By now, you probably know that your donors want to understand the impact your nonprofit is having in the community. They are looking for deeper transparency and measurable metrics that show that your mission and the work you are doing is to help society and the people or causes you serve.
However, there is an element that cannot be missing, and it is the narration. Yes, it’s essential to communicate measurable data and statistics about your group with your marketers, but not at the cost of telling your story.
Take a look at your marketing material.
Do you think you have lost yourself in the evocation of emotions?
The way to reach major donors and individuals is by telling the tried and true story. People still give to people. And, as it has been for generations, if you can emotionally move someone to support or advocate for your organization, it’s because you’ve connected to something in their humanity. Your nonprofit’s story is the first thing to tell because it gets people to take action. The facts and figures then support the decision to come up with rational thinking.
Lucky for you, there’s an entire conference dedicated to nonprofit storytelling, and it’s happening right here in my town, Orlando, Florida. The dates are October 15-17, 2018 and there is a special early bird offer on tickets if you buy them before July 13.
telling the story
The Nonprofit Storytelling Conference is an annual conference that helps nonprofit organizations communicate in the most fundamental way possible, by telling the story. Countless articles are published every day aimed at helping nonprofits with everything from board governance to fundraising to marketing. There are also many conferences that non-profit teams can attend throughout the year. But there is no other event that I know of that focuses exclusively on storytelling, which is crucial for building brand awareness.
Themes for 2018
The Nonprofit Storytelling Conference has a great list of topics to help engage and inform attendees. Important topics include:
- How to ask a question based on a story.
- How to create eye-catching headlines to use in emails, social media, newsletters, and on your website.
- How to choose the best stories to compel your donors to donate.
- How to use story-based ads on Facebook to attract new donors.
- How to use a series of stories to retain donors longer.
- How to write compelling letters, articles and posts your donors will love.
- How to use stories to be more influential in your organization.
- How to raise your profile in the community using stories.
- How to create a content calendar for the whole year.
The nonprofit Storytelling Conference also records all presentations and you can purchase the videos and view each session. We also encourage you to share the videos with your team.
additional resources
There are three free resources you can get right now from the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference.
- Donor Story Sequence PDF:If you’re wondering how to manage your donors and what to do with them, the Donor Story Stream will guide you through your next steps.
- Ask Thanks Report Repeat Graphic:It’s a simple chart that will help you build stronger relationships with your supports.
- Raise more money through better storytelling video:The video completes the 3-part resource pack and tells you how to raise more money from your donors through storytelling.
