How to tell stories and inspire your supporters

Lucy Gower Founder and Director at Lucidity Posted 8 years ago

Whatever your fundraising role or level, you will need to be able to influence; whether it is your manager or colleagues about your new ideas, funders to invest in your organisation or supporters to campaign, volunteer and raise awareness.

Storytelling is already within your DNA. As human beings we learn and remember more through story than facts, figures and statistics. It’s also your most powerful influencing tool because a story told well connects with the listener, evokes emotion and inspires them to take action.

How we make decisions

We respond emotionally to the world around us. Then we retrospectively put a rational case together to support our emotional decision.

If you have ever fallen in love with a product, for example a pair of shoes, an expensive suit or a new gadget and then rationalized why you ‘simply must have it’ after you have made your decision to purchase, you’ll understand this.

There is a phrase ‘Those that can tell – can sell.” This didn’t come from the charity sector.

Commercial organisations use story and emotion to sell their products. In 2009 Coca-Cola branded ‘happiness’. It ditched it last year apparently for being ‘too preachy’. Coke’s current brand campaign is called #TasteTheFeeling. No surprise it involves story.

The John Lewis Partnership in the UK uses emotion and story in all their advertising. Check out their advertisement for home insurance.

I’m not saying that facts, figures and statistics are not important. They are vitally important. You must have a robust case for support and a business plan. You need the detail of how and when you will spend donations and a reporting system so you can accurately inform donors of the difference their support has made.

Accurate facts, figures and statistics are crucial but they are not the leading message. Most people don’t get excited and inspired because you showed them a nice spreadsheet or pie chart – they get inspired to take action because of the difference they can make, and the best tool to do this is through story.

Four quick tips to get you started in story

Start with story; I’ve heard so many boring pitches that begin something like ‘Nondescript charity was established in etc etc …. Start with a story that illustrates the work the charity does. It might be the story of your founder; for example, Jane Smith was told by her doctor that she had breast cancer in 1993. The prognosis was bad. There was no one for her to talk to. She had to wait for hours in a cold waiting room for her referral appointment, afraid and alone. She decided that no one else should have to go through this so she set up Jane Smith Cancer centers. Places where people with cancer and their families could get help and support and not be alone.
Find your own stories; don’t regurgitate stories that someone else has written for you. You have to connect to the story you tell, and the best way to do this is to find your own. Spend time with front line staff, service users, your colleagues and find stories, anecdotes that you can share and tell.
Think about your audience – who are you telling your story to? What do you want them to think, feel and do? You will already intuitively do this. How you tell your story of last nights hot date will be different depending on whether you are telling your best mate, your granny or your boss. Before you craft any (!) story take time to think about your audience, consider what will spark their interest, and tell your story for their ears.
And finally practice. As with anything, the more you practice the better you get. Practice telling stories, listen to and read more, notice when you feel something; what did the story-teller do to evoke that emotion in you? Learn from others and work those lessons into your own storytelling.

If you are interested in learning more about the power of storytelling sign up for my next how to tell stories to inspire your supporters workshop on 23 March 2017 in London. For more information you can also drop me a line at lucy@lucidity.org.uk.

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at 8 years ago

YES! So much yes. Storytelling lies at the heart of everything we're trying to do as organisations. Ulitmately, we're trying to tell the story of not being needed any more, of no one suffering from cancer, domestic abuse, opression, victimisation, or cystic fibrosis (in my case!).

I'm a storyteller, so I'm biased, but starting with story is critical: not just starting your pitch with a story, but starting your plans with the story you want to tell. How do you want people to feel, what do you want them to do, how should they react and most importantly, what's the one thing from what you're telling them (in whatever medium) that they're actually going to take away with them? I'll bet you a pound to a penny it won't be the third bullet point on your page of impact statistics...

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Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts Lucy, your tips are really helpful too; often things that get forgotten when we're preparing that pitch or presentation. I've recently read a couple of books which are about story and inspiration so I feel like it's something very much at the forefront of my mind at the moment, particularly in my corporate fundraising role.

The books are Start With Why by Simon Sinek and Winning the Story Wars: Why Those Who Tell and Live the Best Stories Will Rule the Future by Jonah Sachs - I highly recommend them both!

Simon Sinek's book centres around the importance of knowing, and being able to tell the story of, your "why." He suggests (convincingly) that people (whether that's potential customers, or in my case as a fundraiser, donors) buy into why you do something much more strongly than what you do.

Story Wars talks a lot about inadequacy vs empowerment marketing; how to craft your story and tell it with authenticity and integrity.

I think there is a huge amount that the third sector can learn about story; do we know ours well enough? And are we able to tell our story in a way that engages people and inspires them to participate in our story, rather than bully or guilt-trip them to respond.

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