Why Hope Belongs at the Heart of Fundraising
The case for shifting from guilt-based to hope-based fundraising
A guest post from Fiza Ziyad in India who has been applying the hope-based approach to fundraising. Fundraisers often have the biggest challenge shifting from threat to opportunity, so I am delighted that Fiza addressed this. Also check out her selection of hope-based storytelling from India - it’s all “hope gold”.
I will add a few extra thoughts below, and then don’t miss a bumper crop of hopey, changey links at the end!
The Story That Moves Us: Why Hope Belongs at the Heart of Fundraising
by Fiza Ziyad (Assistant Manager, TeamStreet Fundraising Solutions). Read the full article in Indian Leaders for Social Sector here.
Simon Sinek says, ‘People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.’ In a world where we are bombarded with information from all sides, it’s easy to resort to fear-driven narratives to get noticed. As the missions of nonprofits are often time-sensitive, the pressure is high, and time is limited.
It’s very easy to switch off mentally and emotionally when all the media we consume pushes narratives of fear, danger, and urgency. Things change when messages embody an element of hope: ‘Yes, the road is hard, but together, we can make it’.
Hope-based narratives keep the spirit of our mission alive, rather than making people feel helpless and apathetic by selling suffering, guilt, and dystopian projections of the future.
Environmental groups, too, are shifting their tone; the urgency remains, but it is now balanced with a focus on positive change. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) showcases the potential for collective action, with campaigns like Earth Hour, highlighting that small actions can lead to more significant changes.
While LGBTQIA+ rights still have a long way to go in India, the launch of the country’s first dedicated LGBTQIA+ philanthropy fund is something to celebrate. PARI features inspiring stories from rural India, rather than just discussing the problems they face. By focusing on milestones, we remind people that change not only needs to happen — it is happening!
For example, read this story and watch this video of young women in Hesaraghatta (rural Karnataka) break stereotypes as they master Dollu Kunitha - a traditional Kannada drum dance once seen as the domain of men.
Fear can trigger short-term giving, but it rarely builds lasting relationships. Hope, on the other hand, offers a sense of belonging.
Charity: water executes this masterfully. They took donor engagement to the next level by showing where donations go. The Journey of Your Donation features real communities, names, and people, and it makes donors feel like they are part of a meaningful movement, not just a transaction.
Crisis Text Line doesn’t just say, ‘Mental health is in crisis’. Their message is: ‘You are not alone. Help is just a text away’.
The Malala Fund highlights the transformative outcomes of girls’ education: leadership, entrepreneurship, and peace-building. They have a beautiful video series called Roll Call, where girls from different countries talk about their lives, dreams, and daily experiences. It’s a self-narrated portrait that centres their agency and hope.
Five tips for hope-based fundraising
Leading with your vision.
Instead of starting with what’s wrong, start with what you’re working towards. For example, say, ‘We’re working toward a future where no child goes to bed hungry,’ not just ‘Millions are starving.’
Placing people as protagonists.
Instead of framing people as passive victims, show them as changemakers. Tell their stories of leadership and resilience. People connect more with people than with problems.
Celebrate progress, however small.
Highlighting progress over pessimism keeps hope alive. Show the wins, milestones, and breakthroughs.
Offer meaningful ways to engage.
Hope without action can sometimes feel empty. Always connect your message to a tangible solution: whether it’s donating, volunteering, or simply learning more.
Instead of saying ‘The world is broken,’ say ‘Here’s how you can help rebuild it.’
Hope is a Strategy
Hope-based narratives are a breath of fresh air in a world drowning in conflicts and crisis narratives. Instead of reaffirming the problems people already know of, it shows them a way forward.
Next time you create a message, ask yourself:
What future am I painting here?
Is it one people want to belong to, or run away from?
Hope creates a sense of belonging, and we need it now more than ever.
P.s. from Fiza: three videos from India that embody hope-based storytelling
(1) The video Every Child in School and Learning Well by Pratham Foundation is a vibrant, musical piece that communicates a bold and optimistic vision for universal education. It frames learning not as a struggle, but as an exciting journey every child deserves to be part of.
(2) I Am That Change is a powerful 3-minute Telugu short film produced by and starring Indian actor Allu Arjun. It portrays everyday people making simple but impactful choices, emphasising personal responsibility and integrity.
(3) India: Cancer – The Journey of Hope, by the WHO Health for All Film Festival, follows the story of Sapna, a 10-year-old girl living with leukaemia. While it’s emotionally heavy, I felt it beautifully captures the humanity and courage that define hope, even in difficult circumstances.
