Giving Compass' Take:

• Ann Christiano and Annie Neimand examine the intricacies of social science, specifically how to tap into people's feelings and values when it comes to messaging.

• Essentially, people fail to act when they don't care or when they don't know what to do. How can donors engage others through these social science principles? 

• Read about why true empathy is key to effective philanthropy.

In what follows, we delve into the science behind what makes people care. We’ve identified five principles that are supported by research from a range of academic disciplines. Collectively, these rules offer a framework for building and assessing your communication strategy and designing efforts more likely to result in belief and behavior change. But, as with any effort to apply research findings to strategy, we have to be cautious not to overstate or oversimplify what the research tells us.

Perhaps most important, applying these principles doesn’t require you to make a massive investment in new communications efforts. Rather, they offer a way to make the work you’re already doing more effective. Since they are also easily mastered, people throughout your organization can embrace their roles as communicators regardless of their title or role.

Principle #1: Join the Community
Principle #2: Communicate in Images
Principle #3: Invoke Emotion with Intention
Principle #4: Create Meaningful Calls to Action
Principle #5: Tell Better Stories

Read the full article about the science of what makes people care by Ann Christiano and Annie Neimand at Stanford Social Innovation Review.