The Persuasion Triad

More than two thousand years ago Greek philosopher, Aristotle outlined the three main components of persuasion - ethos, pathos, logos. These pillars of persuasion are of course still applicable today and are important tools in a nonprofit asker's toolbelt.

Ethos is the Greek word for character. Aristotle used ethos to describe someone's character, personality, or authority. Ethos establishes credibility and trustworthiness. Askers use ethos to instill trust, establishing themselves as experts on their organization's mission and proving their proposal is worthy of support.

Pathos means emotion. It refers to appealing to the heart of your prospect. If you want your prospect to support your organization, you need to make them feel something, stir an emotional response or create a connection. For askers, sharing a true story about those who benefit from an organization's mission is a good way to appeal to a prospect's emotions.

Logos refers to your word or ability to reason. It is the logical side of the proposal being presented to a prospect. In fundraising logos lives in the facts, figures, and statistics that back up your proposal, the data of your organization.

Maintaining the perfect balance of ethos, pathos, and logos ensures you are establishing trust, appealing to emotions, and using logic to communicate the importance of your organization's mission and the reasons it's worth supporting.