Bringing PhilPsych to Your Fundraising Practice - Kathryn's Story

I earned my PhD from the University of Exeter, where I conducted neuroimaging research on implicit learning. In plain English, that means I used brain imaging technology to study how people learn without realising they’re learning. I’ve always been passionate about making rigorous academic knowledge accessible to people who use it every day without needing to become academics themselves. 

When I discovered the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy (IfSP) 10 years ago, that was the only job I wanted to apply for and the rest is history: I immediately felt at home because IfSP makes rigorous science directly applicable to philanthropic professionals. All our research is conducted with donors and fundraisers, and for donors and fundraisers. 

It wasn’t until after I almost completed my 3-year postdoctoral training however that I truly understood the transformative power of Philanthropic Psychology: PhilPsych helps create fundraising that connects hearts, not just transfers money. 

Let me share a simple example. “Kind,” “caring,” and “compassionate” are among the most frequent words that donors use to describe themselves. Applying these identity-related words meaningfully in fundraising communications can increase giving by at least 10%.  

Something as simple as saying: “Thank you for your kind donation”, instead of: “Thank you for your donation “, can make a difference. 

Saying: “Thank you for your kindness” shifts the focus from the action to the person all together.  

“Thank you for inspiring us with your kindness” begins to build relationships between who your donors are and how their identity impacts us.  

When it is followed up with invitations like “Would you like to read about Jolice, whose love melts our heart”. They are invited to hold the hand of another, who may be experiencing homelessness today.  

I love it when the hearts of donors, the people they support and fundraisers align.   

This principle applies across all fundraising contexts: from social media acquisition to face-to-face meetings, from tweaking a word in an email to reframing a board’s understanding of its role in cultivating giving. Fundraising cannot reach its full potential unless we first understand who we are interacting with, how they prefer to love, and how to help them feel good when they give. 

In our courses, we compare and contrast the different ways that fundraisers can nurture people’s identities. Applying one type of identity-based approach can increase giving by 10%, while another can uplift it by up to 80%. For our students, seeing these effect sizes and understanding the questions that generated them is incredibly thought-provoking. It allows them to design their own communications grounded in evidence and true understanding about their donors and the kind of world that they want to see. 

My favourite part of my job these days is watching students’ thinking unfold in our online courses and seeing how they learn from each other. It’s truly inspiring to witness rigorous research come to life in everyday fundraising right before my eyes! 

I would love to help more fundraisers, donors, and those they serve access this science of philanthropic psychology, because it’s ultimately about genuinely caring for people who genuinely want to love. For me, that is how we can create a world where hearts unite, not divide. 

If there’s anything I can do to help, I’m only an email away at Kathryn@philanthropy-institute.org.uk. 

You can explore all our courses and services right here.  

With gratitude, 
Kathryn