Ep. 25 | Why Your Fundraising Stats Aren’t Bringing Donations—and What Will
Struggling to Write Your Newsletters so Supporters Engage?
You’ve seen God do amazing things- but if your emails are vague or unclear, your supporters won’t feel connected.
This free guide will show you how to:
Write subject lines that get your emails opened
Follow a simple story-driven format for every update
Engage donors with clear, Christ-centered storytelling
If you’ve ever stared at your year-end appeal wondering what do I say to make this stand out?—you’re not alone.
Most ministry leaders have been there. You’re looking at your social media captions, your newsletter draft, or your donor appeal thinking,
“I need something powerful. Something that really grabs attention.”
And so, naturally, we turn to the facts.
We think, “If I show them the staggering need—surely they’ll want to help.”
You pull out a big statistic like:
“Over 2 million women are trafficked every year.”
Or
“1 in 4 children in this country goes without a meal every day.”
Those numbers are shocking… but the response isn’t what you hoped for.
Why?
The Brain Isn’t Moved by Numbers
It turns out, people don’t make giving decisions based on logic—they make them based on emotion.
There’s actually a fascinating study by neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux that shows emotional reactions in the brain happen before rational thought kicks in.
That’s why when you see something that looks like a snake, you jump before realizing it’s just a stick.
Our brains are wired to feel before we think.
Emotion comes first. Logic comes second.
So when we lead our donor messaging with a statistic—something purely factual—it goes straight to the rational part of the brain. But the rational brain doesn’t drive action. The emotional brain does.
Why Storytelling Works So Much Better
Stories are what speak directly to the emotional part of the brain.
When you tell one person’s story—someone your ministry has impacted, someone whose life has changed—it connects donors on a human level.
Even if your audience has never experienced the same situation, they can still connect emotionally with the feelings in the story: fear, loneliness, hope, redemption, gratitude.
Those are universal.
That’s why you can tell the story of a woman in a completely different country, and a donor halfway around the world will still feel her pain and joy. They relate to the emotion, not just the circumstance.
How to Use Statistics the Right Way
This doesn’t mean you should never use statistics again.
It just means they should support the story, not lead it.
Here’s how you can do it effectively:
Start with one person’s story.
Introduce your donor to a real person with a real name, face, and struggle. Help them emotionally connect.
Then zoom out.
Once the story is established, show the bigger picture:
“Rhema’s story is just one of 558 women we’ve helped this year.”
Now your donor can visualize that number because they already feel connected to Rhema. The statistic becomes meaningful—it represents real people, not abstract data.
What This Means for Your Year-End Fundraising
As you write your next appeal, newsletter, or social media caption, resist the urge to lead with the “big” number.
Instead, lead with a small story.
Tell the story of one life God has changed through your ministry.
Show the emotion, the conflict, and the transformation.
Then, if you want to include your stats, use them to show the scale of that impact.
That’s how you connect with hearts first—and hearts are what move hands to give.
Final Thought
God has wired people to feel before they think—so when you tell stories that connect to the heart, you’re speaking the language He designed.
Use your words to paint pictures of hope and transformation.
That’s how you’ll see not just more donations, but deeper, long-term relationships with your supporters.
Ready to clarify your supporter communication
and start fundraising easier?
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