Researchers at The Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy have been exploring a new approach to relationship fundraising: an approach based on love.
The inspiration behind The Love Project is simple: philanthropy has historically been defined as love for others and for mankind. But how often do we think of connecting love back to philanthropy? What if fundraising’s role in society is to help steward the human capacity to love?
The Love Project views donor relationships as a powerful blend of three components:
Identity: Understand who donors are when they give, not just why they give.
Wellbeing: Help donors feel good when they give.
Love: Acknowledge the love behind a donation to help donors feel connected to the organizations and communities they support.
In this framework, researchers hypothesized that love is a primary driver of philanthropic behavior. To tap into this, they focused on exploring how love can be communicated effectively. Donors learn from an organization’s vocabulary about what it means to be a supporter and integrate that into their own identity. Rather than defaulting to the typical vocabulary of money (gifts, support), they considered the potential impact of using love-based language to create deeper relationships and increase giving overall.
Here are our most interesting takeaways:
- If donors recognize themselves and their traits as being valued and celebrated by an organization, they will give more and feel better about themselves as a result.
- The more positively donors and organizations describe the people they help, the higher their intention to give becomes. Overall, being less negative can help!
- Donors connect most strongly with the following words…
- To describe themselves: compassionate, hardworking, helpful, friendly, loyal, and generous.
- To describe organizations: caring, compassionate, generous, helpful, kind, and respectful.
The Love Project is ongoing research. We’ll provide updates as they are released!
Sourced from The Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy, The Love Project Volume 2