Storytelling Archives

The Secret to Powerful Storytelling for Fundraising

September 29, 2025

Jeff Brooks

Stories are important for fundraising. They can make the difference between success and failure. But they aren’t the only thing going on in an effective fundraising message. They aren’t even the most important thing. A story is an ingredient for…

The Art of Fundraising Interviews: How to Capture Stories That Inspire Giving

August 11, 2025

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling

One of the challenges of storytelling is finding stories in the real world in the first place. It’s not that stories are rare. They’re happening everywhere, all the time. But they don’t seem like stories while they happen. It’s just…

4 Storytelling Power-Ups for Your Fundraising

August 4, 2025

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling

Stories are hard. Hard to find. Hard to tell well. And especially hard to keep on task. It’s that last one – keeping your story “on task” that so often trips up fundraisers. Because the purpose of telling a story…

How to Structure Your Storytelling for Maximum Impact

September 30, 2024

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling

A good story is the backbone of a powerful fundraising message. By “good,” I mean a detailed and emotionally resonant story of one person the donor’s giving can help. That’s the best way to bridge the gap between a donor’s…

3 Ways to Amp up the Motivating Power of Your Fundraising Stories

September 23, 2024

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling, Writing

I have some bad news for you: Stories are not magic. Telling a story doesn’t automatically make your fundraising powerful. You have to tell the right story. In the right way. That’s when the magic happens, and your fundraising goes…

How to Welcome Your New Donors so They’re Happy to Stay

September 16, 2024

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling

Fundraising is a relationship between an organization and the donor. All relationships – from work friendships to marriages – have a beginning. And a good beginning helps launch a good (and long) relationship. That includes the donor relationship. In donor…

The 3 Features of Powerful Fundraising Stories

July 15, 2024

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling

A wonderful and exasperating thing about little kids is how much they love to hear stories. Over and over again. When my kids were small, they couldn’t get enough of one particular story… “Tell the Polyphemus Story!” they’d clamor. I…

How to Tell the Donor’s Story in Your Fundraising

June 17, 2024

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling, Writing

You already know that storytelling is the gasoline, the petrol, of the fundraising car. We tell stories instead of merely stating facts because stories move people to action. You raise a lot more money with stories. Maybe you’ve heard the…

Why It’s So Hard to Tell Stories – and How to Make It Easier

April 1, 2024

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling

Stories can be fundraising magic. You know that. What doesn’t get said out loud often enough is this: Stories can be difficult to tell! When they’re done well, they come across as effortless, almost as if all someone had to…

How to Tell Fundraising Stories and Avoid What Makes Them Go Wrong

February 19, 2024

Russell James

Storytelling

Excerpted from The Storytelling Fundraiser by Professor Russell James. The full book (along with many other fundraising resources) is available for free at Encourage Generosity. An effective fundraising story isn’t just a good story. It must do something. It must…

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The Secret to Powerful Storytelling for Fundraising

The Art of Fundraising Interviews: How to Capture Stories That Inspire Giving

4 Storytelling Power-Ups for Your Fundraising

How to Structure Your Storytelling for Maximum Impact

3 Ways to Amp up the Motivating Power of Your Fundraising Stories

How to Welcome Your New Donors so They’re Happy to Stay

The 3 Features of Powerful Fundraising Stories

How to Tell the Donor’s Story in Your Fundraising

Why It’s So Hard to Tell Stories – and How to Make It Easier

How to Tell Fundraising Stories and Avoid What Makes Them Go Wrong

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