Great study about the negative consequences of trying to make fundraising positive versus realistic.
What we know
Donors give to meet specific needs
Happy photos and stories communicate that the problem is already solved (and if the problem is solved, you don’t need your donors).
How did we test this
Although every nonprofit in the world challenges the need to display need – one of our largest international relief and development partners created a notable test of this theory.
In an hour long direct response television program, they changed 22 seconds of copy and images to reflect more of the successful / hopeful, joyous angle of their work.
What we learned
In this head-to-head test, those 22 seconds of joy and success reduced their response rate by 30%!
