What story will you tell donors this Thanksgiving?
What about Giving Tuesday? Christmas? Your December year-end appeal?
If you don’t know, now is the time to find out.
Stories are among the most powerful tools available to nonprofit fundraisers because they turn an organization’s mission into something donors can see and understand. Statistics can communicate the size of a need. A good story helps people understand what that need means to an individual.
And the strongest stories usually take time to develop.
The people working most closely with those you serve often know your best stories long before the development department does.
Ask them.
Who has experienced a meaningful change recently? Who has reached an important milestone? Is there someone whose journey illustrates both the challenge your organization addresses and the difference your programs can make?
Make story gathering a regular conversation with your program team rather than something you do only when an appeal deadline is approaching.
And don’t limit yourself to dramatic stories. Sometimes a relatively simple moment can beautifully demonstrate the importance of your work.
Fundraising communications naturally talk about need. Donors need to understand the problem they are being asked to help solve.
But need is only half the story.
Whenever possible, show what happens because someone gives.
A person found a safe place to sleep. A family received food. An animal found a home. Someone entered recovery. A student discovered an opportunity. A person who felt hopeless began imagining a different future.
The details will be unique to your mission, but the principle is the same.
Show donors both the challenge and the possibility.
That allows the donor to see a role for themselves in the story.
Once you identify a promising story, think beyond the written copy.
Do you have good photographs Could you capture a short video? Is there a meaningful quote you can use in an email or on social media? Could this person’s story work in direct mail, on your website and in digital fundraising?
Most importantly, make sure you have the appropriate permissions and that the person sharing their story understands how it may be used.
Doing this work now gives your creative team options later.
Not every story you discover needs to be used immediately.
Keep a simple file of potential stories, photographs, quotes and program accomplishments that can be drawn upon throughout the year. Include enough information that someone can easily follow up when the right opportunity arises.
Then, when the next appeal, newsletter, social post or media opportunity appears, you aren’t starting from zero.
October is already here. Year-end will arrive faster than any of us expect.
Your best fundraising story may already be happening somewhere in your organization.
Now is the time to find it.
