--- title: Why you should use nostalgia to promote more giving description: Nostalgia is a very personal, social emotion that involves momentous life events and social bonds. Nonprofits that use it for marketing attain more funds.. image: https://info.imarketsmart.com/hs-fs/file-3555830692-jpg/blog-files/105h.jpg --- ### Get weekly nonprofit marketing ideas straight to your inbox ** [301.289.3670](tel:+1-301-289-3670) / [888.618.2015](tel:+1-888-618-2015) [**Contact](http://imarketsmart.com/contact-us) [**  Careers](http://imarketsmart.com/careers) - - - [![Imarketsmart](https://info.imarketsmart.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/logo-basic-300x451.png?width=300&height=45&name=logo-basic-300x451.png "Imarketsmart")](http://imarketsmart.com/) [Get a Demo](http://imarketsmart.com/request-a-demo/) # Marketsmart Blog # Why you should use nostalgia to promote more giving ![marketsmart blog-nostalgia used in marketing](https://info.imarketsmart.com/hs-fs/file-3555830692-jpg/blog-files/105h.jpg?width=451&height=296&name=105h.jpg)**I recently stumbled upon a neat paper titled *[Nostalgia: The Gift That Keeps Giving](http://www.wildschut.me/Tim_Wildschut/home_files/Zhou%20et%20al.pdf)*. Here's a summary:**   **Overview** 1. Nostalgia is a very personal, social emotion that involves momentous life events and social bonds. 2. Charitable giving is a very personal, social behavior.[![Tweet This](https://info.imarketsmart.com/hs-fs/file-3555829962-jpg/blog-files/tweetthis-e1438355436358.jpg?width=20&height=20&name=tweetthis-e1438355436358.jpg)](http://ctt.ec/032r0) 3. Nonprofits regard donation encouragement as their single most important challenge.   **Question: **Does nostalgia promote charitable giving and volunteerism?   **The Answer: **Yes!   **Here's what they determined:** 1. Nostalgia increases concrete, tangible and general charitable intentions.[![Tweet This](https://info.imarketsmart.com/hs-fs/file-3555829962-jpg/blog-files/tweetthis-e1438355436358.jpg?width=20&height=20&name=tweetthis-e1438355436358.jpg)](http://ctt.ec/fSHAC) 2. The mediator of the effect of nostalgia on charitable intentions is empathy. 3. Therefore, nostalgia augments empathy-based charitable intentions and behavior.   **The MarketSmart takeaway:** Think about ways you can entwine nostalgia in your [engagement fundraising efforts](http://imarketsmart.com/what-we-do/). For instance, if you work for a college or university consider the following: - Offer your prospects a free copy of the yearbook from their graduation year. - Show them photos of the campus and the students from the days when they attended the school. - Invite them to share a story from their college days.   **Here's a real-world example:** For our friends at [Ocean Conservancy](http://myplanwithoceanconservancy.org/), we used a photo to remind planned giving prospects about the time they first fell in love with the ocean. It worked like a charm. [![Screen Shot 2015-07-12 at 7.51.29 PM](https://info.imarketsmart.com/hs-fs/file-3555830722-png/blog-files/screen-shot-2015-07-12-at-7.51.29-pm.png?width=642&height=351&name=screen-shot-2015-07-12-at-7.51.29-pm.png)](https://info.imarketsmart.com/hs-fs/file-3555830722-png/blog-files/screen-shot-2015-07-12-at-7.51.29-pm.png) ### Related Posts [How to make the initial engagement with a planned giving prospect](http://imarketsmart.com/how-to-make-the-initial-engagement-with-a-planned-giving-prospect/) [Words That Work: The Phrases That Encourage Planned Giving](http://imarketsmart.com/resources/ebooks/words-that-work-ebook/) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) **Posted by**Greg Warner July 20, 2015 [** Next](https://info.imarketsmart.com/blog/polyamorous-relationships/) [Previous **](https://info.imarketsmart.com/blog/chasm-between-knowledge-and-ignorance-in-marketing-and-advertising/) Tags: [Planned Giving](https://info.imarketsmart.com/blog/topic/planned-giviing), [Major Giving](https://info.imarketsmart.com/blog/topic/major-giving), [strategy](https://info.imarketsmart.com/blog/topic/strategy) Search this site on Google Search Google #### Get Weekly Tips ![](http://11034n4348rz28bwol8ogod8.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/majorgiftmotivatorCTA-e1438624761470.png)Get captivating motivational quotes~*hand-picked for major and planned giving fundraisers*~delivered via email every Tuesday.![](http://11034n4348rz28bwol8ogod8.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/majorgiftmotivator-tile-sidebar-image-e1438802110804.jpg) [![Get Motivated](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/1716178/3152951d-d234-4e33-8af5-19882b865e06.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/1716178/3152951d-d234-4e33-8af5-19882b865e06) ### JOIN THE CLUB Become a better fundraiser! 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