Zimmerman Lehman : "Giving is Good for You"

The Economist recently reported that researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland, looked into the brains of 19 volunteers who were choosing whether to give money to charity or keep it for themselves. The volunteers were each given $128 and told that they could donate anonymously to a wide range of nonprofits. Volunteers could either give away money that "cost" them nothing or make a donation that was subtracted from their $128 "pot."

Using magnetic resonance imaging, which maps the activity of different sections of the brain, researchers found that the part of the brain that was active during this experiment was the mesolimbic pathway, the "reward center" of the brain that provides the euphoria associated with sex, good food and what the Germans call "gemutlichkeit." In other words, making a financial contribution to a nonprofit triggered the brain's pleasure center.

The results of this experiment should come as no surprise to seasoned fundraisers. All too often we hear that guilt is a great philanthropic motivator. In our view, nothing could be further from the truth. People give because it feels good; they are honored to be asked and thrilled to give, not simply because it is the right thing to do, but because giving makes the donor glow.

Browbeating people into making contributions is always a bad idea. Our job as fundraisers is to excite prospective donors about the great work of our organizations, to alert them to the recognition opportunities that await, and to celebrate a rare "win-win" in life. We're doing good work and donors are feeling high as a result of helping out!

Here's an exercise that Zimmerman Lehman uses in its trainings that will help to illustrate our point: Imagine that you are a staff person at a nonprofit and that you won $10 million in the lottery six months ago. Each year, your nonprofit sponsors a large and festive dinner attended by public officials, community members and members of your board. The organization recently initiated a capital campaign to purchase a permanent facility, and you have decided to announce from the podium that you are making a $500,000 contribution.

Dressed in your best outfit with your family and friends in attendance, you listen from your table as the board chair reviews the fabulous work of your nonprofit, explains the need for a permanent home, announces the commencement of the campaign and sings your praises. You are called to the podium to announce your extraordinary gift. As you stand at the podium:

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