Borrow some tricks from magicians

Here’s a fun post at Neuromarketing about the knowledge magicians use to create convincing illusions — and how that same knowledge can help us sell things: Six Selling Secrets From Magicians.

Here they are, along with some ways they might apply to fundraising:

1. People Focus on Only One Thing (So don’t load up your fundraising with extraneous stuff. Just do one thing at a time.)
   
2. Motion Attracts our Attention (Video can be very effective.)
   
3. Big Motions Beat Little Motions (Being subtle doesn’t pay.)
   
4. The Unexpected Attracts Us (Having a perfect, tasteful color pallet isn’t so great. Contrast captures attention.
   
5. Mirror Neurons Engage Us (Show the actions you want donors to take.)
   
6. Cut the Chatter (Be focused.)
   

Fundraising isn’t magic. Neither is magic. Both work best when you understand how people’s minds work. Magic uses this information to create illusions. Fundraising does it to encourage people to do that good deeds they are inclined to do.