Between mission and manipulation: ethical dilemmas in NGO fundraising imagery

Abstract

This master’s thesis debates the ethical and unethical fundraising strategies, techniques, and practices that NGOs employ to promote their work. Against a widening global funding gap, many NGOs rely on emotionally charged appeals to attract donor attention. One technique to evoke strong emotions is the use of images depicting extreme poverty and suffering, known as ‘poverty porn.’ Despite well-documented consequences, from reinforcing harmful stereotypes to eroding dignity and the risk of compassion fatigue, the practice persists in some NGO fundraising. This raises a central moral dilemma: if ‘poverty porn’ is ethically indefensible for NGOs, yet donors are primarily responsive to it, what images can be used for fundraising, and where should the ethical line be drawn? This question becomes especially relevant when images of children are involved, given also the specific legal boundaries that apply. Employing a qualitative methodology, combining literature review and interviews with NGO practitioners, this thesis moves beyond establishing that ‘poverty porn’ exists to explaining how and why it persists. Findings demonstrate that the problem is structural: responsibility is displaced onto institutional funders and donors; organizations draw advantageous comparisons with their competitors; and as long as the sector’s overall attitude toward this type of imagery remains unchanged, individual sensitivity will not produce industry-wide changes. To support sustainable change, this thesis foregrounds community-centric, dignity-based fundraising as an ethical alternative, proposing a practical 4-step framework for image-based campaigns.