How to Share a Compelling Story for Your Non-Profit
By Stanley Meytin
Behind every non-profit, there is a story so deeply connected to someone who suffered either a loss, an extreme experience, or a tragedy. And unfortunately, these people can’t always execute the outreach necessary to gain traction for their cause. That’s where we find the most basic solution to this need: Storytelling.
Stories are what connect all of us. Stories are what compel compassion and eventually action to make change. In our country today, there are more than 1.5 billion non-profits, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics. With so many worthy causes, it is each one’s story that unites each one of us is a story that has impacted us on a personal level and makes us feel we can change by doing our part and giving.
With this plan to create connections through storytelling we must then ask, how does a non-profit tell its story? Every organization is different, but here are the four best practices to get started.
Sharing Your Cause Through Video Storytelling
One of the most powerful ways to connect with another person is face to face– by seeing their expressions and honestly feeling a human emotion. While this may not always be plausible, the same impact can be made through the power of video.
With video storytelling, you can bring your message to anywhere in the world with the click of a button. Non-profits can send purposeful messages to sustain their missions and help those in need both financially and emotionally. With the power of video storytelling, this can be done in an informative, heartfelt way. If you are the founder of a non-profit, your vision, purpose, and mission must be heard to achieve the goals you set out to from the start.
Communities must know the emotional side of the cause, but it is not enough to make them see it, you have to make them feel it. Use video to your advantage to connect and give on a level that will move you toward realizing your mission.
Engage Within Your Community, But Reach Beyond
Most non-profits start at a local level, within their communities. Creating engagement locally can be easy to begin, but as your non-profit grows, so too should your reach. To surmount this challenge of reaching beyond, use powerful storytelling that contains informative dialogue along with genuine purpose to bring connections with many partners within the community and beyond.
Video can effectually share the emotion behind your cause visually for you. This engagement can bring those closer to your non-profit through social media, video news letters, website content, and much more. While we all may want to make a change, we first need to see all the good that our action will bring, to see in action how the non-profit we choose to connect with is impacting this world. Do this through video and share it with everyone you can.
How to Convince Donors They Already Care
This is such an essential part of fundraising when it comes to non-profits. Asking for money can become uncomfortable fast– even when it is for a good cause. That’s why telling an impactful story that potential donors can connect with is so important, not just to convince them to donate but to allow them to understand the reality of the mission and show them why they probably already care about it.
Make them want to find out more, to read your story or watch your video, so they can learn about what is happening and how they can do their part. People care, they simply need a call to action. Your impactful video can be the difference between gaining attention and gaining actual financial traction.
Be Encouraging
During times of crisis or need, people want to believe that good will prevail. Using video to share your story along with progress and results is critical to keep your number of donors, and fundraising efforts, increasing.
Your prospective donors want to see the issue, but they want to know that the action they take is going to effectively help those who are the heart and soul of your non-profit. This leads to repeat giving and continued the growth of your non-profit.
Sharing your story of not only need but also hope through video can be the only thing standing between you and eager donors. Including your previous successes makes a huge difference in how donors give, how much they provide and their commitment to continue offering.
Celebrate through video storytelling your accomplishments, give people a reason to continue to help your cause.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By Stanley Meytin
Behind every non-profit, there is a story so deeply connected to someone who suffered either a loss, an extreme experience, or a tragedy. And unfortunately, these people can’t always execute the outreach necessary to gain traction for their cause. That’s where we find the most basic solution to this need: Storytelling.
Stories are what connect all of us. Stories are what compel compassion and eventually action to make change. In our country today, there are more than 1.5 billion non-profits, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics. With so many worthy causes, it is each one’s story that unites each one of us is a story that has impacted us on a personal level and makes us feel we can change by doing our part and giving.
With this plan to create connections through storytelling we must then ask, how does a non-profit tell its story? Every organization is different, but here are the four best practices to get started.
Sharing Your Cause Through Video Storytelling
One of the most powerful ways to connect with another person is face to face– by seeing their expressions and honestly feeling a human emotion. While this may not always be plausible, the same impact can be made through the power of video.
With video storytelling, you can bring your message to anywhere in the world with the click of a button. Non-profits can send purposeful messages to sustain their missions and help those in need both financially and emotionally. With the power of video storytelling, this can be done in an informative, heartfelt way. If you are the founder of a non-profit, your vision, purpose, and mission must be heard to achieve the goals you set out to from the start.
Communities must know the emotional side of the cause, but it is not enough to make them see it, you have to make them feel it. Use video to your advantage to connect and give on a level that will move you toward realizing your mission.
Engage Within Your Community, But Reach Beyond
Most non-profits start at a local level, within their communities. Creating engagement locally can be easy to begin, but as your non-profit grows, so too should your reach. To surmount this challenge of reaching beyond, use powerful storytelling that contains informative dialogue along with genuine purpose to bring connections with many partners within the community and beyond.
Video can effectually share the emotion behind your cause visually for you. This engagement can bring those closer to your non-profit through social media, video news letters, website content, and much more. While we all may want to make a change, we first need to see all the good that our action will bring, to see in action how the non-profit we choose to connect with is impacting this world. Do this through video and share it with everyone you can.
How to Convince Donors They Already Care
This is such an essential part of fundraising when it comes to non-profits. Asking for money can become uncomfortable fast– even when it is for a good cause. That’s why telling an impactful story that potential donors can connect with is so important, not just to convince them to donate but to allow them to understand the reality of the mission and show them why they probably already care about it.
Make them want to find out more, to read your story or watch your video, so they can learn about what is happening and how they can do their part. People care, they simply need a call to action. Your impactful video can be the difference between gaining attention and gaining actual financial traction.
Be Encouraging
During times of crisis or need, people want to believe that good will prevail. Using video to share your story along with progress and results is critical to keep your number of donors, and fundraising efforts, increasing.
Your prospective donors want to see the issue, but they want to know that the action they take is going to effectively help those who are the heart and soul of your non-profit. This leads to repeat giving and continued the growth of your non-profit.
Sharing your story of not only need but also hope through video can be the only thing standing between you and eager donors. Including your previous successes makes a huge difference in how donors give, how much they provide and their commitment to continue offering.
Celebrate through video storytelling your accomplishments, give people a reason to continue to help your cause.
What story would you like to share?
Whether you want to launch an idea, spark a movement or simply get people talking about what you do, you have one shot
at delivering your message in a way that matters. Let’s make sure you do it right.
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