Review: Homer Simpson for Nonprofits

The e-book, “Homer Simpson for Nonprofits: The Truth about How People Really Think and What It Means for Promoting Your Cause,” is written by nonprofit communications professionals for nonprofit communications professionals. The goal of a large portion of nonprofit communications is to raise money, and this e-book focuses extensively on effective messaging for fund raising. For that reason, development professionals may also find it worth reading.

Overall, this is a well written and useful document. Many nonprofit communicators will find helpful tips to improve strategy and messaging for communicating with donors and other constituents.

In Homer Simpson for Nonprofits, the authors assert that people do not make rational decisions based on facts or that are necessarily in their best interests. Rather, people make illogical decisions based on emotion. How people decide to donate to charities and nonprofit organizations is no exception.

In contrast, they contend that nonprofit and fund raising communications are typically based on the principles of economics and direct marketing. They logically present a case using facts and statistics to help potential donors understand why they need to give. In Homer Simpson for Nonprofits, the authors explain why this approach is not effective in appealing to “the hearts and minds” of constituents. By writing this e-book, Katya Andresen, Alia Mc Kee, and Mark Rovner hope to help nonprofits change communications in small ways that can produce big results.

But, you may be asking, “Just what does Homer Simpson have to do with nonprofits?”

The Homer Simpson Connection

The Homer Simpson reference in the title is borrowed from the book,  Nudge, by Richer Thaler and Cass Sunstein. In it, they say, “Real people make real decisions like Homer Simpson, not Spock.”

Andresen, McKee, and Rovner refer to this decision-making based more on an emotional basis and less on logic as behavioral economics. Behavioral economics is based in psychology and deals with “social, cognitive and emotional factors that influence decisions.”

Eight Guiding Principles

The authors lay out eight guiding principles for nonprofits to follow for more effective communications.

For each of these principles, they weave in stories, examples, research, and a checklist that includes suggestions for possible implementation of the principles at your nonprofit organization.

One of the more compelling revelations from this e-book comes from the empathy studies of  Dr. Paul Slovic, professor of psychology at the University of Oregon. His studies led him to conclude, “The more who die, the less we care.” The authors use examples, a video clip, and charts graphing normative models to explain how people cannot process death on a large scale.

The bigger the scale of what you’re communicating, the smaller the impact on your audience. Do not overwhelm people with numbers and statistics. They shift people into an analytical frame of mind, which disconnects them from the emotion of an individual story.

Dr. Paul Slovic

Making Their Case

Andresen, McKee, and Rovner use anecdotal evidence tied to theory to make their case.

They mention the names of many academicians and authors, and they cite several studies. They provide a short suggested reading list and a list of references. For the most part, they make good use of stories, images, and graphs. However, they don’t really tie the researchers to the research or to the references, or possibly, not all studies mentioned are listed on the reference page. It became necessary to look up the credentials and affiliations of several of the authorities cited. That should not prevent you from using and enjoying it.

Again, this is good resource with plenty of good information. At minimum, it offers Homer Simpson’s very different perspective on nonprofit communications and fund raising.

A different perspective can get us thinking differently. That can lead to positive change in our organizations and in our communications.

About the Authors of Homer Simpson for Nonprofits

Alia McKee is a principal of Sea Change Direct Marketing. Katya Andresen is the CEO of Network for Good. She wrote the book, Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes. She also writes the nonprofit blog,“Getting to the Point.” Mark Rovner is a principal of Sea Change Strategies.

Please let me know your thoughts about Homer Simpson for Nonprofits.

Image Credit:  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-USGov

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:RoyFocker_12

http://www.treas.gov/education/fact-sheets/images/ PD-US Gov

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