What They Get Is Key to Why They Give

PERSONAL: Our audience members need to believe from our message that the reward we’re offering for taking action will make something better for them personally. The private sector understands the importance of making rewards personal. Auto manufacturers don’t sell you a car by explaining the way the engine is built; they tell you the car is reliable, safe or fast, depending on who you are and your personal priorities. They take the attributes of their products and translate them into personally desirable benefits. That translation is easy to make for most products. It’s harder for good causes because we get swept up in the huge scope of what we want to accomplish. But remember, at the end of the day, it is always the personal connection, not the grand concept, that grabs our attention.