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Pop Art Stories vs Commerce

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

October 17, 2022
Russell James
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,…
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Pop Art Numbers VS Stories

What Behavioral Science Tells Us about Stories and Math in Fundraising

July 18, 2022
Russell James
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…
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Pop Art Great

Fundraising Story Goes from Good to GREAT [Case Study]

July 11, 2022
Jeff Brooks
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…
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pop art movies popcord 123 rf e1558306905799

Arts and Culture Fundraising: the Story to Tell When Nobody Is Dying

July 15, 2019
Jeff Brooks
Storytelling
The standard formula for a fundraising message goes like this: Something is not right. It needs to be changed, or somebody might suffer in some terrible way — maybe even die. By making a donation now, you can save a…
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Denis Mukwege par Claude Truong Ngoc novembre 2014 e1555536853306

Nobel Prize Winner Demonstrates the Power of Story

April 22, 2019
Jeff Brooks
Storytelling
Denis Mukwege, 2018 co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, used his Nobel address to masterfully tell stories about his work with survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The main story he tells is a harrowing…
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Pop Art Airplane

Effective Fundraising Is Always a “Choose Your Own Adventure” Story

November 19, 2018
Jeff Brooks
Storytelling
Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books? They are kid-fiction adventures that originated in the late 70s. Each book is narrated in the second person — you — and offers periodic decision points for the reader. It goes something like…
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Pop Art Sing

5 Professional Tips for Making Your Fundraising Stories Sing

April 3, 2018
Jeff Brooks
Storytelling
Jeff Brooks joins long-time friend and colleague, Kristine Poggioli to talk about writing great stories for fundraising — for direct mail, email, or any other medium. Kristine’s tips for fundraising stories that really do the job: Grab the reader’s attention…
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Pop Art Truck Driver e1518680821459

Angry Bees and Direct Mail Fundraising

February 19, 2018
Sean Triner
Storytelling
Not long ago, when I was in Toronto airport on Canada Day (1st July) I read a fascinating story about a ‘Transportation mishap’ (no kidding, that is what the local paper called it). A truck with millions of bees had…
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Pop Art Map of Africa

The Uncomfortable Blessing of Fundraising

February 19, 2018
Jeff Brooks
Storytelling
I was in Uganda, gathering stories on behalf of a client. At that time, Uganda was Ground Zero of the AIDS epidemic. The disease had devastated parts of the country, killing nearly all adults under 60. The tranquil beauty of…
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Pop Art Robot Hamlet

You Have No Dramatic Stories to Tell? You’re Looking at it Wrong!

February 19, 2018
Jeff Brooks
Storytelling
We don’t have any dramatic stories to tell! How can we tell great stories? We don’t work with babies or puppies! We have no way to be emotional. Have you heard or said things like this? It’s flat-out wrong. If…
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  • Add One More: The Power of Incremental Improvement in Fundraising 1 comment | by Jeff Brooks

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Jeff Brooks’ Webinar: Your Roadmap to Record-Smashing Direct Mail This Year End

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Jeff Brooks’ Webinar: Your Roadmap to Record-Smashing Direct Mail This Year End

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