Stories Keep It Real
"Act right now! Your donation of $20 will buy school supplies for 250 children in need!"
Have you ever heard a claim like that on a late-night television fundraising drive? Did you really believe the charity's claim that they were able to do so much with so little? Probably not.
If you want to steer clear of making similar over-simplified and unrealistic claims in your fundraising materials, write a story instead of a flashy headline. Storytelling keeps you accountable to your donors. By framing your call to action as a real life story you’ll keep yourself from making unrealistic claims. Why? Because in order to tell a believable story, you must be able to conjure up compelling and accurate plot points and link the story details together in a logical format.
Take the claim above: Imagine you are the CEO or senior public relations person for that organization. Can you tell a real-life story that actually illustrates how $20.00 once bought school supplies for 250 children? If the answer is yes, then tell that story! If your organization is turning $20.00 into learning tools for so many children, you must be doing something that's never been done before! And people love inspiring and uplifting narratives like that.
Who were the people involved in your success story? What did they do to turn a $20.00 donation into school supplies for so many children? What motivated them? What challenges did they overcome in trying to reach their goal?
On the other hand, if you can’t think of one example where your call to action actually played out in the past in the same way you claim it will in your appeal, then your fundraising campaign will lack credibility. Just because charities are constantly being asked to do more with less, that's no excuse for overstating the value of a donor's gift. Before you make any sort of cause and effect claims in your next fundraising appeal, make sure that you have at least one, if not several, real life stories to back up your claims.
People must believe their donation will actually accomplish what you say it will. Stories, anecdotes, and real life examples of how your organization has achieved similar goals in the past will keep your appeals grounded in reality. People aren’t naïve and no matter how great your cause is, they still want proof that giving to your cause will actually result in real change.
Have you ever heard a claim like that on a late-night television fundraising drive? Did you really believe the charity's claim that they were able to do so much with so little? Probably not.
If you want to steer clear of making similar over-simplified and unrealistic claims in your fundraising materials, write a story instead of a flashy headline. Storytelling keeps you accountable to your donors. By framing your call to action as a real life story you’ll keep yourself from making unrealistic claims. Why? Because in order to tell a believable story, you must be able to conjure up compelling and accurate plot points and link the story details together in a logical format.
Take the claim above: Imagine you are the CEO or senior public relations person for that organization. Can you tell a real-life story that actually illustrates how $20.00 once bought school supplies for 250 children? If the answer is yes, then tell that story! If your organization is turning $20.00 into learning tools for so many children, you must be doing something that's never been done before! And people love inspiring and uplifting narratives like that.
Who were the people involved in your success story? What did they do to turn a $20.00 donation into school supplies for so many children? What motivated them? What challenges did they overcome in trying to reach their goal?
On the other hand, if you can’t think of one example where your call to action actually played out in the past in the same way you claim it will in your appeal, then your fundraising campaign will lack credibility. Just because charities are constantly being asked to do more with less, that's no excuse for overstating the value of a donor's gift. Before you make any sort of cause and effect claims in your next fundraising appeal, make sure that you have at least one, if not several, real life stories to back up your claims.
People must believe their donation will actually accomplish what you say it will. Stories, anecdotes, and real life examples of how your organization has achieved similar goals in the past will keep your appeals grounded in reality. People aren’t naïve and no matter how great your cause is, they still want proof that giving to your cause will actually result in real change.