an experiment we ran more than ten years ago. We basically ran a charity campaign in South Korea, and we started collecting donations when we were halfway through the campaign. We needed half the money, which is pretty difficult for an organization.

And we told some people that we have half of the money and we presented this nice figure which they could see that this is our goal and we are halfway. And we told the other half that we are still missing half of the money.

What we found is that for regular donors — people that were giving to this organization all the time — they were more motivated by thinking about the glass half-empty; by thinking about all the money that we still need. They are contributing efforts when others are not doing enough.

The new donors — the people that never gave money — they were more likely to give when they got information that other people are giving; that the glass is half-full; that we already have half the donations.

So this framing influenced motivation . . .

Later in the podcast episode, Dr. Fishbach adds:

If other people are doing it, this is social proof. What that tells you is that this goal is worth pursuing. It’s mainly going to be effective if you don’t already know that the goal is worth pursuing. If you’re not committed, and you get this information that everybody is doing something, then you say, "Well, I guess this is important."

. . . If you are already committed, if you already know that this important, this is when your motivation is more affected by what’s missing, by what other people are not doing.

Now, back to our bike riding / "half-glass" metaphor . . .

New donors are trying to fill "the glass." They have no frame of reference for your organization. They have never seen you meet any goals. They are motivated by knowing things are well on their way.

Like a '70s kid with a new bike, they need training wheels and a push.

Therefore, for acquisition of new donors, segment your appeals with a glass-half-full, "We've already raised half of our goal!" framing approach.

Regular donors are trying to keep "the glass" from being empty. They're used to a status quo of the organization always being made whole. They are motivated by knowing about what's lacking, so they can take action to fix it.

Like a '70s kid who's been biking for years, they see a gap and the gap calls to them — they're just dying to jump it.

Therefore, for regular donors, segment your appeals with a glass-half-empty, "We still need to make up X amount in order to reach our goal!" framing approach.

You can help meet the needs of all your donors by paying attention to whether they need a push . . . or a gap to clear!

Readably and audibly yours: free learning content you'll love...

sticker gif book with sparkly stars glinting around it

Each of the following represents a wise investment of your time.

We loved them.

Maybe you will too?

charity: water Goes Mailing? by Kevin Schulman
‘Rage giving’: Charities can get a boost from current events, such as controversial Supreme Court rulings by Jennifer A. Taylor and Katrina Miller-Stevens
Don Jackson's Fascinating Direct Marketing Stories by Denny Hatch
You are not your donor by Mary Cahalane
Seth Godin: Failing on Our Way to Mastery via The Knowledge Project Podcast

Until next time: May you always meet your donors where they are and give them a push . . . or let them soar.

We'll see you in your inbox soon!!

All our best,

Julie and Brett — Julie Cooper & Brett Cooper
Fundraising Copywriters
FundraisingWriting.com

PS: You deserve to raise lots more money for your good cause. Why not recruit an "all-star team" — The Case Writers — to take on your donor communications?

Imagine having all of these people on your side: Tom Ahern, John Lepp, Jen Love, Jeff Brooks, Maggie Cohn, Leah Eustace, Andrea Hopkins, Aimee Vance, and us (Julie & Brett).

Interested? Contact us, risk-free.

PPS. If you're interested, you may want to check out Neil deGrasse Tyson's take on the difference between "glass-half-empty" and "glass-half-full."

Subscribe to The Fundraising Writing Newsletter

Fundraising half-empty or half-full? (Depends on the donor!)

Fundraising half-empty or half-full? (Depends on the donor!)

Readably and audibly yours: free learning content you'll love...

Top 9 Fundraising Writing Tips of 2025

one last thing

When everything lines up perfectly, your donors...

Subscribe to The Fundraising Writing Newsletter

Fundraising half-empty or half-full? (Depends on the donor!)

Fundraising half-empty or half-full? (Depends on the donor!)

Readably and audibly yours: free learning content you'll love...​

Subscribe to The Fundraising Writing Newsletter

Top 9 Fundraising Writing Tips of 2025

one last thing

When everything lines up perfectly, your donors...

Readably and audibly yours: free learning content you'll love...