Hope or Fear—Which Powerful Emotion Should You Use?

Picture a year-end appeal.

The goal isn’t met. Time is running out. Your appeal urges donors to act right away, or bad things may happen.

"Can’t we keep it upbeat? You know, focus on the good stuff?" a board member will ask. "We know that’s more effective, right?"

Well, I don’t think I do know that. My instinct says when the need is urgent, or a deadline is approaching, sharing the urgency with donors is what will work. And often, what’s meant by "upbeat" is "all the things I like about our organization"—that is, organization-focused copy.