In September, I presented about resilience and recovery after Helene at the Association of Zoos & Aquarium’s international conference in Tampa, Florida. Conferences are a treasure-trove of great ideas, like-minded people, and new perspectives. I had so many aha! moments about fundraising, membership, marketing, conservation, and climate change.
One of my aha! moments was during a session I attended about toxic positivity and climate change messaging.
Here’s the history:
1960s–70s “doom and gloom” era
This was the early Earth Day generation. The messaging emphasized catastrophic outcomes like pollution poisoning communities, population growth overwhelming resources, species extinctions, and ozone depletion.
The intent was to raise alarm, and it worked! But constant crisis framing made people feel powerless. Fear without clear solutions causes paralysis.
1980s shift toward empowerment
Communicators started realizing that knowledge and fear wasn’t enough to change behavior. Research in psychology and education showed that people needed to believe that their individual actions mattered.
Messaging began to pair the urgency of the problem with clear solutions: recycling programs, personal energy conservation, and policy campaigns like “act locally, think globally.”
1990s–2000s swing toward optimism
To avoid crisis burnout, many campaigns began emphasizing hope and progress. They highlighted renewable energy breakthroughs, international agreements, and local success stories.
The risk here was toxic positivity: when messaging leans heavily on good news, it can downplay the ongoing crisis, which causes people to underestimate the severity of the challenge at hand. That can breed complacency rather than motivation.
Where we are now
The most effective climate messaging today tends to integrate both urgency and hope. Research shows people need to understand the gravity of the crisis and believe their actions (individually and collectively) can make a difference.
We’ve learned that
Fear + Low Efficacy = AVOIDANCE, but
Fear + High Efficacy = ACTION.
Find a balance in your nonprofit’s messaging for support. Avoid paralysis from despair, but also avoid false comfort from over-positivity. Tailor your message to your audience by finding out what matters to them. Someone may recoil at the word climate change, but do they want healthy, green spaces to share with their family? That’s your in.
By now you’ve seen that your local AFP chapter is hosting a Philanthropy Summit on Wednesday, November 12. After a breakfast celebrating this incredible community of givers, volunteers, fundraisers, and nonprofits, we’ll dive into a day of professional development chock full of sessions that will get your creative juices flowing as we round out the year. Prepare for aha! moments! Register Here!
I’m looking forward to seeing you there!
Kate Frost
President, Association of Fundraising Professionals – WNC Chapter
