Storytelling Archives

How to Structure Your Storytelling for Maximum Impact

September 30, 2024

Jeff Brooks

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…

Fundraiser Asks: How Do I Tell Compelling Stories When Our Cause Has No “Happy Endings”?

November 27, 2023

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling

Question from the inbox: Do you have any tips on storytelling when there is no happy ending? The disease that I fundraise for is terminal, aggressive, and traumatic. Every diagnosis is a death sentence, and the average life span from…

3 Temptations that Undermine Your Fundraising Storytelling, and How to Stop Them Cold

June 18, 2023

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling

You already know this: Fundraising is built on storytelling. That’s because stories activate the human brain. There are countless types of information available to us – from spreadsheets to photographs – but it’s stories that help us understand, care, connect,…

3 Elements of Every Effective Fundraising Story

December 5, 2022

Jeff Brooks

Storytelling, Writing

There’s a lot of theory about storytelling out there. Some of it is very helpful for hardworking fundraisers like you. Here’s what Writer’s Digest says every story needs: Orientation: The beginning of a story must grab the reader’s attention. Crisis: Something…

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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

Fundraiser Asks: How Do I Tell Compelling Stories When Our Cause Has No “Happy Endings”?

3 Temptations that Undermine Your Fundraising Storytelling, and How to Stop Them Cold

3 Elements of Every Effective Fundraising Story

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