Effective Appeals for Four Basic Personalities

How to Write Effective Fundraising Materials for the Four Basic Personalities
Rachel Lee
RuffaloCODY
Did you know you have four sets of ears? I’ll give you a minute to let that
mental image sink in. I see my four pairs of ears growing out the top of my
head like a bunch of sun visors.
No, it’s not a medical anomaly you never knew you had. Figuratively speaking,
each individual hears a message, interprets it using their four “ears,” or basic
personality types, and responds to the stimuli that appeals to them most.
According to Tom Ahern’s How to Write Fundraising Materials That Raise
More Money, these personalities are AMIABLE, EXPRESSIVE, SKEPTICAL
and BOTTOM-LINER (70-72).
Interpret the message
from an:
AMIABLE,
EXPRESSIVE,
SKEPTICAL and
BOTTOM-LINER view
You respond, often
using your dominant
personality as your
guide
So what does all of this have to do with fundraising? Simply put, when
writers like us have a working knowledge of reader psychology – who we are
writing for, what they’re like and what they’re passionate about – we can build
stronger connections with donors and receive bigger gifts.
Communicating on all four wavelengths is difficult to master, but if
you know the dominant personality trait of the people you’re soliciting, you can
inspire many prospects to make their first gift, and keep them until they’re some
of your most loyal donors.
1.) Amiable individuals respond to other people. They enjoy helping others,
and learning about how their gift changes lives. Many Amiables choose
helping professions, becoming nurses, teachers or child care workers.
Often, Amiable donors are connected with a School of Nursing or College
of Professional Studies. Anecdotes are very effective when appealing to
an audience of Amiables (Ahern 73-106).

Rachel Lee
RuffaloCODY
2.) Expressives are highly motivated to know more. They want to learn
something new and exciting about an issue they care about. Generally,
Expressives include marketers, salespeople and writers. Expressives may be
affiliated with a College of Arts and Letters. A dose of news in the first
paragraph of a solicitation will gain the attention of an Expressive prospect.
3.) Skeptical readers chime in with a chorus of doubts: “Is my gift a waste of
money?,” “Is this charity even effective?,” so they respond to facts. Many
Skepticals become engineers, mathematicians, and data analysts. Skeptical
alumni, parents and friends are likely to be drawn to a School of
Engineering or College of Information Sciences. If you can write about your
cause in a way that answers objections before they’re asked, Skepticals will
be on board.
4.) Bottom-Liners like to keep it brief. “I know you’re asking for money, so
tell me how to make a gift and please make it convenient.” Bottom-liners
are well-suited for careers as CEO’s, lawyers or managers. Bottom-Liner
donors are often connected with a School of Business. Quick and easy
verbiage geared toward gift fulfillment appeals to Bottom-Liners (Ahern 73-
106).
A sample of 41 RuffaloCODY employees were utilized for this
study. They differed in job titles, including writers, senior writers, data analysts ,
senior data analysts, and client service managers.
Each individual was given four solicitations (included below).
Solicitations were similar in design and message, but verbiage differed slightly,
each solicitation written for the four basic personality types: Amiable,
Expressive, Skeptical and Bottom-Liner.
Participants were instructed to read all solicitations and decide which
solicitation would make them most likely to fulfill their gift. They were asked
to choose a solicitation – 1, 2, 3, or 4 (in the order they appear below) – and to
write their job title next to their selection.

Rachel Lee
RuffaloCODY
Amiable Solicitation: Amiables respond to helping others.
Dear ##FORMAL##,
"In times when you didn't believe in yourself, someone else at the Siteman Cancer Center
believed in you — so the battle against cancer was always two against one."
- Mary Ibbetson, Breast Cancer Survivor
Thank you for considering a gift to support the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at
Washington University School of Medicine. Gifts help Siteman provide patients like Mary
with numerous support groups, exercise programs and community outreach efforts. Please
visit our website at friendsofsiteman.wustl.edu to learn more about how private gifts are
making a difference.
I encourage you to fulfill your gift using our secure online giving site. If you prefer, you can
mail your gift with the pledge card you'll receive soon, or call us toll-free at 877-552-1506.
Thank you again for your consideration. With your support, no one will have to face cancer
alone.
Sincerely,
Jana L. Sharpley, CFRE
Executive Director of Development
P.S. Many companies match charitable gifts made by employees, spouses and retirees.
Please check with your human resources department or our online matching database to
see if you qualify. (Simply mail the form to the address below.)
Siteman Cancer Center ~ Washington University ~ Campus Box 1204
7425 Forsyth Blvd. ~ St. Louis, MO 63105-2161 ~ 877-552-1506

