Tell a Story…Gain a Supporter

Jane B. Ford

Most people I know would prefer to hear a story about someone your nonprofit has helped than to listen to the latest statistics about the population you serve. The next time someone asks you what your nonprofit does, skip the statistics and tell a story. If you use the basic rules of storytelling below, you could make a new friend for your organization.

1. Be aware of the organizational image you want to create. The style of a story about a children’s puppet theatre may be very different than that of a nonprofit that provides literacy training to adults.
2. Use interesting and exciting language with which your audience can relate.  You may get really excited about the esoteric research your archeological group does but your audience is likely more interested in hearing about specific, compelling artifacts you have unearthed.
3. Use as many of your senses as are appropriate to the story to evoke audience interest. Describe the joy on the face of a teen who receives your scholarship.  Share the excited chatter of the volunteers who are constructing a house. Talk about the feel of the baby blanket created by a senior for a premature baby. Re-create the smells of ocean as your volunteers cleaned up the beach. Describe the taste of the wonderful soups that were served at your recent fundraiser.
4. Use your emotions to help your listener relate to the work you do. Some stories evoke tears, some laughter and others deep concern. Make sure you really feel the emotion and then share it with your listener.
5. Involve your audience so it becomes a conversation, not a monologue. For example, if you are talking about someone owning their first home, ask if your listener remembers how he felt when he moved into his first home (as long as you know he is a homeowner). When you are sharing the joy of someone who received a new lung, ask your listener if she can imagine how it must feel to be able to breathe deeply for the first time in decades.
6. Keep it brief. Don’t bore your listener with unnecessary details or extraneous description. Some of the best nonprofit stories I have heard were less than two minutes in length.

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