Donation Letter Storytelling
Fundraising Letters Must Tell Great Stories
If your fundraising letter doesn't tell a great story, it's not a fundraising
letter. It's a memo. Direct mail fundraising is all about storytelling.
If you want your direct mail donors to respond to your letters in greater
numbers and with larger gifts, learn the craft of storytelling. Learn how to
write human-interest stories that inspire, motivate and move your donors—to
give.
As a gospel preacher and one-time university instructor, I've learned over the
years that the safest way to make your point stick is to tell a story. As UK
fundraising consultant Ken Burnett observes in his book, The Zen of
Fundraising, fundraisers should tell stories because "we have some of the
best stories in the world and the best reasons of all for telling them."
Jesus Christ revealed complicated truths about God's character, God's prophetic
plan for the ages, and moral absolutes by telling parables. The Prodigal Son.
The Good Samaritan. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. These phrases are
in common use today because the person who coined them 2,000 years ago told
stories. Memorable stories. Stories that reached the hearts of His hearers.
Your fundraising letters need to do the same. And the quickest way to a donor's
heart is through the adrenal glands. Consider, for example, this opening
paragraph from a fundraising letter mailed by Covenant House:
"She stood on the curb looking scared and lonely in a skimpy halter top and
bright red lipstick. It was two in the morning. A chilly breeze whipped up in
the street and seemed to make her shiver. She was a child . . . just a child. We
pulled our Covenant House van up to the curb and rolled down the window . . . ."
Or this opening story from an appeal letter mailed by The Cousteau Society:
"A shipwrecked sailor was struggling in the water. The shore was near, but
his strength was almost spent. Then suddenly there was a friendly presence in
the water, a strong, sleek body that buoyed him up, escorted him to shallow
water, saved his life. This story, or something akin to it, has been told
countless times about dolphins and porpoises."
Or this opening from an appeal letter mailed by the YWCA:
"Shortly after the latest increase in heating oil, a fuel company received an
inquiry from the Mother Superior of a Convent: "How much," she asked, "has the
price of oil gone up? Wanting to break the news gently, the salesperson asked,
"Are you sitting down, Sister?" Replied the nun, "I am kneeling." In its
struggle to become energy efficient and cost conscious, the YWCA has initiated
priorities to be achieved as funds become available."
The secret to crafting great fundraising letters is to craft great stories.
Whatever you are writing about, whether endangered whales, land mines, cancer
survivors or abandoned cats, look for the human drama in your work that brings
your message alive. Then tell your donor a story. One with a happy ending.
About The Author
Alan Sharpe is president of Raiser Sharpe, a full-service direct mail
fundraising agency that helps non-profit organizations raise funds, build
relationships and retain loyal donors. Sign up for free weekly tips like this,
and discover other helpful resources, at http://www.RaiserSharpe.com.
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