If I asked you to think about your favourite story, where would your mind go? Go on, stop reading for a minute and close your eyes – and let yourself travel to a place or person, to a book or a film, to a myth or legend, or to a story you’ve simply been told. What was at the heart of that story? What was it that made it memorable? Why does it come to mind? Did it change you? Did it shift your perspective? Did it move you?
The art of storytelling holds great power – if you’re a fundraiser then I probably don’t need to tell you this! But what makes a great story?
You see, we often tell nice stories about our charity, where we talk about a problem, and describe what we do, and explain stuff (often using jargon and disconnecting language). And to be honest – they’re not stories at all! They’re more of an instruction manual! And nobody likes reading those!
Great stories do something more than simply describe the problems and issues – they invite our donors and supporters to become part of the narrative, giving them a leading role in the solution.
But if you want to go one step further and develop awesome stories, then we must get the charity out of the way! Can I be honest with you? Nobody wants to hear about the fact you were established 50 (or however many hundred) years ago; nobody will open their cheque book (yes, some of us still use them!) because you talk about your great internal processes! We have got to stop describing the detail of our organisation and place the people or communities or beneficiaries whose lives are transformed in the centre or our narrative.
And the best way to do that is to not hog the story at all. Instead, we give way to the people who can speak from a place of experience and knowledge of the impact that each donation makes. We have to get braver at handing over the microphone, not worrying about whether what they say fits with our brand guidelines and slide decks. It is their story, told in their words that we have the honour and privilege to share.
If it’s real and it’s raw then it will resonate
As donors, we want to connect with the people, places and situations that our kindness impacts. Connection matters.
It’s a bit like being invited to a wedding when you don’t know the people getting married – you’d be a bit confused by that invitation wouldn’t you?!
Would you RSVP? Or would you think they made a mistake?
But if you have journeyed with them for some time then you respond with affection, warmth and excitement to their invitation to join them in the next chapter of their story – you become part of the narrative.
And talking of next chapters – do we ever tell our supporters what happened to the 27 different beneficiaries we featured in the last countless campaigns – I doubt it, because we’re too busy finding the next great story for the next campaign!
What would happen if we circled back? What would happen if we asked these beneficiaries to share the next chapter in their stories, that were written because of the kindness of our donors? We put a lot of focus on keeping our supporters engaged for years, yet we tell them a completely different story at every single turn! That’s enough to make the most committed of supporters dizzy! Let’s extend the narrative of great stories and remind people of the long-term impact their kindness has, rather than showering out snapshots that leave people running to catch up.
The stories we have the joy of sharing are not fables from long ago, they are living, breathing adventures that are continuing to be written. The big question is whether we’re providing enough space to invite our donors to be part of these stories and play their part in the next instalment.
If you want to learn more about powerful storytelling that invites supporters into the narrative, join Paul Courtney on 5th November for his webinar – Webinar Registration – Zoom
Paul Courtney is a fundraiser, trainer and consultant who has spent many years working with a wide range of charities to form and deliver robust strategies for sustainable income generation. He is a regular speaker and contributor to sector events and networks and is passionate about harnessing the power of authentic storytelling to build lasting connections between charities and their supporters.
Paul has been Director of Fundraising at Children’s Hospice South West since 2019 and has overseen significant growth across all voluntary income streams in that time.
Paul is co-founder of the Fundraisers Forum, a UK wide network that aims to support fundraisers who are often excluded from the very best training and support due to a wide range of barriers including geography, finances and caring responsibilities.