Creative

Getting good stories is hard. It takes time, too. That's why too many organizations wait for stories to fall into their laps, rather than actively seeking them out. So what's a time-sapped, budget-strapped charity to do? Here are six steps to mining for story gold: 1. Always listen. 2. Channel your inner story scout. 3. Get in there! 4. Use this as your mantra: Everyone has a story. 5. Focus on the outcome. 6. Make the donor the hero.

The important thing is to touch your donors' emotions in a variety of ways. Your mission may be simple. But the ways you can ask for support are not.

Words have the power to inspire. They also have the power to alienate. Words can touch us, or they can fall flat. In my previous post, I shared seven words that, when used together, can earn you the respect, trust and appreciation of prospects and donors. I now want to share my list of planned-giving and major-giving related words and phrases that, at times, make me cringe: planned giving, bequest, philanthropy, generous and please RSVP.

Storytelling is an important tool that nonprofits are using in fundraising and communications. But perhaps its most important role is being able to forge relationships with constituents in a scalable way. Especially when it comes to annual-giving stewardship.

Being familiar with the complexities of annual-giving portfolios, I know that many annual giving fundraisers struggle with how to provide donors with meaningful stewardship without having to put in 14 hour days. Moreover, the real secret of course to retaining donors and increasing fundraising revenue is to provide donors with stewardship.

In today's media-heavy world, in which people are bombarded by ads and asks multiple times every day, charities are frequently told that if they want to attract attention to their causes and raise money they need to create emotive appeals. However, at the same time, charities are often warned against using guilt as a way of encouraging people to give.

But just how effective are emotive appeals of any kind? And how can charities ensure they are carefully balancing emotion without falling into guilt-tripping?

Just as people can sense when they're being handled, they can also sense when someone is being disingenuous in communications. It's not always something they can put their finger on, but you'd better believe they know it when they feel it.

At the heart of every nonprofit’s ability to engage donors and create movements is its ability to tell a compelling story — but not just any story. The further we progress in the information age, the savvier donors become, and the greater the “return” they expect to see on their charitable investments. More and more, it’s become essential for nonprofits to identify, articulate and most importantly, market the impact they make with their programs.

Here are five nonprofits successfully telling their stories through content to help inspire you to tell your own nonprofit's story.

Young donors want to know where their money is going and what their gifts will accomplish. Those are two of the key lessons from young donors interviewed in videos produced by Achieve, a fundraising consulting firm that in July released its annual Millennial Impact Report.

Putting together a strong rationale takes a little time, especially when you're writing under a deadline. But the benefits far outweigh the hassle.

Storytelling is a nonprofit’s lifeline to raising funds, cultivating new supporters and maintaining stewardship with existing donors. Your story is your business. Your business is your organization. Your organization depends on your story. It goes full circle. Well-crafted stories for the nonprofit world generally show (or exemplify) how a societal problem was resolved. Here’s the story …