In 1997 Phil Wall visited a children’s home in Johannesburg, South Africa and met a toddler named Zodwa. Her mother was suffering from HIV/Aids. For eight months Phil and his wife, Wendy, tried to adopt Zodwa. The process was ultimately unsuccessful, but it sparked the couple’s desire to help children in Africa “with no mommy and daddy.” To date, the charity the Walls founded— WeSeeHope—has raised $15 million on behalf of orphaned and vulnerable children. The goal is to support 150,000 children a year.

The CEO of a publicly traded company who donates to WeSeeHope suggested that I speak to Phil Wall, who he called one of the most persuasive communicators he’s ever met. Wall’s passion shines through when he shares the story of Zodwa. “The reason I get out of bed is to make a difference in Africa,” Wall said.

Wall tells the story of Zadwa in nearly every fundraising presentation because it’s the core narrative that explains why he and Wendy do what they do. “People find something within themselves that resonates with another person’s story,” says Wall. The story of Zadwa—and the feeling that he let the child down, through no fault of his own—is a story that any parent can relate to. Once they learn that the story sparked a movement to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in similar conditions, it provokes a deep-seated desire to help.

The numbers of vulnerable children in Sub-Saharan Africa are simply too big for most people get their mind around. Thousands of children are orphaned, isolated and dehumanized by devastating poverty. No one opens their wallet for a statistic; but they will for a real child in need. To spark this innate desire to give, WeSeeHope has a “stories library” on its website to put a face behind the numbers. For example,

We see hope in…Christine

Christine moved onto the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe, when she was orphaned as a young child. Our project partner’s street team met her and her baby daughter, gained their trust and encouraged them to move in with a foster family.

We see hope in…Jimmy

After Jimmy’s mother passed away, his father soon remarried and his step-mother fell pregnant. In Uganda, parents remarrying can often cause problems for children, who are not deemed to be part of the new family unit. Sadly Jimmy was abused both verbally and physically by his step-mother. He was forced to do all the housework while she was pregnant. Unfortunately she lost the baby during pregnancy and blamed Jimmy for this. He was accused of witchcraft and wishing the baby harm, and the abuse escalated. Our local project partner, ACET, became aware of Jimmy’s situation and spoke to his grandparents who were able to take him in. He now had a safe and stable home, an education and a chance to build a better future.

These stories of Jimmy, Christine and dozens of other children are often accompanied by videos and photos. Specific, vivid, and concrete stories of real people in need are more persuasive than any number of PowerPoint slides, charts and statistics. Stories resonate because we are hardwired to care for others. Stories are the best tool we know to elicit a mix of chemical reactions in our brain that we call Empathy.

“A compelling story with an emotional trigger alters our brain chemistry, making us more trusting, understanding, and open to ideas,” according to neuroscientist Paul Zak. Zak calls the neurochemical oxytocin the ‘moral molecule,’ because when it’s present oxytocin elicits empathy, trust and motivates people to show kindness to others. In a remarkable series of experiments Zak discovered that higher levels of oxytocin in a person’s bloodstream is associated with significantly higher desire to give to a charitable cause. How do you trigger oxytocin? Real stories of real people.

Successful charitable and nonprofit leaders leverage the neuroscience of empathy to inspire donations on Giving Tuesday, throughout the holiday season, or any time during the year. The New York Times has been doing it for more than one hundred years through its Neediest Cases Fund, a program that provides direct assistance to those struggling in New York. The newspaper doesn’t simply solicit for the abstract “donations for needy people.” Instead the newspaper runs very specific—and heartbreaking—stories of people in need. It’s difficult for most of us to donate to faceless entities. But they’ll open their wallet for…

India Wayman… a woman abused and bullied as a child who carried that trauma into adulthood. She has anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress brought on by childhood abuse. Today she’s giving her daughter hope for a better life with the help of charities subsidizing her Brooklyn apartment and clothes for her daughter.

Andie Gratereaux…the 12-year-old was thrown out of her house by a father who, in a fit of rage, punched holes in the apartment and threw Andie and her mother on the street. With no permanent home, Andie needed some structure. She was matched with a mentor from Big Brothers Big Sisters, who she nows sees every other weekend. The Neediest Cases fund is also providing money for a new laptop to help Andie complete her homework.

Through the effective use of profiles to illustrate the stories of those who benefit from donations, the Neediest Cases Fund has raised $288 million since its inception. The money is distributed to 14 organizations through a partnership with GoFundMe.

It’s well-established in the neuroscience literature that people don’t process abstractions very well. Abstractions don’t attract donations for the Neediest Cases Fund; stories of real people do.

Persuasion requires real stories of real people along with specific, concrete and vivid details of their circumstances. And that’s why philanthropist Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, recently said, “I believe in the power of storytelling. Stories open our hearts to a new place, which opens our minds, which often leads to action.” If you want people to open their wallets, start with the heart.