Swimming Against the Current (Again): Impact Appeals

27 Oct Swimming Against the Current (Again): Impact Appeals

28 October 2025

By David Allen, Development for Conservation

One year at The Nature Conservancy, we mailed a fall appeal that tied various levels of giving to acres the Conservancy was able to purchase. A few months later, a donor called asking if she could visit the acre she had purchased.

So-called “impact” appeals are gaining in popularity again, and to some extent for good reason. They can and have helped drive results.

I still don’t like them.

And really for three reasons: they have the potential for donors believing their gifts are restricted, they present opportunities based on dollar amount instead of donor interest, and they tilt the giving gesture away from philanthropic and toward transactional giving.

The first objection is really not a problem until the organization raises more money for a specific project than the specific project actually needs. It doesn’t happen very often, and that’s the main reason impact appeals work so well. People believe that they are contributing directly to a result – a program, project, or outcome – that they support. But if you raise 30,000 for a $25,000 project, you will need to go back to your donors and ask permission to use the money for something else. That’s fairly straightforward for largish grant-makers. It’s a nightmare for your Fall appeal donors.

The second is more insidious. Consider the following list of “impact” opportunities:

• Your gift of $35 provides stewardship tools for one volunteer work day
• Your gift of $100 provides lunch and refreshments for one volunteer work day
• Your gift of $250 provides curriculum and program delivery for an educational workshop
• Your gift of $500 provides Nomex safety equipment for one burn crew member
• Your gift of $1,000 provides an awards event for land trust stewardship volunteers
• Your gift of $2,500 publishes and mails one membership newsletter
• Your gift of $5,000 pays the management fee for a new conservation easement on properties less than an acre
• Your gift of $10,000, pays for the conservation of one acre of land

The list was taken from multiple sources (and some I made up), because I really don’t want to throw any organization under the bus. But the list works to give you the idea. Each opportunity might be accompanied by a small, colorful graphic.

The implication of the list is that my $35 only buys a pair of loppers while contributing toward conservation easement or direct land conservation is only for people who can give a lot more.

A more important message might be that making a contribution of any size supports all of those opportunities.

And finally consider this: We might welcome gifts restricted to specific programs, projects, or outcomes, but we also highly value gifts that support the organizational mission and values. Or – said another way – “this specific program, project, or outcome was made possible because hundreds of people like you have supported the mission through their annual giving. Help the Conservancy be there for the next opportunity that comes along.”

Take the messaging away from the specific transactional and invite donors to support the organizational values – demonstrated through story-telling. Because those are THEIR values also.

So – I’m not really a fan of impact appeals. Save the impact specifics for a mid-term report to your donors. Reports back all the great things – from loppers to newsletters, to educational workshops, to easements and direct land conservation – that they did with their money. You will engender loyalty. You will improve your renewal rate. You will grow your support base. And you will have more “impact” to report next time.

Cheers, and have a great week!

-da

PS:  Your comments on these posts are welcomed and warmly requested. If you have not posted a comment before, or if you are using a new email address, please know that there may be a delay in seeing your posted comment. That’s my SPAM defense at work. I approve all comments as soon as I am able during the day.

Photo by Lyn Bratton courtesy Pixabay