How to harness the power of storytelling for fundraising
Ever since the days of cave drawings, human beings have been telling stories to connect, entertain, and pass on information. We’re hardwired to respond to stories as they activate emotional centres in our brains, evoking strong, visceral reactions such as that all-important facet of emotional connection: empathy, which enables us to identify with the plight of others.
When emotions are triggered, it inspires us to take action (i.e., make a donation), which makes story telling an incredibly powerful tool for fundraisers.
With this in mind, here are five tips to help you tell your fundraising stories more effectively.
1. Make it personal
You don’t need to be Jane Austen to write a great story. As much as excessive details, melodrama, and exaggeration may be entertaining to read, it won’t make for a compelling appeal.
Instead, write it as if you’re telling it to a friend over a cup of coffee.
Some pointers:
Make it conversational and informal
Keep the words simple, sentences short and break up long paragraphs
Write in the first person (‘you, they, us’)
Avoid jargon and industry slang
Don’t ramble, include subplots, or go off on tangents (no one wants to read a story that’s difficult to understand or follow!)
Use details only where they add to the emotion i.e., a child’s toy left behind. The family member who didn’t make it …
2. Write about one person
The most effective fundraising stories focus on one person. Why? It’s far easier for our brains to put us in the shoes of ONE person and empathise with their story than with a group of people.
When there’s a group of people involved, it creates a barrier to emotional connection that’s critical for giving.
Want to make it more impactful? Include quotes from the people you’ve helped explaining how your support has transformed their lives.
The Firefighter’s charity does this to great effect on their website:
3. Focus on stories not stats
As much as we like to believe we make decisions based on logic, stats, and reason – this isn’t the case. As we’ve established, people act on emotion.
That’s not to say there’s no place for facts and figures in your story. They’re important to highlight the scale of the problem you’re trying to solve, but it’s the story that will drive donations.
Take, for example these two videos by charity: water
The charity tried to entice people to donate by presenting them with facts and figures. Granted it received 2+ million views, but there was a poor response in terms of donations.
So, the creative team went back to the drawing board and came up with a new video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=U7viqHIZPnY&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=charitywater
This one hit the mark, as the video appealed to emotion rather than logic. As a result, donations exploded.
4. Make the donor the hero
If you focus on the impact your organisation is making without explicitly acknowledging the donor’s part, you run the risk of alienating them: “the charity’s making a substantial impact without my help, so I’ll find one to support that really needs my money.”
However, when you make the donor the hero of the story, their support becomes essential.
Here’s a great example from Children in Need. They tell Riley’s story and point out that his health has improved “thanks to your [the public’s] donations.”
This simple line acknowledges the significant part donors have played in improving Riley’s life.
5. Supercharge your story with images
You’ve heard it a “million times: “a picture is worth 1,000 words.” But in reality, it’s worth 60,000 words, as the human brain responds to images and videos 60,000 times faster than plain text.
Many images stand alone as iconic representations of powerful movements or events, like the photo of the starving child, Amal Hussain, who brought the humanitarian crisis in Yemen into sharp focus.
That’s why visuals are such a crucial element for telling an engaging story. Without them, your audience is confronted with a wall of text that doesn’t humanize your need.
In conclusion
Follow these five simple steps, and you can create powerful, emotive fundraising stories that drive forward your campaigns, demonstrate your impact, and, crucially, raise funds.
Happy storytelling!
Are you a natural-born storyteller looking to use your talents for good? Or perhaps you’re looking to recruit a talented story-weaver to help you show the world why your work matters.
Either way, we can help. Call us on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to find out how.