Storytelling and the Special Appeal

Everyone wants to know the key to successful fundraising.  And while that sweet spot has a host of different elements, at its heart is always a well-told story—getting your audience to pay attention and go on a journey with you.

The essence of good storytelling is a lot like the essence of the work of many non-profits: the journey of an individual who starts in one place, works through internal and external conflict, and is then delivered to another, better place. For your special appeal your organization is the change agent for that journey.

A successful special appeal is a result of great storytelling

We have been acting on this storytelling impulse for all of recorded history. Humans felt compelled to draw on the walls of caves. And while it happens through vastly different technology now, it’s pretty much exactly what we’re still doing. Facebook does call them “wall posts,” right?

And audiences engage at the hint of a good narrative.

Why?

As humans, we’re actually hardwired to absorb information via story better than via a litany of facts.

Buffer co-founder Leo Widrich says it this way:

“It’s in fact quite simple. If we listen to a PowerPoint presentation with boring bullet points, a certain part in the brain gets activated. Scientists call this Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area. Overall, it hits our language processing parts in the brain, where we decode words into meaning. And that’s it, nothing else happens.

When we are being told a story, things change dramatically. Not only are the language processing parts in our brain activated, but any other area in our brain that we would use when experiencing the events of the story are too.”

That means that, in a way, storytelling actually creates the experience for the listener. They are taken on a journey simply by listening. Your statistics—while great for a lot of things—can’t transport a listener in the same way.

So, when you want your potential sponsor, guest, supporter or champion to connect with your organization and your amazing work, don’t throw numbers at them first. Tell them a real story. One with cause and effect. One where there’s a hero on a journey. One where your organization is the change agent creating a better trajectory for their journey.

Narrative will engage your audience and connect them to you and your work in a way no spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation ever will.