Fundraising is about emotions

There aren't many not-for-profit institutions that I know that don't have very logical reasons to support them, even in this age when we supposedly have a glut of NFPs. The arts have any number of spectacular (in my not so humble opinion, clearly) reasons that it makes total sense to give. Economic impact, educational value, the arts are a creative springboard, outreach programs, advocacy, and on and on.

None of it matters. We are not rational creatures, as much as we like to think we are. Larry Summers, an economic powerhouse and former top economic advisor to more than one president, once opened an unofficial paper with a very concise and brilliant critique of the notion that markets behave rationally by saying "THERE ARE IDIOTS! Look around." Larry doesn't have many friends in the world. Geeks, always under-appreciated. Can't imagine why.

And while I'm not going to call any potential donor names, we still need to recognize how that logical part of the brain serves to justify our instinctive actions more often than not. And our instincts are, by and large, emotional, not logical.

Look at your last appeal. We have so much emotion to draw on from our artistic counterparts. Did you capture that emotion in your last appeal or was it a logical argument for why you should be supported?

How can you capture that emotion the next time you write your newsletter giving blurb or annual fund appeal?

• Remind people of that great moment in one of last year's popular shows.
• Tell a story about an artistic triumph that led to something brilliant on-stage.
• Tell a story about an audience member's experience that was outstanding in some way.
• Share an emotional comment left on your company's blog, letting your audience make your appeal for you.

And that just skims the surface. The important part should be that as you evaluate what you wrote in your appeal, you use emotional impact as a category of evaluation. Your message will be all the stronger for it, and all those logical reasons you have available on your website or in your accompanying literature will serve to justify that emotional response and get those donations in the door.