Big concepts = small amounts of money raised

Katya Andresen reminds us to think small, not big.  I couldn't agree more.

When soliciting donors:

• Focus on one or two stories at a time in order to move people to give.  Those stories makes the problem more real (and therefore, compelling) to your donor. 


• Emphasize the fixable—people want their donation to make a difference.  Don't give them a chance to think "What are they going to use my $10 for, a couple of staplers?"  Tell them "Ten dollars provides dinner for 9 people in need."


• Don't use statistics with large numbers that emphasize the scope of the problem your organization is trying to solve.  Humans evolved while living in nomadic hunter-gatherer groups of around 150 people.  A concept like "260,000 people will [have this problem/disease]" is not something we needed to be able to understand.  Stats like that overwhelm people and make them think their 20 bucks isn't going to help anyway, so why give?

I will write more about the importance of storytelling in coming posts.  Stay tuned.