Consider a 2021 study published in the Journal of Philanthropy & Marketing . Participants were shown two fundraising appeals for a domestic violence shelter. One appeal featured statistics on local assault rates. The other featured a 90-second video of a survivor named “Elena” describing how the shelter gave her a second chance.
While it focused on a fun activity, the core of the campaign was the heart-wrenching videos of survivors and their families explaining the brutal reality of the disease. The Ethics of Sharing
Survivor stories are a powerful tool for awareness and education. By sharing their experiences, survivors help to:
| Failure | Why It’s Harmful | The Fix | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | You misrepresent nuance or trigger unknown trauma | Send the final draft/video to the survivor 48 hours pre-publication. | | Using stock photos of crying people | Fakes authenticity; audiences scroll past | Use real survivor photos (with consent) or abstract art/typography. | | No follow-up support | Survivor gets hate mail or flashbacks alone | Budget for 3 months of free counseling for any featured survivor. | | Campaign ends without change | Audience feels manipulated; compassion fatigue | Launch the story with a specific, measurable goal (e.g., "Share this until Senate Bill 42 gets a vote"). |
Consider a 2021 study published in the Journal of Philanthropy & Marketing . Participants were shown two fundraising appeals for a domestic violence shelter. One appeal featured statistics on local assault rates. The other featured a 90-second video of a survivor named “Elena” describing how the shelter gave her a second chance.
While it focused on a fun activity, the core of the campaign was the heart-wrenching videos of survivors and their families explaining the brutal reality of the disease. The Ethics of Sharing
Survivor stories are a powerful tool for awareness and education. By sharing their experiences, survivors help to:
| Failure | Why It’s Harmful | The Fix | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | You misrepresent nuance or trigger unknown trauma | Send the final draft/video to the survivor 48 hours pre-publication. | | Using stock photos of crying people | Fakes authenticity; audiences scroll past | Use real survivor photos (with consent) or abstract art/typography. | | No follow-up support | Survivor gets hate mail or flashbacks alone | Budget for 3 months of free counseling for any featured survivor. | | Campaign ends without change | Audience feels manipulated; compassion fatigue | Launch the story with a specific, measurable goal (e.g., "Share this until Senate Bill 42 gets a vote"). |