Breathing New Life Into Relief Fundraising: Sustaining Disaster Gifts

When evaluating campaigns old and new, focus on appeals that rely less on statistics and logic, but instead tug at donors’ heartstrings to create an emotional connection to both the cause and those whom benefit from the incoming funds. This is one of the reasons why appeals immediately following a natural or other disaster are so successful. Forge that emotional connection with an audience by remembering the response you had when you learned about a global need or situation — what connects workers to a cause are often the same appeals that resonate with a potential audience. Don’t shy away from appeals that evoke emotions in the reader, whether anger, fear or even sadness.