The last word goes to Paul Slovic, a prominent psychologist. His research into "psychic numbing" found that big numbers tend to dampen action.
Slovic wrote[1], "Most people are caring and will exert great effort to rescue individual victims whose needy plight comes to their attention. These same good people, however, often become numbly indifferent to the plight of individuals who are 'one of many....'"
Why does this occur? He concluded, "The reported numbers of deaths represent dry statistics, 'human beings with the tears dried off,' that fail to spark emotion or feeling and thus fail to motivate action."
When you communicate with individual donors — whether it's in your appeals, newsletters, website, emails, Facebook postings — it's not accurate to say that statistics are poison. But close.
[1] Paul Slovic, Judgment and Decision Making, April 2007