When a Story is Worth $3,000
People Give to Change Lives;
What Stories Can You Share?

By Gary Rick, Vice President
Mid-Atlantic Region

Do you remember the last time you couldn’t wait to share good news with someone? 

A few years ago, I was sitting on an airplane flying to a training event. I ended up next to Jim, a middle-aged businessman in a suit. We began small talk, as often happens on airplanes. Things like, “What do you do for a living? Where are you from? Where are you headed?” 

During the conversation, we got around to talking about the nonprofit organization I represented. I told him how moved I was by the story of how one young child was helped by the organization. It just came out in the course of conversation because the story was fresh on my mind. It turned out that Jim was the manager of a local paper plant. We talked about the community where we worked and numerous other things during the flight. When we landed in Chicago, we bid a typical farewell: “It was nice talking with you.” It was just another ordinary airplane conversation…or was it?

About two weeks later, my organization received a check for $3,000 for our annual campaign from Jim’s company. It just so happened that my seatmate’s supervisor was on the national board of my organization! I found out later that Jim shared my story with his boss. I began to think about it. I never asked him for a gift. I just shared with enthusiasm what my organization did for one individual. I didn’t talk about our programs or the overall case. This series of events made me think more deeply about this. Why did this happen?

In the course of our everyday lives, we interact with many people. Some are strangers. Some are people we know. As a friend, you can talk to these people like nobody else. They don’t view you as having something to gain. You are simply sharing a positive and emotional story. We all like to be the bearer of good news. Sometimes in fundraising, we bend to the temptation to deliver a canned talk or presentation. When we do this, the passion isn’t there. Plus, the listener knows you are asking for something from them. When I was speaking to Jim I never thought of it as a solicitation. Neither did he.

There is an important lesson here. My story to Jim was about what my organization did for one young kid. It was important and moved me. It was not a PowerPoint presentation with lots of data about “impact,” pie-charts, or statistics — just a memorable “feel good” story.

In my experience, I hear all the time how some board members do not like to fundraise. I have never once heard, “My board does not like to share good stories of the work being done.”  Regardless of the economy, these stories are worth a great deal if they carry value and emotion.

I suggest you try it out. If you do not know some of the greatest personal stories of impact from your organization, ask your executive director or development director to share a couple with you. All it takes is one story that means something to you. If it moves you, chances are you will share the story with enthusiasm and passion. If you do this enough times, you can be sure the law of averages will kick in, interest will build, and gifts will come.

Statements like, “You know, today the greatest thing happened at the organization where I volunteer. A kid was . . . or, this client came in and . . . And, I am very proud to be giving my time and talents to a nonprofit that ‘walks the talk’ so that I can SEE the difference they are making.”

This approach is even more important in a challenging economy. We must continue to tell the stories of how our organizations change lives. If your donors do not think you need them in challenging times, why will they support you when times are good? When it comes to fundraisin, one of the biggest obstacles for volunteers is the fear of rejection. Nobody likes to be rejected. Rejection, however, is usually not a barrier to advocacy. I cannot recall a time when any volunteers were rejected for sharing some good news.

If you talk to enough people good things WILL happen. It is, however, guaranteed that if you never tell anyone, it won’t happen. Consider the history of fiction, drama or cinema: people have always been moved by stories of people overcoming the odds.

I am not suggesting this approach as a substitute for effective fundraising, but it is an important piece that is sometimes lacking in nonprofit board advocacy today. It’s an approach that helps greatly when it comes to campaign preparation.

By the way, Jim’s company continued to donate to our organization year after year following that first chance conversation.