Ever wonder what creates--and reduces--social distance for donors? In Deborah Small’s fascinating book, The Science of Giving, she investigates giving psychology. Small asks, ”Why do we care more about victims than others?” She talks about the fundamental reasons we choose to care about someone in need:
- People tend to feel more sympathetic toward people closest to us. We are most likely to help people who are family, followed by friends, and acquaintances. This also extends to physical proximity: we care more about people hurting in our town than far away.
- We also are more sympathetic to people who seem to be like us, or to whom we can relate, even if we don’t know them. This is especially true when we actively imagine ourselves in a victim’s circumstances.
Small discusses the identifiable victim effect, which says that people are more generous to one identifiable victim, even if they don’t personally know that person, than they are to an anonymous person - or millions of people in need.
- We also care more when the person asking for help has personal experience with the cause they want us to support.
Small offers the following advice to reduce social distance and increase giving:
- When you talk about a cause, discuss the need in terms of people who are as relatable to the prospective supporter as possible.
- Stop with the statistics. Tell stories about one person in need.
- Use social networks to win support for a cause. Have friends ask friends to help. When we know the person asking for money for a cause, we’re more likely to give.
To read more of Katya’s thoughts on The Science of Giving, visit www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com
