Factors of Positive Empathy in the Process of Promoting Charitable Projects on the Example of the "Orthodoxy and Piece" ("Pravoslavie i Mir") Foundation

The author answers the question: "How to make positive empathy practices in charity communications effective in Russia"? Positive empathy practices are used in the United States, the world's leading charity country. But you can't take the strategies, methods, and ways of communicating with the audience that the United States uses and transfer them to the Russian reality. It is necessary to study communication with positive empathy both at the process level and at the context level. The author considered the context of the development of charity in Russia and philanthropy in the United States, described the key trends in philanthropy in the world and studied the general characteristics of the non-profit sector in Russia and the United States, illustrating examples of private practices. He also analyzed the case of the charity Foundation "Pravoslavie i mir". For a deep understanding of communication with positive empathy at the process level, the author considers empathy as a multidimensional construct and divides it into negative and positive, highlighting differences. The author found that negative emotional appeals lead to a decrease in empathy, unfavorable consumer evaluations of charity, and emotional burnout. It also negatively affects people's desire to see similar information from foundations in the future and increasingly motivates the audience to enter only into short-term relationships with charity. Theoretically, this problem can be solved by additional use of positive empathy practices. In research, the author defines the principles of reproduction of positive empathy practices in the context of Russian reality. The results of the research were used in the development of a communication strategy for the charity Fund "Pravoslavie i mir", and can also be applied to the communication strategies of other charitable foundations in Russia that use "targeted storytelling".