You want to focus your energy on engagement and donations from your website, emails, social media posts, and other digital efforts. In this article we will highlight how to craft copy that will turn the "Ask" into a "Conversion".
When communicating with your donors...
Focus appeals on a single person.
It’s easier to give to a single person. Studies have found evidence of the “identifiable victim effect,” which is “the observation that people are more willing to provide aid to a single individual with a name and a face than to an anonymous victim or a nebulous group of victims.”
You can keep this in mind when writing your copy. For example, if you’re a food bank, consider taking a picture of and highlighting someone who benefits directly from a donor’s donation. There’s immense power in the human story. You can even take inspiration from the likes of Humans of New York. If possible, let a single person share their story of how they are impacted by the cause you are working toward. This will help people better connect to the work you are doing.
Describe the impact of the gift.
Illustrate the tangible impact someone makes. One study found that donors who gave were more likely to be happy when they were told specifically what their donation would be going toward rather than that it would support the charity in general.
Tailor giving appeals.
Segmenting your audience and targeting with specific messages can lead to great results. Not everyone responds the same to any given campaign. For example, a recent study found that wealthier donors were more willing to give when an appeal focused on personal agency and the pursuit of individual goals whereas less wealthy individuals responded better to appeals that focused on the shared pursuit of goals and community. You can also segment by time zone, donation amounts, or where the donors first learned of your nonprofit. Try something out. If it's not quite working, you can always tweak it and try again. And once you land on something that works, you can double down.
There’s no “one way” to do it.
There’s no one way to write an email or social copy, but hopefully these examples and concepts helped you get some creative juices flowing!
P.S. Check out these 5 instagram tactics you can start using to help your nonprofit today.
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