Sir Howard Davies, former director of the London School of Economics gave a presentation at the Pro Bono Economics 2012 lecture in London in which he argues that emotional connection - and the power of stories to make that connection - can be a far more effective fund-raising approach than graphs, charts and rational arguments.

Donors want to be inspired, moved and enthused, shown individual illustrations of the particular good they can do, and never mind the size of the bucket. Most of us have quite enough rationality in our daily lives.

And isn't the very same thing true of any any venture, when we want to bring others on board with us? It's hearts as well as minds that we need to engage. :)

Visit the Pro Bono website for more about Sir Howard's presentation and to download a copy of his speech. It makes for very interesting reading!

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