Pictures of me: user views on their representation in homelessness fundraising appeals

Abstract

• There is a long-standing ethical debate regarding the 'right' representation of recipients in charity marketing materials that are intended to accurately define and represent social problems whilst also prompting the maximum response in voluntary income. The study presented in this article makes a contribution to that debate by highlighting the views of charity beneficiaries regarding their representation in fundraising campaigns. Drawing on data from five focus groups conducted in cities across England, we explore the views of young homeless people regarding the images of homelessness that appeared in major charity campaigns aimed at raising money to fund homelessness services. Participants displayed a high level of reflexivity, demonstrating that they understood the issues involved with homelessness and the perceptions of people like themselves that exist in the public sphere and in the consciousness of potential donors. Although the participants held the view that maximising revenues through the use of simple, eye-catching images is the prime goal of fundraising, they also expressed a desire for more nuanced campaigns that tell the dynamic stories of how people become homeless and the use of imagery that elicits empathy rather than merely arouses sympathy.

Faces of the needy: the portrayal of destitute children in the fundraising campaigns of NGOs in India

“…The increasing competition in the sector is an important part of the reason why mass communication has become progressively more central to the operations of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for mobilizing funds and for securing support and legitimacy for their activities (Tester, ; Vestergaard, , p. 444). NGOs are increasingly forced to adopt “media logics” by selecting beneficiaries for fundraising campaigns guided by media (and political) agendas and focusing on the theatrics of giving (Moeller, ; Vaux, ; Vestergaard, , p. 511), including the use of shocking tactics to get their messages across (Breeze & Dean, ; Cohen, ; Holland, ) and adopting a “sound bite“ approach supported by negative images (Cohen, ; Holland, ; Lissner, ; Stride, ). A growing number of scholars have argued that such media logics may undermine organizations' trust and legitimacy (Hjarvard, ; Krotz, ; Vestergaard, ).…”

“…Numerous studies have found that charities often foster guilt or pity through their advertisements to donors for their cause and elicit responses that are believed to engender giving (Barnett & Hammond, ; Diamond & Gooding‐Williams, ; Doddington, Jones & Miller, ; Eayrs & Ellis, ; Hibbert, Smith, Davies & Ireland, ; Hung & Wyer, ; O'Dell, ; Small & Verrochi, ; Smith & McSweeney, ). Indeed, many studies find that dispositional empathy has positively influenced donors' behavior to give to someone they consider as “needy” such as donors giving more easily to victims of natural disasters than to those who they think might have become poor by their own “bad” choices (Bennett & Kottasz, ; Breeze & Dean, ; Hibbert et al ., ; Miller, ; Piferi, ; Zagefka et al ., ). These “needy” images attract donors by creating simplified, stereotypical images and fundraising messages focusing on broad “sellable” issues and a recognizable “face” (Breeze & Dean, ; Dean, ; Hibbert et al ., ).…”

“…Indeed, many studies find that dispositional empathy has positively influenced donors' behavior to give to someone they consider as “needy” such as donors giving more easily to victims of natural disasters than to those who they think might have become poor by their own “bad” choices (Bennett & Kottasz, ; Breeze & Dean, ; Hibbert et al ., ; Miller, ; Piferi, ; Zagefka et al ., ). These “needy” images attract donors by creating simplified, stereotypical images and fundraising messages focusing on broad “sellable” issues and a recognizable “face” (Breeze & Dean, ; Dean, ; Hibbert et al ., ). Thus, images typically reflect a donor's notion of “deserving” beneficiaries—most notably children—whose presence provides an emotional pull (Breeze & Dean, , p. 134; Dean, ; Holland, ; O'Dell, ; Rosenthal, ).…”

“…These “needy” images attract donors by creating simplified, stereotypical images and fundraising messages focusing on broad “sellable” issues and a recognizable “face” (Breeze & Dean, ; Dean, ; Hibbert et al ., ). Thus, images typically reflect a donor's notion of “deserving” beneficiaries—most notably children—whose presence provides an emotional pull (Breeze & Dean, , p. 134; Dean, ; Holland, ; O'Dell, ; Rosenthal, ).…”

“…; Hung & Wyer, ; O'Dell, ). There has been very little research to capture the voice of beneficiaries beyond a study performed by Breeze and Dean (), who found that homeless people in the UK expressed a desire for more nuanced campaigns that tell the stories of how people become homeless rather than mere “sympathy” shoots. More research needs to be undertaken to explore how representations are viewed by beneficiaries (Barnett & Hammond, ; Breeze & Dean, ).…”