Comments on: The Real Secret for Fundraising Success … It’s All About the Story!

By: How Simple Development Systems Will Create Sustainable Funding

How Simple Development Systems Will Create Sustainable Funding — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:00:58 +0000

[...] And the backbone of all these systems is a strong case statement presented with engaging story telling. [...]

By: Vikki Baptiste

Vikki Baptiste — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:45:37 +0000

Thanks for this timely post, Pamela! The organization I work for primarily serves the low-income population, and I find it very hard to get stories from our program staff.

The problem is that they see what they do every day as just that … what they do every day. If only they would take time to get to know the customer more, I’m sure they would see what a difference they make in people’s lives.

We serve over 5,000 families annually with utilities assistance. There are 5,000 stories there alone – and that’s not even considering the domestic violence victims we serve, the foreclosures we prevent and the homeless we house.

Why do we have such a hard time collecting these stories?

By: NavitasHR

NavitasHR — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:30:12 +0000

Pamela: I really liked your approach to this topic. I have been working with a community based organization helping them better tell the story of what their organization accomplishes. Although a large part of my work has been establishing result-based metrics for the organization’s programs, I have continued to impress upon them that numbers, while important, are only half the story. The ability to demonstrate how a program impacts individual lives in a personal way is crucial to helping the broader community understand the importance of the organization’s work in a real way. Your suggestions were great. I will be forwarding your ideas on and retweeting for you. Kim H.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:31:26 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by PamelaGrow: Two very different appeals – and why it’s ALL about the story: http://ow.ly/w7cz #nonprofit #charity…

By: Gary Dillard

Gary Dillard — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:20:27 +0000

You nailed it, Pamela! People respond to people. It’s why they watch Oprah, it’s why they open their wallets. (Okay, they’ll also respond to stories about cute animals.) Whatever your organization may be, it has great people stories. Use them. Even if it’s a museum full of artifacts, there’s a story about how someone reacted to seeing Grandma’s photo and learning her story. Have your volunteers actively searching for these stories so when the time comes to use them, you’ll have a storehouse to choose from.

By: Pamela Grow

Pamela Grow — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:34:32 +0000

Thanks for sharing Tracy!

I think of story-building as a constant process – and not just client-specific. I worked with an organization once with a dual mission – to provide afterschool/summer enrichment to inner city middle school students & also provide inner city teaching opportunities for high school and college students. The stories from the parents of the college students who had signed on to teach the summer program were incredible!

By: Tracy

Tracy — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:04:53 +0000

Great post! Those of us who work on changing government policies find this extra challenging, since there are few personal stories or photos to work from. I’ve learned to share what I can from lobbying work — what critical questions are coming up that we didn’t anticipate, where is support coming that caught us by surprise, and how are we overcoming roadblocks. Take the donor (especially individual donors in mail appeals) inside the process. Bring them with you into the public gallery when public officials voted on your bill, and your staff all sat holding their breath. They’ll appreciate understanding the process better, and they’ll enjoy getting a behind-the-scenes look at how their money goes to work.

By: Andi

Andi — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:06:01 +0000

Wow! That’s an amazing post.