Summer Stories Predict Sunny Fundraising Results

Storytelling Techniques for Your Fundraising Success

Nonprofit storytelling can be a powerful tool to recruit and motivate donors. Even more than shocking statistics, a story can spur donors to help because it makes the cause real and elicits empathy from potential supporters.

Allison Gauss from Classy.org had some great tips to tap into the power of storytelling.

Components of a Fundraising Story

The Character (Protagonist)

It all starts with a character. The main character gives your donors someone to identify with and care about. This is who they hope for, worry about, fear for, and cheer for. Decide who your character is and put them front and center!

Details

Details are what make your character and story more reliable. Tell your audience something concrete about your character that they will remember.

Goals

What does your character need or want? Your character’s efforts to achieve this goal is what moves your story forward.

Conflict

What is standing in your character’s way?

Villain That Stands In Way

Portray the object standing in your character’s way as a villain. It doesn’t have to be a person, it just needs to be something that your donor can help defeat.

Action

Empower your donor to be part of the story by helping the character reach a happy ending. Tell them what your organization can do with their help.

Ending

End with impact! What have you accomplished together? What progress has your character made? Make it clear that the fight isn’t over and their donation is needed to keep going.

Storytelling strategies

Allison Gauss also gives us four ways to present a story to help donors connect with your cause and move them to action.

#1 – Introduce the main character

Choose just one individual. Donors are much more likely to act when given just one individual rather than groups.
Pro Tips
• Offer details like the individual’s name, location, and personal goals (get permission!)
• Let the individual do that talking. Their story will be more impactful when your character tells it in their own words.
• Use pictures or video of the person so your supporters can put a face with a name.

#2 – Begin with a startling fact or statistic

The shock factor is a sure way to get your audience’s attention.
Pro Tips
• Think outside the box for metrics or facts that are so unexpected they demand an explanation.
• Reveal the people and places behind the headlines. Once you have your donors’ attention, give them more details about the situation on the ground.

#3 – Immerse your audience in a moment of conflict

Tell your story in a heart rendering way that makes your donor feel compelled to help.

Pro Tips

• Be descriptive, not dramatic
• Give your audience details like sights, sounds, and smells and let those evoke emotion.
• It’s not enough to convey devastation, show donors what actions you are taking and how they can help.

#4 – Make your cause a quest

Show your donors what you are planning. Show them a timeline of how you are helping. Tell your donors that with them, you are almost at the happy ending.

Pro Tips
• Use a concrete goal, whether it is a cure or a fundraising milestone, to motivate your audience.
• Explain what problems you have solved along the way that make your long-term goals possible.

How to Write Successful Retention & Acquisition Letters

More Info!

Donor Centric Annual Appeal Letters

In his book, A Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresistible Communications, Jeff Brooks talks about the writing style of fundraisers.

He says successful fundraising writing is the result of decades of experience and it is very unique. In fact, it is so different that it can be a bit of a shock. Business writers might find it to be too casual. Journalists would think it is too repetitive and subjective. And academic writers likely find fundraising writing to be too messy and simplistic. Fundraising letters are simply a different animal.
Knowledge is power!

When fundraising , we know exactly how many donors responded to our letters. We know how much each one gave, we know how many gave again, how much, and how often. Because we know our numbers, we know when we need to change things.

Sense of Urgency

The importance of being urgent cannot be overstated. Tell your donors that immediate action needs to be taken. Let them know what is at stake. Let them know they are important by addressing the letter to one donor.

Storytelling

One of the reasons that donors don’t give is because they think that their gifts don’t matter. To make sure your donors don’t feel this way, tell one story to one person at a time. Tell a particular story about one person your donor’s gift will affect. Don’t say, “your gift will fund our ongoing work.” This makes their gift seem unimportant.

Easy to read

You’ve written a good message. You’ve let your donor know their role. Now you must make it easy to read. Use short words and short paragraphs. The very best grade level to write to for ease of reading is between 4th and 6th grade. This can spell success or failure

Length

Long messages work better. In fact, Jeff’s research showed that in direct mail, the shorter message only does better about 10% of the time. Longer messages are even still holding their own against short messages, tweets, and texts. Watch your donor behavior to determine if long letters are still right for your audience.

Why is long better? There are several theories:

• Aunt Ruth Theory – Many donors, especially baby boomers, just enjoy reading. Jeff named this theory after his aunt who aunt who loved to read long solicitations because it made her feel connected to the causes she cared about.
• Multiple Triggers Theory – Donors are more likely to give when you help them visualize a need and that takes a longer message.

• Hopscotch Theory – Very few people read every word on the page. They bounce around reading a little here and a little there. So the longer the letter the more they might read.

– If the letter is long it may signal to donors that it is more important.

Repetition
In a long letter, it is important to use repetition. Make your ask several times throughout. Put an ask in between each of your other components. If you are serious about raising funds, you really have to ask again and again.

Making Donor Calls Always the Right Call

NOW is the perfect time to catch up on your Donor Calls! Donor Calls Mean Donor Loyalty and Retention, which in turn, means everything to your Non-Profit Success! Here are some summertime call tips from Joy at BlockbusterFundraising.com