People donate to charity because they want to change the world. Does your fundraising story offer transformation -- or a band-aid? 

Read on to find out how to add this key element to your nonprofit’s storytelling. 

Why use storytelling to fundraise?

Fundraising is about finding the people who are the best fit for your cause, the ones whose hearts break over the problems you’re trying to solve, and the ones who light up at your vision for what the world can be. 

You’re not going to find and connect with those people solely through data, logic, facts, and statistics. That’s because humans don’t make sense of the world or make decisions based solely on data.

Instead, humans are wired to take all of the information and experiences of our lives and turn them into stories that explain the way the world works. We make decisions based on emotions -- and then justify them with data and logic. 

As legendary screenwriter Robert Mckee says, “Stories are how we remember; we tend to forget lists and bullet points.” 

So if your fundraising strategy is rooted in storytelling, you’re putting yourself on the fast track for finding your donors. You’re helping them understand the world in a way that’s memorable. 

Elements of a great fundraising story

Fundraising storytelling doesn’t simply mean telling donor and client stories (though you should do that!). 

It means knowing and communicating your charity’s story.

Here are the elements you need for your best fundraising story:

1. The problem: 

What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? 

Think of your problem as the villain. The villain isn’t a real person. Your villain is whatever is preventing the people you serve from living their best lives or preventing your community or the planet from thriving.

Clearly define the problem in simple, human terms. How does it affect real people? 

Then, rather than overwhelming people with data, choose one fact or statistic that brings the scope and urgency of the problem into stark relief.

A few examples of problems that are clearly-defined and urgent:

• “Imagine spending hours every day searching for water. Then imagine the water you’ve worked so hard to collect makes you and your family sick. Your family has now lost time and health, and without either, there’s little room for school, work, or making progress on your dreams.” Charity:Water
• “Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth and young adults in Canada.”
• “By 2050, plastic volume in our oceans will outweigh the amount of fish in our ocean by nearly three times”. Plastic Oceans Canada

2. Your unique solution:

How does your charity work to solve your problem? How do the people you help feel after you’ve helped them? How is your community better because of your work?

Focus more on your impact than on your programs. 

Let’s say your problem is: Veterans face depression and isolation at rates that put them at high risk for problems like homelessness, addiction, and unemployment.

And let’s say that in response your charity offers programs that:

• teach veterans to raise, train and socialize therapy and service dogs.
• provide veterans with trained therapy and service animals, free of charge.
• send veterans into the community to volunteer with their therapy dogs in nursing homes, schools, libraries, and more.
  
  

While you will certainly want to talk about these amazing programs, those programs are not your solution. 

This is your solution:

“We help recovering Warriors reconnect with life, their families, their communities, and each other.” (Warrior Canine Connection)

Even with a cause as naturally sympathetic as pairing dogs and veterans, the impact you describe is more powerful than your programs: “We help warriors reconnect with life” evokes much more emotion than “we provide veterans with therapy dogs.”

3. A hero:

Great stories have a scary villain and an inspiring hero. Who’s your hero?

Your charity likely has several heroes, actually. Your heroes might include the people you serve, the people who provide your services and staff your programs and the people who fund those programs for your clients and beneficiaries.

But in your communications with donors, they’re the heroes. 

This simply means you’re giving donors a role in the story. You’re not making them saviors or knights in shining armor. You’re offering them the chance to help make the world a better place.

A couple of simple ways to do this:

• Use the words and phrases “you” and “because of you” frequently.
• Compliment them by naming their values and virtues. 
• You believe in a Canada where every child has a place to lay their head.
• It’s important to you that your family has safe, healthy food to eat.”
  
  

Beyond your problem, solution and hero, there’s a final fundraising story element that most nonprofits forget. 

The story element most charities forget

Your “happily ever after” is your ultimate vision of what the world looks like when your problem is solved for good. 

This is your transformational vision. Without it, your story is unfinished, and your donors will be unsatisfied.

It’s critical for charities to offer visions that inspire hope -- hope that your problem is solvable and that the world will be a better place if we solve it. 

Ask yourself: what does the world look like if this problem goes away? 

Answer for the donor: How does my donation lead to a better world - rather than a band-aid for a crisis?

When you answer these questions, you’re giving donors a reason to partner with you for the long-term. 

They understand you might not be able to fix the problem in 5-10 years, but you’ve got a vision and a solution to make a real, lasting world-changing transformation. And nothing is more meaningful to a donor than saying yes to that. 

Tips for offering a world-changing transformation: 

1. “Make it bigger.”

Your story and your vision should be bigger than your organization. This concept comes from respected fundraiser Jerold Panas. 

If you’re building a new museum, “make it bigger” means describing how a new museum will expose local school children to art, beautify the neighborhood and bring money to the business owners in the city. 

What are the big-picture positive outcomes of your project? How will the world be a better place if your problem is solved? How will your local community benefit?

2. Look further out into the future.

If your story is about why you need money for a special project or program with an end date, then what happens when you’ve built the building, launched the program, completed the project? 

Your charity’s story and vision should be large and long-term. Sure, you’ll have projects that are completed in the short term - but the vision should be bigger than your project.

For example, Amy Care from Mealshare has a powerful and hopeful vision: “We believe in a world where our grandkids won’t even believe that kids used to go hungry....[We aim to] put an end to youth hunger in our lifetime.”

With a vision this large and long-term, any number of smaller projects and programs can be tackled. As long as it’s working toward the goal of ending youth hunger, the vision still fits -- and inspires donors. 

3. Use simple, natural language.

Imagine sitting down over coffee with a donor you know well and are comfortable with. How would you describe what you’re trying to achieve? 

Now imagine chatting with a friend, partner, or family member (or better yet, actually have that conversation). What “shop talk” causes their eyes to glaze over? What makes their eyes light up with interest? 

Finally, pretend you’re trying to explain to a child what your nonprofit is doing. What words or phrases would be hard for a child to understand?

When you communicate with your donors, you need to leave the jargon and complicated data behind. Raise the emotional stakes and speak in clear, simple terms about what’s bad in the world and the good you’re trying to do. 

We can help.

Watch our free storytelling webinar below to learn more about crafting a narrative that inspires donors.

If you’re struggling to tell a more hopeful, world-changing story -- or to find donors for your cause -- Hussey Philanthropic can help. We’re a small family firm with 30+ years experience leading nonprofits and charities through capital and programmatic fundraising campaigns. Schedule a call today or take our Campaign Readiness Scorecard quiz to see how we can support your vision of a better world.