We all know that stories about individuals are the most effective way to get donors to respond to fundraising appeals. In fact, it is really quite unusual to receive appeals these days that don't include a story of a particular person whose life was affected by a charity's work. But it’s not enough to just tell a story. We must tell a story that connects with our audience and leave a lasting impression that impacts their philanthropic relationship with our cause.
Join us to learn how to do just that.
Presenters: Vanessa Chase, Fundraising and Communications Strategist, Founder of TheStorytellingNonprofit.com; and Jenny Taylor, Community Manager, GuideStar USA (moderator)
2. Vanessa Chase
Fundraising and Communications Strategist
www.TheStorytellingNonprofit.com
Speaker: Association of fundraising
professionals, Council for Advancement and
Support of Education, npEngage, BBCON14,
Association of Donor Relations Professionals
Clients: BC Children’s Hospital Foundation,
Hope for the Nations, Wagner Hills Farm
Society, A Rocha Canada, Boucher Instuitue
of Naturopathic Medicine
3. Share Your Thoughts
What’s your role at your non-profit?
What are you hoping to learn during today’s
webinar?
5. RESULTS
Increase in overall revenue by
$150k
Over 200 major gifts prospects
identified
Massive improvements to donor
relations
6. TODAY’S AGENDA
Storytelling in the fundraising
context
How to create a storytelling
strategy
5 step process for collecting and
developing stories
The benefits of engaging your community
7. WHAT IS STORYTELLING
Storytelling is the process of combining facts and
narrative in order to communicate a message and an
emotion to a target audience.
8. WHEN YOU DON’T TELL STORIES
you’re not able to connect in an impactful way
donors don’t understand
donors stop caring
they feel unconnected, so they sever ties
10. STORIES AS SOLUTIONS
Stories help bridge the Donor Knowledge Gap in two key ways:
The Organization
they provide context
they emotionally connect your donors to
the cause.
11. 5 KEYS TO STORYTELLING
DEFINE YOUR GOAL & CORE MESSAGE
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
CHARACTER & CONFLICT
COLLECTING STORIES
SHARING STORIES
12. DEFINE YOUR GOAL & CORE
MESSAGE
let strategy drive your efforts
identify a goal and a core message
what is the end goal of telling this
story?
13. DEFINE YOUR GOAL & CORE
MESSAGE
YOUR CORE MESSAGE
what is the overarching message
that you want to convey?
(the reason why someone would
answer the call to action)
19. COLLECTING STORIES
KNOW WHAT THEY NEED
“Tell me a story.” is far too broad, be specific:
“I’m writing our donor stewardship report and I want to be able to
share a story about someone from (program name). Ideally,
someone who has had a positive experience in the program and
you think has really benefited from it. Do you have any thoughts
about people who might be good to speak to?”
20. COLLECTING STORIES
CREATE TOOLS
Put tools and systems in place to collect stories:
create a story
collection form
send out a
monthly email
21. SHARING STORIES
USE YOUR STORY STRATEGY
What are you funding priorities?
When will you be communicating/soliciting
donors?
What opportunities do you have for
storytelling?
22. SHARING STORIES
Month
Campaign/
Funding
Priority
Fundraising
Tac7c
#1
Fundraising
Tac7c
#2
Donor
Stewardship
Other
January
February
March
April
May