The author Barry Lopez once offered me good advice.

We were talking about land conservation, and he noted that many wealthy individuals are not motivated to give by frightening statistics about the loss of species. With some donors, you have to emphasize the beauty and grandeur of a landscape. You have to say, “If we don’t save this land, it will break your daughter’s heart.”

I suspect his observation applies to communicating with all donors—no matter what the cause. Getting emotional in a fundraising proposal can be just as important as being rational—if not more so.

The overwhelming nature of some disasters can leave many donors feeling helpless (“How can I possibly make a difference?”), whereas conveying the simple joy of one family’s recovery can inspire.

Supporting hospice care may seem a downer until the donor understands the remarkable compassion and dignity that an institution brings to caring in a patient’s final days.

Training the jobless is no longer a wearisome story when a prospect sees the soaring hope in the life of a poor youth who has put new skills to work in his first job.

This is not to say that donors don’t care about hard facts and outcomes. Foundation officers want fresh, thoughtful programs. Corporate donors keep a sharp watch on the bottom line and the impacts on people and places where they operate.

But individual donors are another story.

They have individual reasons for giving—and those personal, sometimes quirky reasons often stem from deep emotional attachments, such as affection for alma mater, or for the hospital that saved a loved one’s life. A well-crafted proposal will address those feelings and become a means of release--allowing the donor to act on his emotional commitment by giving you money. The better you know your prospect, the better your chances of striking just the right emotional note.

Getting emotional does not mean getting carried away. The best proposals are always calm and understated. They do not allow for direct emotional outbursts. But there are ways to gently push a donor’s buttons and make clear that you are offering an opportunity for him or her to act out of heartfelt need.

Let the Voices Cry Out.

The emotional aspects of your work are best conveyed through the voices of others. When you say that your work is noble and inspiring, I am skeptical. When an outsider who has benefited from your services says it, I begin to pay attention.

In fact, the voices of patients or clients who share my feelings about your nonprofit will resonate very nicely with me. I will see myself in the words of someone who, like me, was able to go to college because of a scholarship program, or who made a new start in life after heart surgery.

By using quotes artfully in the margins of your proposal, you can remind the individual donor about the emotional payoff that comes with supporting your program. Like a Greek chorus, the people calling out from the margins remind the prospect about what really matters.

“My mother is alive today because of the surgical care at Community Hospital,” the quote may say. “The doctors had given her little chance of survival. Now she is with us again, and training for her first marathon.” Or: “We were homeless for two years. The Shelter gave me the hope and the skills I needed to find a job, get out of debt, and make a stable home. These people really care.”

Quotes that express emotional outcomes remind the prospect of the source of his caring. They place your program in the emotional arena vital to the donor’s sense of self. This is the arena in which he will want to take action.

Show the Inspiring Outcome.

Photographs can capture moments of peace, joy, triumph, and beauty far better than words. By choosing images carefully, you can allow the prospect to see the positive emotional outcomes she longs for.

Along with maps, charts, and lists of species, a conservation group would do well to offer dramatic photos of the sweeping prairie to a donor whose heart lies there.
A photo capturing the wonder in a child’s eyes can draw the prospect immediately back to her own first visit to a museum that offered a new window on life and the world.

Like background music, such images help create an environment in which the donor feels at home and among friends who know what really matters. They strike emotional notes that are as important as the details on the program.

In fact, the captions for such photos are an opportunity to join the rational and emotional arguments for your program. You can provide key facts as well as underscore the positive emotional outcome captured in the image.

Use Pleasing Design and Colors.

Some ink and paper colors offer a warm, healthy glow. They lend themselves to a proposal about a new wellness center at a retirement community. Other colors are cool and objective—and best saved for your no-nonsense corporate donors.

A talented designer can help you think through the ways to establish emotional ties to a donor through design and colors. Small design touches in a proposal can foster feelings of hope and possibility that mirror the mindset of the donor.

Depending on the donor, you might vary the size or feel of the paper on which the proposal is printed. Type faces and sizes can also affect her experience of reading the proposal. Used artfully, they can help foster the mood that reflects her attachment to your nonprofit.

You are going to use quotes, photos, and colors in your proposals anyway—so why not take time to use them to create an emotional context for giving? With a donor for whom passion matters, they can make a difference. They can encourage him to act now—or risk breaking his daughter’s heart.

This article originally appeared in Contributions Magazine.