If you work in with social enterprise, the humanitarian sector or any sector where you ‘sell’ intangible products like emotional connection, one observation you quickly make is that your pitch is delivered to one of these types of listeners: the skeptics, the critics or the enthusiasts. It is the same if you are making an online campaign (marketing) to secure support for a social cause or you are delivering a face-to-face pitch (sales) to sign-up a monthly donor.
When I coordinated a face-to-face team of fundraisers, we struggled sometimes to get people on board. This happened especially where the organization was not a well known brand or if the organization has low or no social connection with the community. In many cases the responses can make the field representatives doubt their competence, strategy, or doubt both the cause and the organization they represent. I recall the day my team was in a territory ‘doing doors’; as we were getting the most brutal door-slam experience, one of the residents reveals to us that a social media post was circulating on the Residents’ Association platform, warning residents of a potential fraudulent ‘door-knockers’ in the neighborhood. At some point, one of our team mates had questioned our organization and the cause we campaign for, saying it all felt like a ‘scam’.
What do you make of a situation whereby the public is not inspired by structured or systemic calls to support a social cause? On the contrary, when a social media post of a less advantaged person goes viral, it attracts offers and promissory notes from the same public. The psychology and motivation behind this is a common frustrating and well documented observation in social entrepreneurship and fundraising. People usually ignore systemic structured solution but quickly open their purses for individual stories that go viral. This is not because people do not care but because the human psychology is wired for STORIES and not for NUMBERS! To reinforce this claim, you have probably seen a circulating photo of a young girl identified as Betty Keji in Juba, South Sudan. The photo captures Betty sitting behind her merchandise at the road side in the night. She was reading while peddling her goods in a public space. The photo went viral and support for her education flooded in from both public and private individuals. Another photo is that of a school girl identified as Angel Blessing in Uganda who was pictured cycling to school in a heavy downpour. The viral photo inspired donations and promissory notes to support her education. There are so many other similar viral photos that have inspired hope and support.
The Psychology behind this motivation is directly connected to the “Identifiable Victim Effect”. Each of the viral post provides a face, a name, a location and a specific hurdle that sparks an instant emotional connection. Conversely, a social business call presents a collective group of struggling people; it feels abstract and does not light-up the crucial emotional spark. As a psychological defense mechanism against large scale systemic problems, people retreat into psychic numbing. They think ‘I can’t save the world; my donations is just a drop in the ocean’. But that same individual rationalizes: ‘I can buy a laptop for this one child’.
Donors crave immediate social proof that their contribution is making a difference. They prefer a closed loop: identify the child, send support, problem solved! When a post goes viral, the bandwagon effect sets in, people jump onto it and create a massive social proof. Those who jump on the group action get public recognition, validation and are seen as good and compassionate. Unfortunately a standard social business call rarely provides that level of effect, instead it spends time explaining the logic of its model, sustainability, impact and value proposition. In the process, it loses the strength that strikes the cord of emotional connection which triggers people to act.
To succeed with a social business call, it must shift from its logical superiority to bridging the gap. “You cannot pitch the system, you must pitch the system through a person.” Put a face on it! If the marketing focuses on the single journey of one individual showcasing determination and resilience, then the public will fall in love with the story of that one individual. Leverage the identifiable victim effect to fund the systemic solution.
Written By: Byke Freeborn| X/Twitter: @bykefreeborn.