The Influential Fundraiser: Using the psychology of persuasion to achieve outstanding results (2009)

Written by leading UK major donor fundraisers, this book draws on the latest psychological and neurological research to explore how asking for money can be better tailored to the individual needs of donors. The authors suggest that traditional fundraising approaches are less relevant to the new breed of younger, wealthy donors, whose motivations differ from those that were commonplace just five years ago. The authors present an ethical model for influencing donors which draws on knowledge and learning from sources as varied as the personal development literature, anthropological studies and even the field of hypnotism. The techniques are said to help fundraisers to “share complex ideas simply, connect quickly to nervous donors, and build deeper relationships with supporters”. The scale of this book’s ambition, and its endorsement by a wide range of international experts, make it an important read for the wider philanthropic sector – donors, foundation staff, researchers and others – who need to keep abreast of new techniques that appear in our field.