Drawing on RSPCA UK’s PhilPsych journey, this final blog in our four-part series shows how small shifts in language, gratitude and donor recognition can help supporters feel seen, valued and connected to the change they make possible an focuses on what every fundraiser can do, even with limited time, budget or team capacity.

At RSPCA UK, philanthropic psychology has helped the team create moments of connection that feel personal, sincere and deeply human. 

From handwritten notes to thoughtful tributes and events built around shared values, the philanthropy team has shifted the spotlight towards donors’ love, identity and hopes for a kinder world. 

This third blog (of four) explores how deepening connection, harnessing shared values and celebrating donors as part of the mission can bring philanthropy vividly to life.

At RSPCA UK, Sarah Colberg found that corporate partnerships can be built on love, as well as strategy.

By helping partners feel the meaning of their support, not just understand its impact, the corporate team began to deepen relationships, spark richer conversations and co-create new possibilities.

This blog explores how curiosity, gratitude and philanthropic psychology can turn corporate partnerships into something more human, purposeful and powerful.

At RSPCA UK, Catherine Day and her team found that wealthy donors were not uninterested in animal welfare. They simply needed a different kind of conversation.

Using philanthropic psychology, the team shifted from asking donors to respond only to immediate need, and began inviting them to see their giving as an expression of who they are: compassionate people helping to build a kinder society for every kind.

Emma-Louise Singh reflects on how IFSP’s Certificate in Philanthropic Psychology reshaped her understanding of giving as an expression of love, fulfilment and human connection, and inspired her forthcoming doctoral research into Gen Z, digital socialisation and new forms of philanthropic engagement.

In this blog, we reflect on Prof. Jen Shang’s conversation with George Hayes on the Civil Society Podcast and a question at the heart of her work: how can giving become more meaningful, not just more impactful? Drawing on research with philanthropists around the world, the piece explores how identity, purpose, and authentic human connection can help charities nurture deeper and more rewarding donor relationships.

Animal welfare begins with compassion, but sustaining it requires strong donor relationships, staff support, and long-term resilience.

For Izzy Tutcher at Leicester Animal Aid, Philanthropic Psychology offered a framework for challenges she had long been trying to solve. Her story shows how PhilPsych can help charities strengthen supporter connection, rethink fundraising, and better protect the people behind the mission.

In a conversation on the Untapped Philanthropy podcast, Professor Jen Shang explores how Philanthropic Psychology helps us see giving in a new light: not simply as action, but as an expression of love, identity, and purpose. This blog reflects on what becomes possible when family foundations are understood not just as institutions, but as spaces shaped by human relationships, authenticity, and care.

In this final blog, Sam Jacklin and Tassy Serradura explore how Philanthropic Psychology can help animal welfare organisations move beyond a simple “animal people versus people people” divide. Using insights from the Love Project 2.0, they show how understanding donors’ identities, allegiances, and perceptions of threat can help transform perceived enemies into friends.

What does it look like to test love with rigour? In this third blog, Tassy Serradura shares how Animal Welfare League South Australia used disciplined A/B testing to apply Philanthropic Psychology in direct mail, increasing average gift value while strengthening donors’ sense of connection and care.

How do you move an organisation from understanding donor love to truly feeling it? In this second blog, Sam Jacklin and Tassy Serradura share how donor research, emotional insight, and patient internal change helped Animal Welfare League South Australia build a whole-organisation approach to loving donors back.

What happens when a fundraising team fully embraces the idea that donors’ love should be met with love in return? In this first blog of four, Sam Jacklin and Tassy Serradura share how Animal Welfare League South Australia used Philanthropic Psychology to deepen donor relationships and achieve a sustained 20% increase in gift value.

Stepping into philanthropic psychology can feel like entering a whole new landscape. In this blog, Becky Carlino, shares how to choose the right starting point for your PhilPsych journey, whether you want a deep dive into the science or practical, hands-on application. Discover how different certificates connect, and how to design a learning path that fits your role, goals and heart.

Philanthropic psychology turns fundraising from moving money to connecting hearts. Drawing on rigorous donor research, Kathryn shares how small identity-based shifts – such as thanking supporters for their kindness, not just their donation – can lift giving dramatically. In this blog, Kathryn shares her PhilPsych journey, and explains how PhilPsych helps fundraisers design evidence-led communications that honour who donors are and how they love.

Fundraising is often framed as solving problems: X amount buys X hours of care, tents or books. Philanthropic psychology invites a different why. Instead of only asking, “What problem does this gift solve?”, we ask, “What love is expressed in this gift?” When we design fundraising to grow love, we grow donor wellbeing, generosity and impact.

In our latest community survey, fundraisers shared honestly about the pressures they face and the care they bring to their work. Drawing on philanthropic psychology, we explore gentle, practical ways to shift attention towards joy, gratitude and self-compassion, supporting your wellbeing so you can continue to nurture others with confidence.

Many fundraisers carry hidden fears about getting an ask wrong or being rejected, but fear isn’t a flaw - it’s human. Philanthropic psychology offers a fresh lens, inviting fundraisers to understand donors through identity, emotion and genuine connection. When giving is seen as a shared expression of who we are, asking shifts from anxiety to authenticity and care.

In this blog post by June Steward, Valerie Mullen Pletcher reflects on her 25-year fundraising career, emphasizing that at its core, fundraising is about love. Based south of Washington D.C., Valerie's work has been shaped by her strong conviction that philanthropy and love are inseparable. Through her time with the Institute of Sustainable Philanthropy (IfSP), she gained the tools and language to solidify this belief, not only in her own practice but also in her approach to training and transforming her team.

In a previous blog I introduced some exciting new ideas on how to grow philanthropy in the United Kingdom, from the Beacon Collaborative.

In this blog I outline some of my own for how giving might be doubled.

Companionate love is the love that we experience for family, friends or those who are otherwise close to us. It has deep links to wellbeing, and donors also experience a sense of temperature with it, specifically a feeling of warmth. There are many uses for companionate love in fundraising and it is important, but how do we use Companionate Love in fundraising?