how to help donors visualize their impact

Today I got an end-of-year giving appeal from YoungLife and I loved what I saw.

Do you know why?

Because it humanized the giving ask in a way that I could visualize the impact with any level of donation.

The lead paragraphs talk about “them” – about how much they need, how much they got, etc. That stuff is too easy to gloss over because it isn’t donor-centric in its messaging.

But the bottom half of the email helps the recipient do the most pivotal thing possible with this donation ask — it paints a very specific picture with each associated level on the giving ladder.

Everything from $300 up to $3,600 is made clear to the giving, what will happen when they give.

The other bonus thing that is going on here is that all of these giving examples have been constructed as a recurring monthly donation.

This does three specific things:

1) Breaks down the gift into a bite size piece as small as a $25 ask to make a difference.


2) Introduces a longer-term relationship than a single transction so that there’s excuse to check in and report results, educate further and inspire for deeper support in the future.

3) Monthly recurring giving will most likely continue on beyond the year ahead to increase the average lifetime value of donor.

But let’s zoom back in to what it the most important part of this example: Framing each donation ask level with tangible outcomes for the prospective donor. This is the key to a productive giving campaign.

Are you receiving any examples of good giving appeals in your inbox? Share it with us and let us know why you resonate with them!