How do you talk about the work that you do? Do you list facts and statistics in your newsletter? While data is important, it’s even more important to turn the numbers into stories that connect. Vanessa Chase, nonprofit expert, will dive into the need to articulate impact beyond the numbers to stay connected with your supporters and retain more donors. • How to craft stories that retain and motivate donors • Ways to insert story into your stewardship plan • Where to capture the best stories at your organization

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Using the Power of Story to
Connect With and Engage Donors
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Meet the #npEXPERTS

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Our #npEXPERTS Presenter
Vanessa Chase
Fundraising and communications
strategist with a love of great
stories. Founded
TheStorytellingNonprofit.com to help
nonprofits connect in more
meaningful ways with donors
through stories and stewardship.
@vanessaechase
thestorytellingnonprofit.com

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We all Share Common Ground
Need:
Want to raise more
money and keep our
donors …
Solution:
Remember what
philanthropy is really
all about.
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So What’s Preventing Us?
When you communicate with your donors, do you really
make the communication about them?
There are two cardinal mistakes in donor
communications:
1. Making it all about the organization’s “urgent” needs
2. Not knowing our audience well enough to speak to
them in a way that resonates
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When You Don’t Know Your Audience
• Your communications are less effective
• Your audience doesn’t understand
• Folks become apathetic
• … and lose the connection
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The Donor Knowledge Gap

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Stories as the Solution
Stories help bridge the Donor
Knowledge Gap in two ways.
1. Provide context
for understanding
new information
2. Emotionally
connect
donors to
the cause
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The process of combining
facts and narrative in
order to communicate a
message and an emotion
to a target audience.
WHAT IS STORYTELLING?

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5 Keys to Crafting a
Story that Resonates
1. Goal
2. Message
3. Connection
4. Character
5. Conflict

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Key #1 – Define Your Goal
What is your goal for telling a story?
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Key #2 –
Find
Your Core
Message
What’s the one
thing that you
want readers
to feel and
think as a
result of
this story?
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Key #3 – Create Connection
What’s your “in” to creating a connection with your audience?
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Key #4 – Develop your Characters
• Clients
• Staff
• Board
• Volunteers
• Donors
• Community
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Key #5 – Find the Conflict
Creating connection between two
seemingly dissimilar experiences.

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But …
How do we
find stories
to tell?

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The 4 Pillars
of a Culture of
Storytelling
1. Educate staff
2. Know what
you need
3. Create tools
4. Tell each
other stories

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1. Educate Staff
Storytelling is a team effort!
Make it a participatory,
inclusive activity for everyone
at your organization
Dedicate an all-staff meeting
to discussing storytelling
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2. Know What You Need
Don’t make the mistake of
just telling your colleagues,
“I need a story! Can you
give me a story?”
Make specific requests
that give colleagues a
clear sense of direction.
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3. Create Tools
Create easy ways to colleagues to regularly submit their
stories via a story collection form,
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4. Tell Each Other Stories
Tell each other stories more often and
storytelling will become an inherent
part of your organization’s culture
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Now it’s time
… to start
implementing
stories in
stewardship

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First, evaluate your stewardship
• Map out the touch points that you have with donors
• Review the content of your stewardship pieces
• Are you using words like “impact”? Are you showing
donors what that means?
• How directly does the content of your stewardship
connect donors to the beneficiaries of their
philanthropy?

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Then, think about the best way
to communicate with your donors.
Pick the mediums that work for your donors.
Email?
Direct Mail?
Phone?
In Person?
Social?

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Finally, go
put it into
practice!
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Example: Stories in Stewardship

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Example:
Stories in
Stewardship

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Example: Stories in Stewardship

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The most important
story you can tell and
be connected to is the
story of why you do
the work that you do.

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