From time to time, I like to share a different voice, perspective, and expertise on my blog. Storytelling is such an integral part of fundraising, so I turned to my colleague, Ephriam Gopin, for some words of wisdom. For those unfamiliar with his work, Ephriam is a nonprofit fundraising and marketing expert from 1832 Communications.
Storytelling in the Modern Era of Fundraising
AE: Is storytelling really different than it was 10 years ago or 100 years ago?
EG: The basic formula for storytelling has remained the same: Conflict, hero, solution and resolution. That has worked for thousands of years.
What is new to storytelling are some specific components and platforms.
In terms of platforms, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are wonderful vehicles for not only telling your story but engaging your audience so that they share the story with their audience. One story now has the power to reach the masses in a very short time span.
In terms of storytelling elements, think about:
- Images: Over 50% of all tweets contain an image, GIF or video. Tell a 1,000 word story with a simple image.
- Instagram Stories: 500,000,000 people daily view Instagram Stories. It’s a fantastic way to engage and get your story out. You can use images, videos, polls, quizzes and more to tell your story.
- Videos: Video has exploded in terms of viewing minutes. According to Mary Meeker, people in the U.S. are watching 84 minutes of video daily. That is NOT streaming services (e.g. Netflix) or TV. That’s YouTube, video views in Twitter/Instagram/Facebook feeds and other platforms. Video is a premier platform every nonprofit should be using to tell the story of their mission and community impact, to educate, advocate and raise awareness.
AE: Yes! The story may not have changed so much, but the platform and the way we consume stories certainly has. Sitting around the campfire has a whole new meaning, because in this world of Covid, we can share stories across the world in a matter of seconds.
EG: In short, the formula works. What is new is the plethora of ways to get your story in front of someone, no matter where they live, in a very short period of time.
Why Storytelling is Important for Nonprofit Leaders
AE: Can you share a little about why storytelling important for nonprofit leaders?
EG: Talking about what you do can get real boring real fast. Showing people what you do will keep their attention.
Think about show-and-tell at school when you were a kid. It wasn’t just the object each child was holding up but it was the accompanying story of what made that object so special that brought life to show-and-tell.
Nonprofit leaders talk with a variety of audiences: Staff, volunteers, donors, prospects, and the entire community through online and offline channels. They should be sharing different stories with everyone as a way of connecting people to the mission. Just saying “Here’s what we do, it’s a great cause, donate” won’t cut it. Tell or show a story and let people hear and see why they should get involved.
One modern element to storytelling which I must emphasize:
Stories should include one CTA (call to action).
That CTA could be to donate, to volunteer, to advocate on behalf of the organization, sign a petition or call people. Whatever it is, the story should mobilize people to take action.
AE: Yes — a call-to-action. It’s such an important reminder. Let people know what you want them to do and how to do it. The easier you make it for people, the more likely they are to follow through.
How Nonprofits Can Tell Better Stories
AE: What are some examples of ways nonprofits can tell good stories?
EG: I am a big believer in the “story of one:” When telling stories, tell it from the perspective of one person. Personalizing the story helps the audience feel connected to the person they’re watching/reading about. That will help your nonprofit fundraising and marketing.
However, you’re not always going to tell stories about the people you’re helping. There are other ways to use stories to engage your target audience:
- Educate: Use storytelling to educate your target audience about the issue you advocate for. For example, if your nonprofit is working towards helping people with cancer and curing the disease, don’t just share inspirational stories of people who were ill but are now cancer free. Tell the story of the researchers working to find a cure.
- Staff intro: Introduce your staff to your followers and supporters. Ask staff to share their personal story and why they get up each morning and come to work. Same goes with volunteers. Let them tell your audience what connects them to your mission.
- Have fun: Show behind the scenes footage of an upcoming event. Yes it might include some bloopers but there’s no reason storytelling can’t be fun! Same goes for a professional video you’ve created. Take the B-roll and share it. It’s a great way to preview for people that a great video they HAVE TO SEE is on the way.
AE: I love these examples. There’s lot of conversation in our sector about the importance of not exploiting clients. These are some great examples of ways to share stories through the eyes of others.
And you didn’t mention donors, but you could certainly invite donors to share their stories, about why they support your organization and why the mission is important to them.
How Storytelling Impacts Nonprofit Fundraising
AE: One final question: How does storytelling impact fundraising?
EG: Why do people donate? They want to do good. They want to solve problems. Stories let them know how they’re accomplishing that.
Storytelling is central to fundraising and marketing. Stories connect people to your mission, to your community of donors, and to the people you’re helping. If you want to retain donors, you’re going to need to incorporate storytelling into all your donor communications.
Consider your thank you letters to supporters. Dr. Adrian Sargeant says that donors have a higher recall of a thank you than the appeal that generated the gift. Want to make your thank you’s memorable? Use the story of one! Tell the donor how their donation has changed the life of one person. That story will make the donor feel good. Donors who feel good give again.
When you just hold your hand out but don’t include a story, it can hurt your fundraising efforts.
Use Storytelling to Demonstrate your Field Expertise
EG: When fundraising, your organization will want to demonstrate its field expertise. I mentioned earlier telling the story of researchers. Using their story helps supporters understand where things stand and whether we’re moving closer to a cure (which allows you to fundraise to help finally end illness X).
A different story that will definitely impact your fundraising efforts is a donor’s origin story. Call a donor and ask them how they found out about your organization and why they became a donor. You’re going to hear plenty of great stories you can share in your fundraising and marketing collateral.
Don’t just tell your story through the eyes of your service recipients. Broaden what you offer in terms of storytelling. It allows you to reach more people and connect with them in their own unique way.
AE: Such great ideas! Most fundraisers know that storytelling is an integral part of fundraising, but I’m not sure they know how to do it effectively. You’ve provided some great examples and food for thought to get them started in their thinking.
Ephriam, thank you so much for sharing your expertise with my audience.
Learn More About Nonprofit Storytelling
If you’d like to learn more from Ephriam, I encourage you to sign up for his newsletter here — it’s full of great information just like that which he shared in this post.
Do you have an example of modern day storytelling to share? Let us know in the comments.
Thank you for focussing on the story-of-one for the thank you. Happy donors give again. -Love that reminder.