The giving season’s new song

Appeals for charity, especially from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, may work better if those in need are able to control their story.

The Monitor's View

The weekend before Thanksgiving kicks off what is often called the “giving season.” Family and friends prepare to share food and joy for the U.S. holiday. People volunteer at soup kitchens or other relief organizations. They begin to buy gifts for Christmas, Hanukkah, and other end-of-year celebrations. The burst of shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday has led to GivingTuesday, aimed at countering consumerism with caring. At the end of the season, or just before the new year, many people donate to charities for a tax deduction.

What may be new for 2023 is that some charities and nonprofits are asking if those on the receiving end of all this largesse ever have a say in how they are portrayed in appeals to donors.

For decades, fundraisers have usually relied on narratives and images that played to one of two stereotypes: the suffering of those in need or the solutions to the problems of the “recipients” of other people’s generosity. The choice in framing – showing hungry children versus new wells for water – was often driven simply by which approach brought in more money.

Many in the giving industry are challenging the either-or framing and, even more, who decides what to pitch. The organizers of GivingTuesday, for example, proclaim that “every act of generosity counts” and “everyone has something to give.” Some charities are now letting the beneficiaries of aid tell their stories as they wish. In West Palm Beach, Florida, for example, Alzheimer’s Community Care sends out “Testimonial Tuesday” emails that share the tales of those impacted by the group’s work.

One reason for the rapid rise of platforms like GoFundMe is that donors can see the descriptions of those asking for money and connect with them in meaningful ways. The appeals that “always work best are the ones where the donor is hearing directly from the person who they want to support,” says Jess Crombie, a researcher at the University of the Arts London in the United Kingdom. “Authenticity is what you achieve with storytelling like that.”

Her research bears this out. In 2021, she and a colleague sent two different appeals for money on behalf of the charity Amref Health Africa. One was designed by the charity and the other by Patrick Malachi, a community health worker at Amref in Kenya, who had total control of stories and images. The result: More money was raised by Mr. Malachi’s appeal. Most of those who gave based on his narrative found an emotional connection and recognized that those being helped are helping themselves.

Ms. Crombie refers to people in need as “contributors” rather than recipients. While contributors don’t ignore their own needs, she finds, they don’t want to be defined by them. By being in charge, they retain a dignity of their choosing. There is not one universal way to experience dignity, she states.

She cites a proverb from Niger to explain why people depicting their own needs can evoke stronger empathy: “A song sounds sweeter from the author’s mouth.” During this year’s giving season, many charities are starting to let others do the singing.