Posted 2/11/24
As a fundraiser (or sales person), have you ever sat across the table from a prospect or potential donor and feel as though you were not connecting? You could have a great pitch, one that touches people emotionally, appearing to engage them with the organization, yet still finding it difficult for them to make a commitment. As if something is missing. This happened to me on several occasions that I found frustrating and unexpected. It is sometimes the reason why some fundraising professionals will connect with certain donors and not others. There can be several reasons for this but the one that has stood out to me is the right or left brain dominant individual.
I have realized over time that I tend to be more left-brain dominant, meaning I was more logical, rational, less emotional and observed the world with reason. Now really no individual is completely left or right brain, because I was an effective salesperson who unintentionally used empathy to connect with customers, even though I was left brain dominant. It was not until I earned a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology that I learned about emotions and how to work with them. I became drawn to nonprofit fundraising due to the emphasis of emotions on donations.
While I discovered that working on an emotional level in fundraising was highly effective, there were some prospects / donors where I still missed a connection. Ironically it was not the emotional that was the problem, such as telling tear-jerking stories, but in concentrating on emotions too much, I forgot about those individuals who navigate the world with logic and reason (which had been my personal tendency). Those who are right-brain dominant tend to be more artistic, abstract, emotional, whereas left brain tend to be more factual, rational and logical. Right brain individuals often respond more to emotional stories, connect based on their feelings, whereas left brain people tend to respond to numbers, the impact, what is the bottom line, who benefits, and so on.
As mentioned above, no one is completely one way or the other, so it becomes important for the fundraiser (or sales person), to include both approaches. Even in marketing materials, it is important to share stories that focus on the emotional, but it is also important to include facts, numbers, how many people are impacted, where does the money go, are the dollars being spent effectively, and so on. When talking to a prospect, if you listen carefully, you will get an indication of how that person makes decisions. This is why it is a good idea to include the emotional impact as well as the efficient operations in your communications, both marketing and face-to-face. I believe it is something to keep in mind so that you touch upon both in your cultivation of donors in order to gain a deeper connection.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio (www.pexels.com)