MEMBERSHIP
MEMBERS | LOGIN
Week 3 What is Story

The 3 Features of Powerful Fundraising Stories

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…
Read More
How to Tell the Donors Story in Your Fundraising

How to Tell the Donor’s Story in Your Fundraising

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…
Read More
whats your story 1

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

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…
Read More
Pop Art Robot the thinker

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

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…
Read More
Pop Art Help

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

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…
Read More
Pop Art Great

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

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,…
Read More
Pop art story book

3 Elements of Every Effective Fundraising Story

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…
Read More
Pop Art Stories vs Commerce

Are You Fundraising in the Right “World”? It Makes All the Difference!

Donor Psychology, Storytelling
One of the reasons fundraising is such a challenge is that all of us – donors and fundraisers alike – live simultaneously in two different worlds:  “Story World,” the part of the human mind that acts on emotion, social cues,…
Read More
Pop Art Numbers VS Stories

What Behavioral Science Tells Us about Stories and Math in Fundraising

Maths of Fundraising, 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. For nonprofit managers, numbers are important. Numbers define success or failure. Numbers keep the lights…
Read More
Pop Art Great

Fundraising Story Goes from Good to GREAT [Case Study]

Storytelling, Writing
You know telling stories is the better way to motivate donors to give. You’ve probably also seen how that is much easier said than done. One of the main challenges is this:  The story most likely to move donors is…
Read More
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. If you continue to use this site, you agree with it.