3 Ways Good Photography Will Boost Your Fundraising

Everyone in the design world understands the importance of images. In case you don’t have an eye for design, here’s the low-down.

Images create a tangible link between your organization’s work and the people who are interested in supporting your work.

Having imagery that provides insight into what you do is helpful, orienting donors to your cause and how they can help. But there’s more to the importance of your images than simply publishing relevant visuals.

Both content AND quality are key.

The three ways image quality directly impacts your non-profit:

• They make or break trustworthiness

• They have the power to spark emotion

• They create meaningful connections to your campaigns

Unfortunately, there’s an air of mistrust around charitable organizations. Numerous studies like the BBB give.org 2018 study have shown that the majority of donors don’t trust that their donations are used effectively—even among people who believe that philanthropic giving is very important.

While that’s not a fair assessment, it’s revealing. People are inclined to mistrust your work from the get-go. So we need to find ways to bridge that gap.

Transparency and accountability reporting are essential.

Here’s how using quality imagery can assist you in cultivating trust and connection with your donors.

1. Are You Trustworthy?

We’ve all stumbled upon websites where images are pixelated or blurry. And if you’re like me, you’ve thought to yourself, “What’s wrong here; something doesn’t seem right.”

Trustworthiness is of paramount importance for charitable organizations. Donors won’t donate to your organization if they don’t feel that the site is both safe and secure.

And can you blame them? 

With stories hitting the news about major businesses losing massive amounts of consumers’ personal data—at least a couple times a year—it isn’t surprising donors hesitate when they encounter a website that looks unprofessional.

If your website has been professionally designed, but includes imagery that looks unrefined, subconsciously, your donor may feel mistrustful.

The result can be lower interaction and fewer donations, which is not your goal. 

Compounding the problem, unrefined imagery creates a sense of unprofessionalism. People may begin to wonder if that extends to your mission. Does your organization have less impact than other non-profits?

The answer is balancing relevant imagery that accurately depicts your work with imagery that also conveys the effectiveness of your impact. While a blurry or low-quality candid photo may accurately show what you do, it also causes people to distrust your effectiveness. That’s one step forward and another step backwards.

Using refined photography is the solution. It’s an investment that bridges that gap between accurately depicting your work and showing your effectiveness as an organization.

When using refined imagery, zero trust is sacrificed along the way!

2. How Imagery Can Touch the Heart

Emotions are a good way to foster trust because they encourage empathy. With compelling imagery, donors can see how the people you help are just like them or someone they know and love.

Empathy is all about seeing, understanding, and relating to the plight of others. Sharing narratives in a way that promotes feelings of empathy is vital to donor communications, but it’s only half of the story. A striking image has the power to bring copy to life. 

Tips for creating powerful, emotive imagery

• Feature someone making direct eye contact

• Capture someone in action 

• Share images of people with BIG personalities

(These tips are designed for charities that work with people. If you’re devoted to our furry pals, we’ll be sharing a few design tips just for you in the future.)

These types of images are impactful because they create a connection between your work and your donor. 

3. Connecting Images to Campaigns

When you use refined imagery that evokes an emotional response, there’s one piece left to consider—and that’s the connection to your campaign. Ensure your images are appropriate where they’re being displayed.

If you are running an urgent donation campaign, make sure your imagery expresses a sense of immediate action. If it’s a thank you image, show a smiling face of someone who was positively impacted by your work. When focusing on your services, show tangible imagery of people engaging with your services. 

These thoughtful choices connect the dots for your donors, showing you care enough to be consistent with content and visuals. Also, the more candid the shot, the better. Images that appear impromptu come across as more personable and transparent.  

Is Professional Photography Out of Reach?

After nearly a decade of working with non-profits, we understand that organizations come in all shapes and sizes. Professional is best, but if you can’t hire a photographer, you can still get effective results on your own. 

Here are a few tips to keep in mind—just in case you have to roll up your sleeves and be your organization’s lens slinger for the day.

• Make sure your subject is well lit.

• Ensure the story you’re trying to convey is clear and easy to understand

• Make sure you only focus on 1 or 2 subjects in a shot (multiple subjects may be appropriate, depending on your context).

• Shoot to have lots of space around your subject so adding text is easy (you can always crop the extra space if you need to).

• Your first snap may not be perfect—take multiples of the same shot to ensure you have lots of choices.

• Can’t think of what to shoot? A simple, authentic scene beats a complicated and creative one any day.

Effective images take a little thought, and some technical know-how. But the price you pay is worth it to foster an emotional connection, boost your perceived trustworthiness, and enhance your campaign.