Fundraising isn’t just about persuasion — it’s about connection.
When donors say yes, it’s not because your appeal had the best stats or a slick layout. It’s because something in your message sparked emotion.
Something resonated.
Science backs that up.
Donors are moved by meaning, trust, ease, urgency — and most of all, by feeling like their gift will make a difference. Yet too many fundraising campaigns rely on numbers and logic alone.
Here’s what the latest research tells us about why people give — and how your nonprofit can use these insights to raise more support.
People give because they care.
They want to support something that aligns with their values — whether that’s feeding families, saving wildlife, advancing education, or building community.
In a 2024 study of U.S. “social donors,” belief in the cause ranked as a top-three reason people gave.
What You Can Do:
A clear mission builds emotional connection. And emotion is what fuels giving.
Donors give to people and organizations they trust. If someone doubts your effectiveness or integrity, they’ll hold back — no matter how urgent your cause is.
In fact, trust was tied with mission as the top motivator for giving in the same social donor study.
What You Can Do:
Donors want to know: If I give, will it make a difference? Prove that it will — and they’ll come back.
Here’s a simple truth: if it’s hard to give, people won’t.
According to OneCause, ease of giving is just as important as trust and mission. That means the donation experience matters — a lot.
What You Can Do:
Donors act in the moment. If the process is smooth, you’ll raise more.
Donors don’t want to feel like their gift gets lost in a sea of need.
They want to see change. They want to feel their dollars matter.
In the OneCause report, 60% of donors said seeing the impact of their gift motivated them to give.
Urgency also drove results — especially when tied to current events or timely campaigns.
What You Can Do:
Don’t just tell people why to give — show them what their gift will do.
Giving is social.
We’re more likely to give when people we trust are also giving.
That’s why peer-to-peer campaigns, event fundraising, and even public donor lists work. They create a sense of community and belonging.
What You Can Do:
One Yale study found that highlighting a sense of shared purpose increases donor intent.
People want to feel like they’re part of something bigger.
Let them.
Donors give with their hearts first — then justify with their heads.
Research from Yale, OneCause, and multiple psychology studies confirm it: storytelling beats statistics.
People are wired to respond to human stories, not just data points.
A famous study found that people who read a story about a single hungry child donated twice as much as those who read stats about thousands. And when researchers combined both?
Donations actually dropped.
Too much data can overwhelm. But a single story builds empathy.
So if you want more “yes” responses to your appeals:
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start fundraising with confidence, Oregon State University’s Fundraising Certificate Program was built for you.
Learn how to craft donor-centered appeals, build lasting relationships, and apply psychology-backed strategies to every campaign.
It’s 100% online, self-paced, and developed by experts with decades of experience.
Explore the Fundraising Certificate here.
You’re closer than you think to becoming a stronger, more confident fundraiser. Let’s take the next step — together.