Have you ever wondered WHY talking about money is scary for fundraisers? If we’re tasked with raising money we have to talk to people about money all the time. For some of us, it can be a scary or uncomfortable thing to do. It took me years to move past my own fears and discomfort. Take a listen to my recent conversation with Stephen Halasnik about why talking about money is scary for fundraisers.  We had a candid conversation about why it’s so uncomfortable and what we can do to shift our discomfort. Stephen shared his own fundraising story. He talks openly about what happened when he in ..read more

With OH so many options to share stories and updates about our work, how do we create effective virtual storytelling? How do we cut through the clutter of the incredibly loud level of noise in the social sector? Research tells us stories are more memorable than just statistics. And, science tells us everything we believe comes from stories we’ve been told by others OR we tell ourselves. As we vie for attention in the smartphone scrolling frenzy, what makes a story, especially a story told virtually, effective?  Here’s my list of 5, feel free to add yours: 1. One person Don’t yammer on ab ..read more

With OH so many options to share stories and updates about our work, how do we create effective virtual storytelling? How do we cut through the clutter of the incredibly loud level of noise in the social sector? Research tells us stories are more memorable than just statistics. And, science tells us everything we believe comes from stories we’ve been told by others OR we tell ourselves. As we vie for attention in the smartphone scrolling frenzy what makes a story, especially a story told virtually, effective?  Here’s my list of 5, feel free to add yours: 1. One person – Don’t yammer on a ..read more

Whoa. That’s a question that feels complicated and even uncomfortable, right? Is our storytelling ethical? And what does it mean to tell stories that are ethical? This isn’t a topic for a single blog post. So, expect more from me in the weeks and months ahead. First, let’s define some terminology. Storytelling /ˈstôrēˌteliNG/ the activity of writing, telling, or reading stories Ethical /ˈeTHəkəl/ relating to beliefs about what is morally right and wrong As a self-titled master storyteller, I’ve lightly touched on this topic for years. But it’s no longer a topic to skirt around. As a speaker ..read more

What happens when two master storytellers spend a few minutes together? They geek out about how to tell a powerful, engaging story. AND they agree on the fastest way to lose your audience when sharing a story. The wise, fun, brilliant, Jason Ellinger, founder of Beard and Bowler, a nonprofit storytelling and video production company, generously spent time with me this week. [To learn more about his founding story watch this video or scroll down on this page on his website for a deeper look into the roots of the company.] Jason put words to something I’ve been teaching nonprofit staff for year ..read more

Well, did you? Meet your Giving Tuesday fundraising goal, that is. I was woefully disappointed by most of the emails and social media posts that crossed into my awareness this week. Many posts and emails simply reminded me that it was Giving Tuesday with what felt like an expectation to give money. What was missing? Who would my contribution help? How much money would make a difference? What was the financial gap between where the organization is today and where it must be by end of the day or end of December to fully fund their mission? A sense of urgency: Why give now? We compete for atte ..read more

We’re smack in the middle of summer and the last thing you’re thinking about is how to engage your supporters to give more this fall. Right? I get it. It’s the unofficial downtime of the fundraising year. But, IF fully funding your mission requires more money and increased awareness now IS the time to ask yourself: how are we allowing people to get a glimpse of the amazing, life-changing work done here? And MY question for you is: How are you engaging your supporters. Right now. No surprise, it’s up to YOU as staff (and board members) to create a glimpse into your organization through the eyes ..read more

So, you want to raise more money this year, right? What if it was as simple as telling better stories to your stakeholders? It can be that simple. Success in life comes down to one thing: communication. What we say. Where we say it. How and when we say it. For me, helping fundraising professionals understand how to tell better stories to raise more money is my passion, calling, and life work. Fortunately, Erin Shipps, the host of the Auction Advocate podcast for the National Auctioneer Association (NAA) invited me to have a conversation about my storytelling passion. We’ve mentioned Erin ..read more

I understand the desire to tell donors lots of information. You want to communicate all kinds of details about the important work you’re doing, ways they can give, dates for events, that you’re on social media. I get it! Unfortunately, talking about yourself over and over is NOT an effective method for engaging donors. People are busy. So, I say get to the heart of your message quickly. And more importantly, focus your message on what donors want to hear. I love this Bluefrog Fundraising graphic. It was updated during the pandemic and is based on research gathered in December 2020 when we were ..read more

The ironic thing about sharing your money story is, the more you talk about money, the more money you will raise. To help you get over any apprehension you might have when talking about money, here’s 6 tips for sharing your money story story with ease and authenticity. 1. Make it Visual As with most stories, adding visuals brings your money story to life. Infographics make it simple to specifically highlight the impact of annual gifts, to show your donors how far their dollar goes. An image is especially helpful when staff and board members feel uncomfortable talking about money. Your image c ..read more