Hope-based fundraising: From threat to opportunity
In addition to Fiza’s article, here is some advice I give fundraisers who want to go hope-based when there is constant pressure to focus on urgency.
From manipulation to inspiration
Apply Simon Sinek’s point (mentioned by Fiza) about manipulation versus inspiration, and Jonah Sachs’ concept of empowerment vs inadequacy.
When we in social change try to trigger guilt, pity or fear, we are choosing to manipulate rather than inspire. We are not actually giving the audience a choice about how they feel (how can you feel anything but sadness/outrage faced with such injustice?). We are trying to achieve a short-term goal: a click or a sign-up.
Anger mobilizes, hope organizes
So the idea is to ask ourselves, can we offer our audience an opportunity based on intrinsic values, rather than pushing their extrinsic, transactional buttons.
Can we inspire our audience by connecting to shared values and identity, inviting them to actively be part of our movement?
In a world of digital overload where fear-based marketing faces steep diminishing returns, it is time to start appealing to a new spectrum of social change emotions:
From certainty to curiosity,
From anger to generosity,
From overwhelm to agency,
From disgust to admiration and awe,
From pity to connection.
When we recognise the role of identity and belonging in our political decision-making, we can start to see that fundraising should sit at the heart of movement-building. Simple things like “merch” (like tote bags or badges) are actually powerful symbols that reinforce people’s personal connection to a cause. They are about far more than fundraising; they reinforce the identity that drives thinking and meaning.
And sometimes, we just need to show people that we can win, like this Amnesty International France ad, Thirst for Victory:
Invitation: Launching “Thriving Communities" - a new corporate accountability messaging guide
Join the Global Initiative for Corporate Accountability (GICA) online on Tuesday 15 July for the launch of Thriving Communities: A hope-based messaging guide for holding corporations accountable.
We have spent a year co-creating, testing and refining a hope-based narrative for talking about this issue based on intrinsic values - making a community case for human rights, instead of a “business case”.
Hopey, changey stuff
“When audiences are experiencing compassion, they relate to the challenges and aspirations of stakeholders, and they want to help them” - Robert Perez from Wonder for Good inspired me to start hope-based communication and made me realize that we can, and must, nurture compassion between groups. His new guide shows how to "heartwire" your messages. And it includes a section on hope! Explore the guide.
Vital strategy post from Anat Shenker-Osorio, who draws a clear lesson from recent elections in Poland, Canada and Australia: when center-left parties echo far-right scapegoating, they lose. Overton window people! We need to get politicians to focus on offering an alternative to the far-right, not mimicking it. (Also as a bluesky thead and article)
Speaking of fundraising, check out this new agency started by Michael Dixon.
Tech that brings us together: This essay from Tech & Social Cohesion asks what it would mean to design platforms around civility, not clicks. A compelling case for reprogramming our digital spaces to support solidarity. Read the post. Thanks to Vardon Hamdiu from Sparkable for this tip.
Mapping global climate feelings: new study shows that hopefulness about climate change is the strongest predictor of support for climate interventions.
The values we actually live by: The Common Cause Foundation just dropped a thoughtful piece unpacking why most people do care about others and the planet, but don’t act on it. A powerful case for activating the values people already hold, but are not salient. Read the piece.
A coalition of people who believe in the future: new framing from Naomi Klein: those who have given up on planet earth vs “a coalition of people who believe in this world, who believe in the future”. Reminder of the danger of apocalyptic thinking.
Brain science corner - fundraiser edition
Fundraisers should remember the predictive brain: our brains constantly fill gaps with existing knowledge. By making people familiar with inspiring visions of change, we help them believe in these futures:
“Our brains are always “filling in” our perceptual experience, supplementing incoming information with existing knowledge….The brain is a prediction machine and our perceptual experiences consist of our prior experiences as well as new data.”
Quotes of the week
“Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side, because life is better when we leap together.”
Kermit the Frog commencement address shared by Horizons Project (who are also a must-follow on substack) in their wonderful newsletter.
"Hope is not naive when you have a vision and a movement behind it. Hope is in fact righteous." - Zohran Mamdani (H/T Annabel Short!)
Thank you so much for featuring this piece! It means a lot to see it included here alongside so many powerful hope-based stories. It’s been heartening to see how these ideas around dignity, agency, and possibility in communication are resonating with others in the sector. Hope-based communication feels especially relevant in today’s context, and I truly believe there’s so much value in fuelling these conversations across the social sector in India. Grateful to be part of this growing space and always learning from the work and insights you continue to share!
Studies show that, as humans, when we experience an emotion, we tend to want to stay in it. We don't like change as human machines. Therefore, if our communication and messaging make people feel hopeful, they will give to continue that feeling. Great article.