Our brains love a good story. It’s true: there is a distinct chemical reaction that happens in our brains when we’re reading a compelling or interesting story.
So storytelling is something that not only helps a nonprofit engage with your community, but it also presents the potential to help you fundraise.
In creating stories that tug at your heartstrings, here’s the right questions to ask in order to get the oxytocin levels of potential donors, volunteers, employees, and other constituents to spike — and inspire action.
Before putting story together, ask yourself:
– What’s the story?
– Why will anyone care about this story?
– What action(s) do we want readers to take after reading this story?
In composing the story, answer these:
– What did the story’s subject accomplish?
– When did this accomplishment happen? Where did this accomplishment happen? How did this accomplishment happen?
– What was your organization’s role in making this accomplishment happen? (Explain your organization’s program, staffer, etc. who helped facilitate this.)
– How did this accomplishment change this person’s life? (Get a quote from the person explaining this.)
– What’s the call-to-action that we want readers to take? (Create a link to a website, provide a phone number to call, etc.)
A great story versus a good story can make the difference between keeping your donors and volunteers engaged in what you do or losing them to the next good cause.
Make sure to put a face on your work every day.
And don’t be afraid of emotion — seek it out to get our oxytocin levels pumping.