Rachel Lee
RuffaloCODY
Expressive Solicitation: Expressives respond to learning something new.
Dear ##FORMAL##,
Did you know that seventy-five percent of all cases of cancer could be avoided if more
people just got involved?
Washington University School of Medicine. Gifts help Siteman fund high-priority research
projects that could save thousands of lives. Please visit our website at
friendsofsiteman.wustl.edu to learn more about how private gifts are making a difference.
I encourage you to fulfill your gift with our secure online giving site. If you prefer, you can mail
your gift with the pledge card you'll receive soon, or call us toll-free at 877-552-1506.
alone.
Sincerely,
Please check with your human resources department or our online matching database to see
if you qualify. (Simply mail the form to the address below.)

Rachel Lee
RuffaloCODY
Skeptical Solicitation: Skepticals respond to facts.
Dear ##FORMAL##,
Washington University School of Medicine. With over 5,000 effective bone marrow and stem
cell transplants, 250 forms of treatment, and libraries of information to treat nearly 100 types
of cancer, Siteman is one of the largest and most successful centers in the world. Please visit
our website at friendsofsiteman.wustl.edu to learn more about how private gifts are making a
difference.
alone.
Sincerely,

Rachel Lee
RuffaloCODY
Bottom-Liner Solicitation: Bottom-Liners respond to brief language geared toward completing an action.
Dear ##FORMAL##,
Washington University School of Medicine. Please visit our website at
friendsofsiteman.wustl.edu to learn more about how private gifts are making a difference.
alone.
Sincerely,

Rachel Lee
RuffaloCODY
Sample Make-Up
Writers
Data Analysts
Designers
Managers
Writers
Amiable
Expressive
Skeptical
Bottom-Liner
Data Analysts
Amiable
Expressive
Skeptical
Bottom-Liner
Designers
Amiable
Expressive
Skeptical
Bottom-Liner
Managers
Amiable
Expressive
Skeptical
Bottom-Liner

Rachel Lee
RuffaloCODY
While the sample size was small, the results from this test were
agreeable with the insights of Tom Ahern. Indeed, the majority of employees in
our office chose the solicitation that corresponded with a dominant personality
trait associated with their job title (e.g., data analysts chose the Skeptical
Solicitation, responding to the facts presented in the verbiage).
These findings can be applied to a larger audience. For example, if soliciting a
School of Engineering’s donors, you may reason that donors will interpret your
message from a Skeptical view, and will want to include facts in your message
to reassure them of any doubt or objection to give.
Based on the results of this test, it’s safe to say that
knowing your donors matters. A good writer uses proper grammar and strings
words together nicely, but a great writer interests the reader and sustains that
interest.
So, think about your audience. If you’re writing for a College of Arts and
Letters – likely to be full of Expressive parents, alumni and friends – don’t
include a list of facts or statistics. Similarly, if you’re soliciting donors to a
School of Engineering, it may be ineffective to include fluffy language and
testimonials from people who’ve benefitted from past gifts.
The eventual goal is to speak to all four “ears” in your materials. When you do
that, you give yourself four chances to hook your reader, no matter which
personality predominates at that moment. Once you’re able, your messages
will:
 Advocate for humanity and attract the Amiable side of your audience.
 Deliver valuable news and capture the attention of the Expressive side of
your audience.
 Anticipate questions and alleviate the doubts of the Skeptical side of
your audience.
 Instruct the Bottom-Liner side of your audience to act.

Rachel Lee
RuffaloCODY
Ahern, Tom. How to Write Fundraising Materials That Raise More Money: The
Art, the Science, the Secrets.
Medfield: Emerson & Church, 2009. Print.

Effective Appeals for Four Basic Personalities

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