What Motivates People to Give to Nonprofits?

It has often been said that donations are the ‘lifeblood’ of running a nonprofit organization. Without a steady stream of incoming donations, your organization will ultimately not be able to meet its revenue needs, nor will it be able to achieve its overall mission.

Keeping in mind just how important it is to continually be generating revenue, it is a good idea to put yourself in the mind of a potential donor. What is going to motivate you to donate to a nonprofit? Even more importantly, what is going to motivate you to donate to a nonprofit now?

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You need to create a sense of urgency.

If you are running a nonprofit organization, there are probably a number of phrases you often hear:

“That sounds like such a good cause.”

“The world needs more people like you.”

“I wish I were as selfless as you are!”

While hearing all of these phrases may make us feel better about ourselves in the short-run, in the long-run, they accomplish very little. It is not enough for other people—aka potential donors—to simply recognize that your organization is trying to do something good. They need to also recognize that your organization needs them to actually make it.

Some people say fear is the strongest motivator because it inspires people to avoid undesirable consequences. But there are studies that show that the use of fear by nonprofit organizations can be overwhelming. Instead of using fear to try to scare donations out of people, use words that indicate they can immediately be a part of a much bigger solution.

“If you call now, you can save a life.” “If you start by giving just a few cents a day, you can get this child the treatment they need.” These phrases, though substantively the same as “this child will die without you” are proven to be much productive motivators to give. Using a positive call to immediate action creates a sense of urgency without overwhelming or alienating potential donors.

You need to distinguish your organization from others.

The reason that many individuals are reluctant to give to your nonprofit organization isn’t that they believe yours isn’t a worthwhile cause. It is that they have been overwhelmed by the existence of literally millions of other “worthy causes”.

According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are over 1.57 million tax-exempt organizations registered in the United States alone. This means that even if someone had $1 million to give to charity, they couldn’t even give $1 to every nonprofit organization. Clearly, they are going to have make a choice, and choose which nonprofit they believe can offer the greatest amount of good.

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There are a number of different ways you can distinguish your organization as one that is worthy of receiving donations. The most obvious of these ways is to show some actual results. People are motivated to give by seeing tangible numbers—show them you were able to feed x number of people, or give scholarships to y number of students. People are also motivated by seeing tangible outcomes such as new homes constructed in their community or some other tangible change.

You need to show people that they too will be better off.

Though many nonprofit organizations are dependent on the selflessness on their potential donors, they cannot escape the fact that—by nature—people are inherently selfish. But not all selfishness needs to be bad. In fact, often times, selfishness can lead to achieving great things.

If you can learn to use people’s natural selfishness—the need for recognition, some sort of reward, or making the world better for themselves—you can lead them to coincidentally do a number of very selfless things. Show them that their donation will immediately benefit their community. Show them that they will receive some sort of lasting recognition for their choice to donate.

People are more likely to donate if they see that both they and others are made better off. 

Stand by your mission statement.

Ultimately, your mission statement is the foundation of your nonprofit organization. In your mission statement, you should actively be declaring what it is you hope to accomplish as an organization. This is the end you ought to be trying to achieve; everything that happens between now and then is merely just a mean.

People are most motivated to give to organizations that are actually pursuing their mission. There are a number of nonprofits that become so focused on other aspects of their organization that they lose sight of their mission. These organizations tend not to ever be nearly as successful in the long run.

If you show productive results, impressive numbers, and tangible evidence that your organization is capable of making a difference in the world, people will want to support you. Most people want to make their world a better place, they just do not always know how. But if you can demonstrate that donating to your organization is the “how” they have been looking for, then they will inevitably be motivated to give.

If you can establish a brand that people know and trust, and you can establish a sense of urgency, people will be motivated to give to your organization. Furthermore, you cannot forget the importance of showing them that your organization is unique and will also benefit them in the long-run. Keeping these simple and important objectives in mind, your organization can continue moving in pursuit of success.

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