The Psychology of Philanthropy with Eric Frans, Ep #49

Episode 49

With Benjamin Johnson and Eric Frans

Why do people give? In a data-driven world, it’s easy to forget that behind every gift is a WHY. On this episode, Vice President of Philanthropy for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) Eric Frans discusses the psychology of philanthropy, the impact of a charity’s “inside language”, and how generosity facilitates a journey of healing.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

  • Getting to know Eric Frans and his work at the IFCJ [0:47]

  • The psychology of fundraising [3:50]

  • Exploring the transformation of the fundraising industry over the last two decades [5:20]

  • Changing our “inside” language for the better [11:00]

  • The most important gift charities need to chase [13:40]

  • How generosity can heal the soul [16:59]

  • Donor identity, the physics of giving, and discovering the “why” [23:11]

  • Eric’s tips for improving mid-level giving [35:39]

  • Professionalism in fundraising [43:14]

Language matters

Imagine being deeply moved to give to an organization only to be met with “Thank you so much for your mid-level gift!”. Charities would never say that to a donor because it’s fairly offensive. So why is that language used within organizations to talk about levels of giving? Words and the psychology behind them matter. That’s why Eric has shifted middle giving to leadership giving and major giving to transformational giving. The beauty of these terms is that they don’t mean anything in terms of dollar amounts. Any organization, no matter the size, can adopt them because the definition of a leadership or transformational gift is different for every charity.

Chasing the next one

The most important gift in fundraising is always the next one. That’s why developing strong relationships with donors is so important. Surprisingly, one of the best ways to do that is by separating fundraising from philanthropy. As Eric brilliantly put it: “Fundraising is what we do. Philanthropy is what the donor does. And at the end of the day, it’s all about the donor, and me facilitating what they want to do.” In that spirit the IFCJ has adopted person-centered language around asks and donors by calling them invitations and partners. Their metric for success is treating partners so well that they gladly accept the next invitation. Or even better, partners ask to participate in the next opportunity before they’re invited. This is what chasing the next gift looks like! Charities should take every chance to be intentional now because failing to do so could make it the last gift.

Facilitating the healing journey

So much of fundraising language only looks at the healing journey of those the charity seeks to help, not the donors themselves. When charities use language and marketing that turns donors into saviors instead of partners, they are diminishing the personal impact that generosity can have. When you understand the psychology of fundraising, you understand it is both art AND science. For Eric, nailing the art factor differentiates good fundraising from great. Everyone is on a unique healing journey. We’ve all experienced trauma in our lives. As a result, we can all struggle with feeling adequate or whole. For some people, healing that part of themselves comes through philanthropy and giving back to others. Person-centered language helps donors see themselves in the story and allow generosity to change their lives as their gift changes the lives of others.

Resources & People Mentioned

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