Digital giving is driven by emotion and stories; or is it?
Donna Day Lafferty | 19 August 2026 | Blogs
Are you making a fundraising mistake because so much of the current narrative says that smaller donations are emotionally, rather than intellectually, driven? So, logically you decide to just tell a lot of stories on your social media? Here are three things to consider.
I’m not, for one moment, dismissing the importance and relevance of research into the emotional and subconscious motivations for giving (e.g. James III, 2022). But, Elvira-Lorilla, Garcia-Rodriguez, Romero-Merino, and Santamaria-Mariscal (2023) point out that you really do have to ask, they call this ‘fundraising posts’! Sometimes this gets forgotten. And, a recent research paper by Rimawati, Hamidah, and Ardianto (2026)* has reminded me that we still need to deliver on the more intellectual, or at least fact-checking, side of the donor’s needs.
Why?
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Because Rimawati et al. (2026) found that “Of the 585 respondents, 78% visited the organization’s website before donating, while 22% donated directly based on social media posts (ibid.)”. And asking, come on, you know you have to ask and it can’t all be about being friendly and sharing stories on social media.
The authors recommend that “Philanthropic institutions should ensure that their websites provide transparent and accessible information on legality, governance, financial accountability, and program detail.” They also discuss the importance of making it easy for donors to find this information. For a twist, Panic, Hudders, and Cauberghe (2016), explore the power of meeting expectations unexpectedly.
Use social media to generate emotion, then signpost evidence
Social media remains highly effective at attracting attention and motivating action. Elvira-Lorilla et al. found that donations were influenced not by simply having social media accounts, but by follower numbers, activity, explicit fundraising posts and supporter engagement.
Charities should therefore use social posts to create urgency and emotional connection (Elvira-Lorilla et al., 2023) but link clearly to website pages that provide fuller evidence about the appeal, beneficiaries and outcomes (Rimawati et al., 2026).
Make trust-building information easy to find
Website visitors are often looking for reassurance before they give. Rimawati et al. (2026) found that donors sought confirmation of legality, credibility, transparency, distribution of funds and programme detail before deciding whether to donate.
This information should not be buried in annual reports. Campaign posts and pages need visible trust cues, such as “how your gift will be used”, “our impact”, “our governance” and “proof of delivery” links.
Meet expectations unexpectedly
There is also room for surprise. Panic, Hudders and Cauberghe (2016) found that, on interactive charity websites, an unexpected but still relevant celebrity supporter created a more positive website experience than an obvious celebrity fit, which in turn improved attitudes towards the charity and donation intention. An unexpected ambassador, introduced through an interactive website feature, short video, quiz or social-to-web campaign, can make donors pause, think and engage more deeply.
In digital fundraising, social media should spark motivation, while the website should validate, reassure and sometimes surprise. When the journey is coordinated, donors are more likely to move from scrolling to supporting.
*Rimawati et al.’s (2026) research report focuses on an Indonesian population, while there are some cultural differences the report still offers insight that you should be testing.
Bibliography
Elvira-Lorilla, T., Garcia-Rodriguez, I., Romero-Merino, M. E., & Santamaria-Mariscal, M. (2023). The role of social media in nonprofit organizations’ fundraising. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 08997640231213286.
James III, R. (2022). The Storytelling Fundraiser: The Brain, Behavioral Economics, and Fundraising Story. http://www.encouragegenerosity.com: Texas Tech University.
Panic, K., Hudders, L., & Cauberghe, V. (2016). Fundraising in an interactive online environment. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 45(2), 333-350.
Rimawati, Y., Hamidah, & Ardianto. (2026). Digital Users Perceptions of Philanthropic Donations Across Social Media and Institutional Websites. Journal of Philanthropy, 31(1), e70046.
- What the research says: telephone thanking (31 July 2026)
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About Donna Day Lafferty
Donna Day Lafferty ([email protected]) leads both the MA Fundraising (master’s degree) and Fundraising Apprenticeship (government funded) at the University of Chichester. If you are serious about your fundraising career, and want to be a more effective, more creative, fundraiser take a look.