What psychological needs and motivations are driving people to give to charity in the wake of Australia's bushfire crisis?

As the Global Lead of our Charity Fundraising Practice at Mext I’ve spent the last few days stepping-back from the coverage of the bushfires in Australia to observe how this crisis is playing out for charities. I’ve been following the news and have read many social media posts on the matter. I’ve even posted a few of my own describing the situation first-hand as our property came close to burning down. Personally, we were caught off guard by the ferocity of the fires and like many people we’ve given money and the kids are making ‘bat wraps’ for orphaned wildlife. From a work perspective we provide consulting advice to charities on the psychological needs and motivations behind charitable giving. As this issue plays out I’ve noticed many typical needs have come into play here, but not all charitable needs are being met by charities.   For the first time in many years we’re in the middle of a national crisis in Australia. It’s actually global if you think about the impacts caused by climate change. Bushfires have burnt 6.3 million hectares of land so far this fire season killing 1 billion animals and impacting countless human lives. The figures will keep rising as the bushfire season continues. I can’t claim emotional objectivity on the matter either. The fires in Sarsfield, Victoria came within a few hundred metres of us before the wind changed direction. My wife’s parents eventually had to evacuate by boat. We escaped this time but maybe not next time. I don’t feel good about it either. Our apparent good fortune was someone else’s misfortune. Emergency services, volunteers and governments are now fully mobilised across the country. But so are charities.     So, how is this playing out for charities? At mext we focus on helping charities understand the psychological motivations that drive people to give to their good cause through our Charity NeedsInsightÒmodel. In the immediate aftermath of such a terrible disaster I’ve noticed traditional charitable needs coming to the forefront. This is not surprising. Seeing such horrifying scenes of devastation would open even the hardest of hearts. Farmers crying because they have lost their livelihoods and koalas seeking shelter in firetrucks motivates many of us to want to alleviate their immediate suffering and take care of those in need. Of course, we all just want to help. This links to the psychological need we identify as ‘Heartfelt Opening’.   But other psychological needs come into play too. The Red Cross were raising money for ‘Bushfire Relief’ at a city supermarket I visited on the weekend. I asked the young shop assistant if they had received many donations. She said ‘no’. We talked about the fires. Her parents owned a farm in northern Victoria so she was understandably worried about them, but she told me most of her city friends were unaware their own country was suffering the worst bushfires in recorded history. Their worldview didn’t stretch far enough to understand what was going on until she’d spoken about it and they became motivated to understand and help. We call this need ‘Broadening Horizons’.    In country areas in Australia the story is different. People want to help but many don’t know how. A focus is often needed. In the event individuals have successfully organised drives to give bushfire refugees clothes, food and shelter in the immediate aftermath of fires in their area. They’ve been successful to the point where stranded people have more than enough of the basics to keep them going for the time being. The giving in this respect delivers a ‘Personal Reward’ to the givers. The needs of the givers are not selfish at all. Just human. For those who set-up the drives this type of need is the notion of ‘Organising and Achieving’.    The pivotal need and motivation behind almost all types of charitable support is the sense of ‘Giving Back’. Whether you’re sewing bat wraps or you’re Pink donating $500,000 all humans share this quality of wanting to give to their fellow humans in times of need.   Looking to the future, other needs and motivations will drive charitable giving in the weeks, months and years to come, so charities involved will have to think seriously about how to target their fundraising to maintain focus once the fires are off the front pages of the news. For that to occur charities will need to continually understand and meet the most impactful psychological needs of donors and supporters. People are likely to want to increasingly support investment and progress in addressing the long term impact of fires and also try to tackle the causes and impacts of climate change. Different psychological motivations will need to be addressed if not-for-profits are going to harness this groundswell of support. Charities traditionally know how to react to suffering. It’s in their DNA as organisations. But do they know how to maintain and grow fundraising once the emotional shock of seeing victims suffering subsides? This is where we come in to support them with strategic advice. There are 27 identified psychological needs which motivate people to give their time or money. It's good for charities to know the full range so they can maximise their fundraising efforts.