Communication is evolutionary. Before we learned how to read and write, we learned how to speak. And before we learned how to speak, we learned how to hear and see.

So from a purely scientific perspective, it’s not difficult to understand why visual content is so engaging. It stimulates our most primal senses.

It’s no secret that infographics have exploded on social media within the last five to 10 years. But divulging information within a visual context is no new thing. Heck, even maps can be considered as infographics. Design tools like Venngage, Canva, and easal.ly quickly helped even the worst artists (myself included) tell a data-driven story.

So why exactly do these pictograms drive us to share, comment, learn more, or perhaps even donate? We compiled some interesting data that might help you understand why, when, and how to use infographics for nonprofits. Enjoy!