What makes an activist different from a donor?  Too often the former is thought of as a lead-gen exercise to source names to ‘convert’ them to the latter.

Activists and donors are different.  And while activists often donate that initial act of activism (e.g. the lead-gen petition signing) should not be thought of as a stepping stone to being a donor.  Rather, it should be treated as an indicator of  the type of person you’re interacting with, one with very different beliefs and emotions from the person who will donate but not take activist actions.

And if you hope to make your activist someone who also gives money then you’ll want very different messaging.

Here is an example of how donors and activists differ in thinking about global poverty

Does your financial ask of the activist focus on their beliefs or is it more geared towards a donor ask?  The latter won’t work (well) on the former.   Does your subsequent “journey” become a one-size-fits-all for activists that also give money and donors?  These are likely, very different human beings and you’re better off with that assumption than the less supported (but more common) one that these two groups are the same.

A note about emotion.  Outrage is the emotion activists feel or express at any situation that lacks equity or fairness, which is their moral lens on the world.  However, these same activists have higher levels of sympathy than the donors.  But, sympathy isn’t what motivates them and as it turns out, neither is outrage.  They feel it, yes, but that is different than saying it causes helping behavior.

We’re still refining and working on the full taxonomy of emotions linked to beliefs and moral framing but we do know that gratitude is an emotion that causes the activist to act in the name of systemic inequity or unfairness in the world.   Outrage doesn’t motivate, it describes.  Having that same, outraged activist take a moment to see and appreciate their own lot in life and be grateful for it (not embarrassed or shamed by it) is the better way to motivate action in the name of those suffering under political or institutional failings.

Activists aren’t donors, even if they engage in the act of donating.

Kevin