Using Emotional Communication For Environmental Fundraising: Understanding the impact of pride and shame on donor behavior

Abstract

Emotional appeals significantly influence donor behavior in environmental fundraising, yet research has predominantly focused on broader categories of positive or negative emotions. This study narrows the focus to two specific and contradictory emotions—pride and shame— to examine their distinct impacts on willingness. Unlike previous research that groups emotional appeals into broad categories, this analysis provides a detailed examination of how each of these emotions affects donor engagement separately.

The findings reveal that pride appeals consistently enhance both the willingness to donate and the persuasiveness of messages, affirming their role in positively driving donor behavior. In contrast, shame appeals, while initially capturing attention, generally lead to less positive outcomes, reducing both willingness to donate and message effectiveness.

This thesis sheds light on the nuanced roles of specific emotional appeals in environmental fundraising. By distinguishing the separate effects of pride and shame, it provides valuable insights for practitioners on how to strategically employ these emotions to maximize fundraising effectiveness. Additionally, it offers a deeper understanding for academics interested in the specific impacts of discrete emotional appeals on pro-social behaviors. This research highlights the importance of selecting appropriate emotional strategies that align with organizational goals and desired campaign outcomes.