Fundraising Coach says Throw statistics out of your fundraising letters!
Really? Throw them out?
Well, yes:.
... studies are consistently showing that when it comes to fundraising, logic kills donations. Worse still, the evidence shows that we can’t mix emotion and logic. Telling an emotional story and throwing in even one calculation or statistic can have devastating results on your fundraising.
This is hard to believe, because in our professional lives, we strive to make decisions based on facts and statistics. Actually, that's largely an illusion. We think we make our decisions on facts. Mostly, our hearts drive us. Then we seek facts that back us up.
Remember, donors don't give to solve problems because those problems are big. They give because they understand the problems (with their hearts) and believe that can make a difference. Statistics get in the way of that.
So throw them out!
