Most fundraising experts doggedly point out that photos of people are absolutely critical for successful fundraising messages.
They're half right.
A great photo makes all the difference. It can crystallize a message and drive home its emotional core more powerfully memorably than words can.
But the wrong photo can shoot your message down, making the best copy in the world ineffective and irrelevant.
There are two things that most often make a photo hurt your fundraising message:
The photo contradicts the message
This happens all the time: The letter says "Children are going hungry ... won't you help them?" -- but there's a photo of happy, plump children. It's a contradiction. You might as well have a banner headline that says, "Don't Worry: It's Already Taken Care of."
Make sure every photo you use says the same thing that the words say.
The photo shows unsympathetic-looking people
Someone who appears to be scowling at the camera sends a hostile message to the donor. Unfortunately, this happens often, because some people, when they're in pain or afraid, furrow their brow -- which looks like a scowl. That's not what it is, but that's how it looks. And it's a real turn-off for donors. Who wants to reach out to someone who seems to be hostile toward you?
If you know the person in the photo, or you're familiar with the situation, you can easily miss problem. You'll correctly interpret the expression of pain for what it is, not what it looks like to others. Get outside opinions of what people's expressions appear to be.
A picture is worth a thousand words. So make sure you get the right thousand words when you use a picture.
Jeff Brooks, creative director at 
I totally agree! Check out this cute kid on a recent DM package for the Children's Wish Foundation of Canada - http://twitpic.com/1zttqg
When I was a student studying fundraising, we had a very in depth session on choosing the right picture. It is a skill often overlooked, but is absolutely vital for our profession.
Thanks Jeff.
Posted by: Brock Warner | 25 June 2010 at 07:40