I was flipping through the May issue of Fundraising Success magazine (which you may be able to get for free, here) because the cover article was entitled “Big Ideas for Smaller Nonprofits.”
I thought I’d find some great insights to share with all of you, but my eye was caught by an adjacent full page ad.

The copy leads off: “9 (More) REASONS why PEOPLE give to NONPROFIT organizations” and then proceeds to list them. I’ve been trying to parse what exactly they mean by each of these things, and I have some first-glance ideas. I’m pretty sure this is not what the advertiser meant in most cases, but they only offer the single word for each point. Please note that this is not my list — it’s just what I’m working with. The commentary is mine.

1. Hope

People donate because they need to believe that things will get better. They are frustrated by a situation which they are powerless to control. Giving money to nonprofits allows them some sense of agency. It gives them hope that things will change.

Example: I imagine that a good example might be cancer research. The money donated is a drop in the bucket, which will probably not directly lead to the cure for cancer. But it allows the donor to ‘fight’ against a ravaging disease that often seems omnipotent.

2. Association

It’s a messy world, and people tend to stick with people like themselves. There are trade organizations, religious groups, bars, PACs, social clubs, internet chat rooms, book clubs, support groups, so birds of a feather can flock together. It’s not surprising, then, that people give primarily to groups they are associated with. There’s also a sense of self-ness in this. It’s easier to give to someone who is like you - because you can imagine yourself similarly being in need.

Example: Jane, a Catholic, gives to a Catholic summer camp for low-income girls, even though she herself has no children and is quite affluent. Jane feels an affinity to the Catholic camp. Note also, that Jane is personally interested in the success of the Catholic camp.

3. Friends

This is simple. You give to an organization because a friend asks you to. Or because a friend is being honored at an event. Incidentally, this is a major strategy for fundraisers — finding guests of honor with large rolodexes.

4. Sadness

Like Hope, people give because they are troubled by a situation. The difference is that when people are sad, they are more vulnerable — more eager to regain power. They may feel that this donation will alleviate some of their pain, or they may just be more sensitive to the pain.

Example: 9/11 generated an outpouring of charity unparalleled in our history. A guess is that much of it was grief-generated. Again, this is tied to the Hope section. People felt powerless, and they felt sad.

5. Make A Difference

There are those (rare?) moments when a donation will make a direct impact - either on a micro- or on a macro- level. Even if the donation cannot be proven to directly “make a difference” the sentiment is surely a prime motivator of donors everywhere.

Example: Sue grew her hair out and donated it to Locks of Love (oops, I always thought it was Locks for Love). She felt that she could immediately improve the life of a cancer patient, and thereby make a difference.

6. Love

This is a little nebulous for me, but I guess it means that people give because they “love” the people (cause) they’re giving to. This seems to me some sort of exalted level that we can all hope to reach — giving to someone because you love them, either because you know them, or simply because they are in need.

Example: I suppose the easiest example is giving to a family member, but this example doesn’t really shake the ground. Maybe someone who helps support the ASPCA because they love animals?

7. Dreams

I really don’t know what this is getting at. I could make up some explanations, but they’d be no better than the answers you can make up for yourself.

8. Faith

Many people give because they believe they are supposed to. This is an issue of faith. The world order (God, karma, holiness, goodness, morality) dictates that they are obligated - or perhaps hardwired - to give charity. There need not be a reward associated with this, but in many cases there is. In some instances, this charity money can literally buy redemption.

Example: To begin with, the “Big 3″ Religions stress charity as a central virtue: Zakat in Islam, Alms in Christianity and Buddhism, and Tzedaka in Judaism.

9. LW Robbins

This is the punchline of the ad: People give to nonprofits because they hire this consulting firm. It’s not so far off. A consulting firm can be a great force in collecting funds for your non-profit. For more information on hiring a consultant, check out the Perry Davis Associates Information Center.

10. (The aforementioned “1 More”) Guilt

It might be very cynical (if the preceding post weren’t cynical enough) but Guilt is a powerful reason why people give to nonprofits. Earlier today, I came across a facebook group which I thought captured this point rather succinctly: “joining facebook groups assuages my faint sense of guilt over darfur” (you probably need a facebook account to see it).

Please note that I am not ascribing value to any of the reasons above. I’m simply wondering aloud — sparked by this advertisement I came across — why people give.

I actually think that this list isn’t so clear-cut. A lot of the items intersect, overlap, or reiterate. It’s also a lot of mix-and-match. Giving to a Catholic summer camp for low-income girls could because of association, hope, sadness, and hope. I could give to the post-Katrina efforts because of association, sadness, and guilt.

What do you think? How would you interpret, or amend the ad and its 9 items?