The Story of Fundraising

A good story starts with the right questions. Oftentimes, we interview a person to get his or her story (or a story related to a project being funded) and end up with a story that is mediocre at best. This can be the result of a failure to ask the right questions.

I generally start by asking, "Can you tell me your story in your own words?" This immediately tells me if the person is going to open up or if I am going to have to work to extract information. If it's the former, I let the subject talk, interrupting only if I need clarification. But if he or she isn't comfortable responding to that open-ended request, I turn to a previously prepared list of questions.